85 GT 2.8 4 speed just died and wont start

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MikeM

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So my son found a nice 85 GT and we went to pick it up today in Pa. The weather was horrible and we started out down the highway just fine. When he shifted into 4th gear the car started to hesitate and eventually stalled. Needless to say we could get her refired and had to leave it on the side of the road.

I've been looking through other posts and it seems this might be common. Fuel pump? Coil? Weak voltage at the injectors? Help!

Any help with trying to figure this out would be greatly appreciated.
 
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One of the most common problems is the pick-up coil in the distributor and/or the ignition module going bad. I posted how to change the pick-up coil here: http://www.pontiacforum.com/pontiac/showthread.php?t=28985

You first need to determine what is the engine not getting. If there is no fuel, it could be a bad fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, relay, or other sensor. No spark see above, bad sensor, or the ECU went bad.
 
Got it started but...

Thanks for your help...

As soon as it warmed up it shut down again. The battery light popped on right before it cut off. Could it be the alternator? If the voltage drops would that affect the voltage at the injectors? Grasping at straws before I start replacing parts I don't need to.
 
Measure the battery voltage with the car off. Should be 12 VDC.
Get the car running and measure again, it should read 13.5 to 14.5.
If it does not go up or goes over 16V the alternator is not working.

Since it dies once it warms up, It could still be the ignition module and/or pick-up coil. With the EGR and crossover pipe near the distributor, the heat can damage/kill the ignition module and/or the pick-up coil. (common problem on Fiero's) The ignition coil also can cause it to die once heated. Once it dies, see if you have no spark. If no spark it is ignition related.

My bet is on the ignition module.
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Changed ignition control module

Car ran for about 30 minutes, backfired and stalled. Wouldn't start until we let it cool for about 10 minutes. Limped it home back to square one.

Ignition coil next or any other suggestions with the backfiring symptom.
 
did you check for spark at the plugs when it wouldnt start?
 
No spark

We drove it until it died (about 10 minutes) pulled a plug and checked for spark. Nothing. Waited 10 minutes cranked it over and there was spark. Put the plug back in and she started right up and we limped it home.
 
As Oreif suggested that still leaves the coil and pickup as possible failure points.
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Fixed

I wanted to thank all of you for your help. It ended up being the wire from the coil to the distributor. Replaced that and haven't had a problem since.
 
Great to hear you found the problem
 
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