Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

Hey, tried a different forum but so far no help so I thought I would try here. I've been having some trouble with my 98 Tahoe and wanted to see if I could get some help! The day after I bought it on craigslist, the Tahoe refused to start. It worked fine when I test drove it but the next day it would crank but not start. I found that the roller pin in the bottom of the distributor had sheered off so I replaced the pin, reinstalled the distributor, but it still will not start. I have good fuel pressure when the key is turned and while cranking, good spark, but the plugs are dry after cranking it for a few seconds. I tried starting with gas and carb cleaner down the intake but still nothing. Security light goes on when the key is inserted but turns off after a few seconds. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

Update: Fixed the fuel issue. Apparently the injectors will not fire when the battery is too low. After messing with the truck so much, I had to recharge the battery and now my plugs are coming out wet after turning over.

I can get her to start but she runs really rough. I used a timing light just to see where my timing was and it looks like the computer is advancing my timing about 18*. Is this normal?

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

You have to use a scanner to set the cam retard offset after reinstalling the distributor.
See here:
http://carphotos3.cardomain.com/imag...3430_large.jpg

Vortecs don't have a timing indicator so no one here can tell you if that is normal or not. I would be highly concerned the gear was sheered off. Was the wrong kind of pin used before you got it? Why was it messed with in the first place?

rough idle could be several things. First thing that comes to mind is fuel pressure, next EGR not closing.

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

I understand that a scanner needs to be used to set the timing. I was just using a timing light with an adjustable retard to see how many degrees off I was. 18* just seems very far advanced to me.

I thought that the pin sheering was odd too. I am recently the new owner so I do not know what work was done earlier to the vehicle. It looks to me like the entire distributor was replaced. It's silver, not painted black like the other Chevy distributors that I have seen.

Fuel pressure was good coming into the engine but I will check the EGR. Thanks for the help!

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

Until you actually set the cam retard, you are wasting time looking at other items. Set it or have someone do it.

If you have an aluminum distributor, you're a lot better off then OEM which was not painted black. It was actually plastic. I kept my old one for reference purposes.

Neat trick using the dial on the timing light, I never thought of that. But then I don't own a timing light either.

What may I ask, was the fuel pressure both running and non running (primed)?

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

I thought that you could get the truck to start and run without setting the cam retard. Is that not the case? I currently have VERY hard starts and the vehicle is not drivable. It takes 20 seconds of cranking and feathering the throttle to get the motor running and once it is, the engine stutters and dies if I press on the gas.

I think my fuel pressure was 55 while primed (after the pump turned off) and 62 while cranking. Once the engine started running, the pressure leveled out around 55. The reason I am not thinking fuel problem is that pouring gas down the intake does not help. The engine still runs equally as poorly with the extra gas.

I guess that I will start looking into USB or Smartphone scanners if I really do need to set my cam retard. I just thought I would be able to run the engine, just not very efficiently.

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

Try rotating the distributor a little at a time. Then try to start the truck. It sounds like the distributor is off, it may even be off by a tooth or two. The dist caps on these trucks don't have the same order as the firing order, so check to see that your wires are on right too.

Re: Vortec 5700 no start, no fuel, good spark
 

That's what I did last night. I tried both advancing and and neither helped. I could get it to where it would idle smooth out but it still wasn't drivable. As soon as I pressed the gas, the engine would stall and die.