Engine diagnosis help

That weird thing with the dual relay was a big clue to me.
Yep, that was the first time we had touched the wiring in the spare tire well. There is a crimped (like a repair) wire coming out of the non-ECU side of the combo-relay. I "think" that side is the fuel pump power. I will have to research it in the manuals.
 
You already confirmed you have spark. Make sure you have compression (this can also relate to the cam timing, etc); for now even a simple thumb over the spark plug hole while turning the engine over and watching the distributor rotor position (i.e. compression when that cylinder is firing). If both of those are good then it much be a fuel issue. Try going through the FI diagnostic manual step by step the next time you guys work on the car. Funny, but we all hate when prior owners do electrical repairs, however I'm no better...all of my cars get mods, changes, repairs, etc. :rolleyes:
 
Ha ha, do we need to tell you where the FI diagnostic manual can be found. :p The obvious joke being that Jimmy is the one that always tells me where to find things on the forum.
 
Since the car was running before the suspected overheating situation put it into Bubba's Furrin' Car & Tractor Repair and Shoe Shine Shop, the prime suspect should be whatever they could have messed up while doing the head gasket.

0. Charge the battery. Or get a fresh one and charge it. 12.5v is almost dead. Change oil.

1. Start with establishing that engine timing is correct. I would suggest setting up the car like I describe in my valve adjusting How-To so you can use the right rear wheel to turn over the engine. Remove the #4 spark plug, put a wood dowel into the spark plug hole so you can visualize what the piston is doing, watch the cam lobes, and turn over the engine by hand. Check the flywheel dot against the hash marks on the bell housing window, and the timing marks on the crank pulley and the tin pointer.

2. Once engine timing is positively confirmed as correct, check valve adjustment.

3. Once valve adjustment is checked and corrected as necessary, pull the distributor cap, yank the wires off the distributor cap, establish with a continuity test which internal contacts lead to which spark plug lead terminals on the outside of the cap, mark the plug wire nipples, reinstall the distributor cap. If necessary partially remove the entire distributor and orient it correctly (a Bosch side-firing cap should have the plug lead nipples pointing more or less at cyl #4), then reinstall the plug wires confirming proper firing order.

4. Once the above has been accomplished in a methodical manner, you have a foundation from which no-start troubleshooting can commence.
 
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