This is about a 1996 850 N/A with about 185,000 miles.

It's been running like a champ, until a few days ago when I drove it to the hardware store. On the way the CEL starting flashing, and car lurched a time or two but continued running. I parked at the hardware store, shopped, came out and turned the key. The engine turned over but the car wouldn't start. I called my towing service and spent about ten minutes on hold. Figuring well, why not, I turned the key and the car started. I drove it home and it ran fine. But now, back in my garage, it won't start. The engine codes were 300, 303, 305.

I read through the archives and did these things: New Bosch plugs, wires, distributor and rotor, since they all were slightly over 30K miles. New air filter, just because I was at the part shop anyway. I checked the fuel on the Schraeder valve at the rail and it seemed a little sputtery. I had a new pump at hand so installed that. The fuel filter is about a year and a half old. I swapped around a camshaft position sensor that I also had around. No change with that. The coil seemed to be putting out an orange-ish blue spark, so I also replaced that with another I had at hand to no effect. Finally, the battery was about five years old, so I figured I might as well replace that now rather than waiting for it to die. So that's new. I haven't found any hugely obvious vacuum leaks.

The car turns over. I have fuel at the rail and spark. Judging from the archives and the excellent RSPI video, it seems like a compression test is next up. But any further ideas out there? As possibly unrelated notes, it's a change of season time here in Minnesota and there are a jillion potholes. So everything on everybody's car gets shaken up a bit.

As always, thanks to anyone who puts their thinking cap on regarding this.

 

Try unplugging the MAF and see if it starts.

 

Fuel pump relay and fuel injector relay. Jump the relay and see if it drives a couple of days with no issues.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, pulling the MAF plug didn't do much of anything. It still won't start.

Regarding the fuel pump relay: I can hear the pump running when I turn the key, and when I press the valve at the rail I get a mighty squirt of gas. I'm taking this as evidence that the relay is working, but I don't claim to be any automotive genius. If there are reasons why the relay might still be the culprit, I'm eager to know.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

 

Okay, I admit this with extreme reluctance, but cars just don't start that well when you you reverse the #4 and #5 wires at the distributor. My apologies to RSPI and az850 for wasting your time. But RSPI, again I tip my hat for your excellent short video on the correct distributor hook-up.

 

NO your good my man. (and I'm sure RSPI would agree) sometimes we think too far out of the box and miss whats basic. I'll give it up to rspi. After my post I reaxamined your first post and and thought waht he thought. Or that the relay was fine and the pump was bad. In either event, I'm glad you got it running. That said, thats the beautiful thing about a forum like this. It acts as a sounding board, and makes you look at things you might not neccesarilly be looking at. Like with brick telling me I had a hard code and it has to be reset by a scanner. Who would've thunk it? I've always reset my codes by disconnecting the battery. And to think, I was getting ready to take it out to the midde of the desert and put it down like a lame horse. You really have to love forums like this. Anyway. I'm glad you found the problem and hope all goes well.

 

Woo hoo! Glad you figured it out. Now rack up some miles on that thing.

 

I think the way most of us look at it is were are happier it's something simple than something expensive and hard to get or replace as we've been there ourselves !!