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| You must be certain that there is no fire hazard present.
An odor of gasoline or any flammable mixture means you must totally
clear that condition before you perform this step or else the
possibility of severe injury of even death is present. |
| DO NOT PERFORM THIS STEP IF THERE IS ANY
EVIDENCE AT ALL OF FUEL LEAKAGE OR IF THERE ARE UNCAPPED BATTERY
FILLER OPENINGS PRESENT! |
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| (Note that the following checks that there is at least some
high voltage present. To determine that the voltage level is sufficient
to completely ignite the fuel/air mixture, you will need to purchase
a spark plug tester at your local auto part house. They
cost between $15 and $20 dollars on average). |
| To check for a spark, gently remove one of the plug wires by
grasping it at the connector boot (the part that goes over the
spark plug) and pull it off with a twisting motion. Do not
grasp the wire itself. |
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Carefully wedge a stiff wire (such as a straightened
out paper clip) into the plug wire connector, hold onto the
wire with an insulated tool (such as a large pair of needle
nose pliers with rubber handles) and have an assistant crank
the engine while you hold the wire approximately 1/2 inch from
the engine block.
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| You should see a spark jump from the wire to the engine block
if the ignition is working. |
| If there is no spark, check a second wire to make certain of
your findings and if missing, suspect the distributor, ignition
module or, on later modelsC4s, the Opti-Spark system which
is located on the front of the engine and subject to moisture
contamination problems. |
| If there is a spark present, you may have fouled spark plugs
or the fuel system may be a fault. It is also possible that you
have a voltage present at the plugs but not a high enough voltage
to reliably ignite the mixture. A tester will prove or disprove
that theory. |
| To prevent ignition problems, it is important that the spark
plugs be changed every 30,000 miles and at that time, the distributor
and plug wires be closely examined. |
| On pre-LT1 Corvettes, the distributor cap interior and rotor
device should be inspected for any signs of arcing or carbon tracking.
If any signs of these problems are noted, do not attempt to clean
the deposits. Replace the assembly. Similarly, if any problems
are noted with the plug wires (such as cracked insulation or broken
connector ends), replace the entire plug wire set. |
| Although it is possible for the timing chain to slip and throw
the ignition timing off this is not a common occurrence.
If a strong spark is present and the plugs are not fouled but
the car makes no attempt to start, this normally indicates a fuel
problem. |
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