Engine Mechanical problem
1989 Buick Lesabre 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 47000 miles
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The car won't start. Pulled it ouf of the carport onto the drive which is at an angle downhill. Left it there over night and it won't start. Just cranks away and when you turn the key off, backfires through the breather. I thought it had jumped time, but a friend came over and was checking it out and it started for him on the second hit. I was a hnds on healing as he hadn't messed with anything. Decided it was too low on fuel and probably had trash in the filter screwing things up. Replaced the fuel filter and made a trip to the gas station to fill it up. Filled up and it hasn't started since. Crank away and when you turn off the key a backfire through the breather. If it was a timing issue, it wouldn't start after it jumped time...right? The cam sensor is only two years old, so I don't think it's that. The service engine light never came on and I've tried the paper clip trick to retrieve code, but it's not talking. What am I looking at here? Ignition module? Crank sensor? I'm baffled, not to mention without a car. Any help?

dastar wrote:

Engine Mechanical problem 1989 Buick Lesabre 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 47000 miles ---------------------------------------------------------------- The car won't start. Pulled it ouf of the carport onto the drive which is at an angle downhill. Left it there over night and it won't start. Just cranks away and when you turn the key off, backfires through the breather. I thought it had jumped time, but a friend came over and was checking it out and it started for him on the second hit. I was a hnds on healing as he hadn't messed with anything. Decided it was too low on fuel and probably had trash in the filter screwing things up. Replaced the fuel filter and made a trip to the gas station to fill it up. Filled up and it hasn't started since. Crank away and when you turn off the key a backfire through the breather. If it was a timing issue, it wouldn't start after it jumped time...right? The cam sensor is only two years old, so I don't think it's that. The service engine light never came on and I've tried the paper clip trick to retrieve code, but it's not talking. What am I looking at here? Ignition module? Crank sensor? I'm baffled, not to mention without a car. Any help?

you have got to find out if it is spark or fuel

try squirting carb cleaner down the throttle plates if it starts its fuel if not its spark

I already tried starter fluid and that didn't work. Still won't start. Still backfires through the breather when you stop cranking. Also took off one rail of the the injector system and saw that it was getting fuel. I don't think it's fuel. Haven't checked the pressure on the fuel line yet, but I'm guessing it's fire.

dastar wrote:

I already tried starter fluid and that didn't work. Still won't start. Still backfires through the breather when you stop cranking. Also took off one rail of the the injector system and saw that it was getting fuel. I don't think it's fuel. Haven't checked the pressure on the fuel line yet, but I'm guessing it's fire.

does this car have a distributor?

It has a coil pack. I have to add that it doesn't backfire everytime you crank it. Probably every fourth or fifth time.

Remove the ignition module from the coil pack. Take the module to Autozone or someplace like that and have them test it.

dastar wrote:

It has a coil pack. I have to add that it doesn't backfire everytime you crank it. Probably every fourth or fifth time.

do check your crank sensor and its wiring to it for looseness and frayed wires its in your crank pully

I replaced the coil pack about four years ago and the crank sensor about two years ago. I don't remember backfiring being a problem in either case, but it could be that I just don't remember that it was doing it. I'll check both. The cam sensor is the original from 1989 as is the timing chain, but it really does only have 47,000 miles on it. I was thinking that they're probably okay. Unless just age is the issue.