Swapping 2 3 or 1 4 on the same coil has no effect with these engines.

in the wasted spark ignition system used with the s car engines,. the spark plugs fire in pairs, with one plug in a cylinder on its compression stroke and the other plug in a cylinder on its exhaust stroke. The extra spark during the exhaust stroke has no effect and is thus "wasted".

So as long as the swap is on the same coil pack, you'd never have a drivability issue.

I'm the future, you can remove rust on the coil towets with 220 sandpaper. Take off only what you need and use dielectric grease.

 

CKP (cank position sensor, correct abbreviation) would have been my first guess, as they develop breaks in the internal coil that retain continuity when the sensor is cooler, but go open circuit as the temp rises and things expand. No CKP signal to the PCM or a crappy one, no spark and no fuel (injectors are shut down).

 

Plugs

NGK 7755 (Also known as BKR4ESA11).

Plain old copper plugs, 0.040".
This the OEM plug. It's cheap and the designers selected it over the other 56,835 available plugs for a reason. You can have it come in an AC Delco box and pay more, but it is the identical plug. Says NGK on it.

Not the same plug as for the SC2.

 

Fuel pump prime after key off.

Interesting question.
Some cars you can key on, prime, key off many times. I've found that once the pressure in the system is sufficient, additional attempts to prime do nothing.

Come to think of it, 97 fuel pumps were a one year only design f up. Don't remember the reason, but the tend to bleed off fuel system pressure very quickly once the key is off.
If you have less than 1/3 of the tank full, your fuel pump is not getting sufficient heat dissipation from the gas around it. Fuel pump life is drastically reduced in most cases. I know the car is new to you and it may not be an original fuel pump in there, just saying.

Do loan a tool at AutoZone for a fuel pressure gauge. It's free. Test at the fuel rail
Key off engine off cold
Key on, engine off, cold
Key on engine on, running
Track fuel pressure readings as you wait for it to stall. If your pump is weak you should see the pressure drop.

If your fuel filter was clogged I would expect to be a constant issue, not every 10 issues.

I turn my key to on, wait for the service light to go off, then crank. Starts 96 times out of 100. My fuel pump is orig.

 

Okay, I was unaware on the plug wiring thing, thats quite interesting. I had been informed it had to be wired in 1-2,2-3,3-4,4-1 due to a fake code it would throw pertaining to cam shaft sensor? Okay, I installed the copper plugs this last time I replaced them, there was not any corrosion on the connector, and I am unsure what you are meaning by squeeze connector derf. I just got to work for the evening but I will be testing everything first thing tomorrow and reporting back. Autozone has the fuel pressure tester for me tomorrow, and I have a multimeter. The fuel pump does make sense, at least in my mind, i cant believe I didn't consider it. Youre correct on them being year specific (1 year only), and no one around here has an original (new or used). If it does end up being the culprit, any recommendations on brand? I have found 1 place that has a used one for $60 and it would be shipped to me. Thoughts? I will log all of the instructed testing results derf and post them tomorrow. Thanks again everyone

 

Regarding the fuel pump priming derf, I believe we may have misunderstood each other. So when my car dies after 10 minutes idling, should I be able to switch to off, then immediately move back to on position and hear fuel pump prime? I also do my starts the same as you and wait until I hear the pump turn on and then back off. What I was meaning is maybe after running maybe temperature is shutting off the fuel pump or creating failure?
And one last question, on my obd2 reader, what temperature is a normal operating temperature for the vehicle (just a baseline)?

 

Fuel pump. Buying a used fuel pump, let alone a used 97 fuel pump is like snacking on mercury coated lead paint. Nay.

We are on the same page. The reason I can't answer your question is because I don't know what your fuel pressure is doing when you turn the key to off. I'm assuming it goes by fuel pressure because in my car if I prime it enough times in a row without starting there is a limit after which when I turn the key from off to on it will no longer try to prime. So the answer to your question depends on what the pressure is when the car stops running and you turn the key off and back on period if all the pressure is bleeding away that quickly then it will prime. you will have a gauge on it so you will know exactly what is happening . Then we can discuss.

I just put a Carter in my 95.

What what happens if you try to start your car right after it stalls ? Does it try to fire or just spin?

Thermostat is either 185 or 195 so somewhere around there. Was 195 on the first generation s cars, can't remember for the second generation. Wait yes I can it was 195. Does your auxiliary cooling fan come on when you turn the AC on? not just pushing in the button but pushing in the AC button, the compressor clutch engaging, and a fan speed setting that is not off? Does the auxiliary cooling fan ever come on? Where does the needle sit at operating temperature on the temperature gauge?

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We are on the same page, I just misunderstood brother, my apologies. When she chokes out, if I try to start right back its 50/50 on the start. If she does start, she shudders and sputters right back out, if that makes sense. So if on my temperature gauge, the needle rises to 3/4 then cooling fan kicks on and she maintains around 5/8 on the needle. But my obd2 shows 212-215 when it kicks on, and I dont fully understand why because I thought 195 also. The ac hasn't worked in her since I got her about a year and a half ago, clutch fan doesn't engage. And honestly just haven't deemed ac necessary yet, I usually just roll the window down (im southern if you can't tell).

 

A 195 thermostat is just a designation for when the thermostat opens, not for the temperature maintained in the cooling system. Once the thermostat opens, cooling system temperature is maintained by the ECM controlling the cooling fan. 212-215 is reasonable (50/50 coolant at 12 psi doesn't boil until about 250 degrees).

 

Thats kind of what I thought oldmarine. And thank you for helping on this issue. Derf, I think yall may be right on the fuel pump. Ran sally until failure with the pressure tester and my pressure dropped all the way down to 17. Thoughts?