car not starting

[bigh]

the car will start & i drive 3 miles to the coffee shop & go to start it and it just cranks will not fire , i fiddle around with the coil wire , pump the gas still no luck after fiddling around for 5 or ten min. it fires up , i am afraid to drive it , this has happened 4 times no in 2 weeks any ideas ? fuel pump, coil ?? thank's for any ideas

[vref120]

Is it flooded? Hold the pedal to the floor and crank it. What does it do? Is it carb or EFI? Do you have spark? Do you have fuel pressure (inline gauges are great).

Fiddle with it as in what? Mess with the key? Ignition switch bad? Need more info.

[bigh]

no not flooded it has a 600 cfm carb.

[Tommy]

An inexpensive spark tester from the auto parts store can tell you if the problem is lack of spark the next time it happens. My wild guess is an ignition problem, possibly the coil or a failing MSD ignition module. There are plenty of threads on both problems to help you narrow things down.

P.S. To test it, drive around for a while but go back home to shut it off. That way you'll have what you need nearby.

[Sailfish]

I would investigate the coil. I've experienced a coil breaking down-----when the car is cold the coil works as expected. But once it gets up to temperature it starts breaking down. Hence, poor or no starting until the car/coil cools down. Just my two cents.

[DanEC]

I would guess coil breaking down form heat or fuel perculating out of the carb bowls on shut down - but your car shouldn't get that heat soaked in a 3 mile drive. If you have a points distributor with an electronic ignition added on, that is another possibility.

Are you spending time in the coffee shop during which the car could cool a bit or are you picking up coffee and leaving immediately?

It's got to be either fuel or spark. Next time pull the air cleaner before re-starting and see if it squirts fuel when you manipulate the throttle. If it squirts fuel then test for spark with a plug or coil wire.

[bigh]

i ma be in 5 to 10 min. and then it don't want to start but cranks, but after i fiddle with it & check the coil wire to make sure it is pluged in after 10 min. it starts . thanks for the tips i will do that i bought a spark tester