ah my z used to start but now it wont!!
 

i recently picked up a zx from a private sale......i have been running it for a couple weeks (the trannys blown so it hasnt been moving but im working on it)
and it always started up fine and ran fine....
the other day while i was running it, it started sputtering then just stopped running. now it wont start at all!
sometimes it starts firing for a 5 or ten seconds then it just sputters out again.
it sounds like it wants to start and almost does....it just doesnt.
im going to give it new plugs, wires and dist cap, and fuel filter tomorrow.
but i have a feeling thats not it. any suggestions on what other quirks i can check? i know cars have their own specific quirks i just dont know the 280's well.

So it did run, was it blowing out thick white smoke? I would say maybe your AFM took a crap. Also maybe your CHTS, cylinder head temp sensor, jiggle it, and see if makes a difference. Also maybe your TPS, throttle position sensor. Just a couple things off the top of my head. Let us know, if it helps any.

change all those and then let us know if any of that stuff makes a difference. Those are maintanence items so you want to replace those anyways so you might as well do that first. Then atleast those will be eliminated as possible causes of the problem.

While you're at it make sure you dont have a vacuum hose that came loose or finally split open. A vacuum leak will produce results just like yours. A car that wants to start but wont and if it does it dies very soon after starting. The hoses to the vacuum canister are fairly easy to knock loose and there are several on the manifold that can become brittle from all the heat and crack. Also, if the distributors vacuum advance mechanism ruptures it will become a vacuum leak.

If not a vacuum issue then it sounds like it could be a fuel issue. You can check to see if its insufficient fuel by spraying starter fluid into the intake and seeing if she'll run that way.

!!!! CAP AND ROTOR !!!! make sure your getting fuel !!! take out your ECU and turn on youre ignition look for the green light insdie the ecu if it doesnt come on " check your fuses " passenger side seat... if not that then please check your fusable links located right next to the battery... TPS sensor then air flow meter,, aka mass air flow sensor.. if its a turbo there are 2 little vacum sensros located right behind the air flow meter unplug them and your tps check to see if your car will start... and hears the number one problem solver !!! check your starter " yellow wire " if thats not conneted your car wont start nor turn over ! sucks.. i know lol...

p.s. let us know how your car is doing ...

yes it was blowing lots of white smoke before it died.
it had been sitting for 1 year but had been started a couple months. but i am pretty sure it had the same gas in it forever.
im going to check all those things this sunday.
i have sunday until thursday off so im dedicating my time to this project next week. also when i turned on the air blower that day, in the car, it shut off and never turned on again, could whatever thats connected to have something to do with it? just a thought. i will let you guys know sunday late afternoon what happens, thanks guys!

oh btw the white smoke wasnt thick but it was there. and it was mostly comin out when i stepped on the gas an revved it a lot.