Have a 97 4 door Lx in my driveway. okay car but will not start. this is a myster car. have no clue of previous owners, or any maintenance. looks oky, but dirty and not well taken car of. clean body, dirty under the hood. plus a few junkyard part and markings thourghout.

Has Spark, Has Fuel, 200k on the clock. it is not the T-stat ground. it is not the relay. turns over freely. turns over with the key.

Any sudgestions?. have yet to pull the timing cover off. have yet to pull the dizzy off.

a few odd questions that ran though my mind....

How do you set the distributor timing on an OBD2 car? any different than an EG?

 

same thing jump the connector in the ps kick panel.. have you checked for spark ? are the injectors firing ? check the basics

 

Any CEL codes?

If spark is bright white at the plugs, then check the mechanical timing:



If the timing is fine, then compression test the cylinders.

 

i was thinking it was the mechanical timing. it wants to start but the compression stroke doesnt sound right. we shall see. im swapping a few tid bits tonite.

by far the best timing pic i have seen yet...