Hi, I have an '86 2m4 SE. Haven't had to post anything so far because I usually find the info I need, but here's an odd one that maybe someone can offer some insight.

So today I changed out the plugs, plug wires, distributor & rotor. And it started up and ran just fine, in fact I turned it off, let it sit and started it again about 3 more times. I was having an issue with the car not starting again after running for a while, which is why I did this bit of work, and it needed it. So far so good, right?

Then I put it into reverse and it stalled.

So I waited a few moments, then started it up again and we're running. Waited some more moments, put it in reverse, and it stalled. Except this time, the battery seems to be dead, as there is no electriciy flowing in the car to do anything. Maybe I blew a fuse? I will check later, my back needs to rest for a while after dealing with that distributor location.

Would the stalling indicate I need to re-time it?

[This message has been edited by BlueBrat (edited 05-09-2015).]

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[This message has been edited by tshark (edited 09-08-2018).]

When you did this work did you disconnect the battery?

Either way - Take off the two battery cables, wire brush the two surfaces and put them back together.

The lead surfaces have a thin film of oxidation on them. You can't see it well but there is only a little bit of the metal touching and the oxidation is holding the other part of the surface apart. You hit the key to start and the only one part that is making contact has a high current running through it. It vaporizes with a kinda snap noise and the car goes dead.

What usually happens then is the owner takes off the battery cables, and then puts them on. That makes a new part contact but still a small part. Turn the key to start and the car goes dead again.

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When the car doesn't start after it has ran for a while. Does it crank and crank just fine but it just never fires. And then when it has cooled enough it starts up no problem?

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 05-09-2015).]

You said you ( changed out the plugs, plug wires, distributor & rotor). Did you mean distributor cap?

If you pulled the distributor by all means recheck the timing. You should also replace the distributor cap and from the same manuf as the rotor.
Examine all the replacement parts closely. I've seen poorly made rotors that actually wobbled on the shaft and caps that had aluminum or non copper contacts. Get good quality parts or you could be worse off after the tuneup.

Spoon

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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: When you did this work did you disconnect the battery?

Yep, always.

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: Either way - Take off the two battery cables, wire brush the two surfaces and put them back together.

I'll give that a shot. Those need to be replaced anyway, the screws have been stripped pretty bad and the positive cable has exposed wire from the shielding coming off.

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: When the car doesn't start after it has ran for a while. Does it crank and crank just fine but it just never fires. And then when it has cooled enough it starts up no problem?

When it doesn't start after running, it will crank but not fire, so your guess is correct. I'm hoping this maintenance does the trick, although after looking at the distributor when pulling off the cap, it probably at least needs a new coil, maybe replace the whole thing.

Also check your ground cables. Do a search for grounds and you'll find some good info. If the battery cables were bad, there's a good chance the grounds may need attention too and they can cause all kinds of weird issues.