1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass no fire

Tiny
ADAMJONES1
  • MEMBER
  • 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 45,774 MILES
A few weeks ago I hooked my battery up wrong and tried starting it. The batterys fine but I recently replaced the intake gasket and this was the first time I tried starting it since I hooked the battery up wrong and now my car isnt getting fire to the spark plugs. Did I fry something electrical?
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 AT 1:42 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
JDL
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,098 POSTS
Welcome to the forum, hope you didn't fry everything? I guess your saying it cranks good, but, no spark at the plugs? Is the coil in the distributor cap? Where the small primary wires plug into the cap, do you see anything that says B+ or tach. B+ goes hot when you turn on the key, pink wire. If you use a testlite on the tach terminal, engine cranking the lite should pulse.

Even if the coil is separate from the distributor, same thing, positive side is B+ and negative side is tach signal/ switching ground.
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 AT 3:03 PM
Tiny
ADAMJONES1
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Yea It cranks fine, and I checked the coil and it looks rusty but I dont know if that would cause it not to run because it ran before I put my battery in wrong.
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 AT 7:22 PM

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