2002 Astro Van Broke down on road Won't start

[andyrud]

Hi guys,
2002 Astro broken down on the road, cranks but won't start. I removed dog house. Fuel pressure tested to 55 lbs. Removed cap and rotor, cleaned terminals and re-installed. Have spark to plugs, used an inline spark tester. Sprayed starting fluid into air intake and cranked engine, did not even cough, just cranked and cranked. Any thoughts it might be and what should I do next?
Thanks in advance,
Andy R

[MountainManJoe]

well if it's got fuel but it's not igniting then there's got to be something wrong with the plugs.
Try pulling them out one by one, ground the body and visually confirm they're sparking

[andyrud]

That is not so easy when it is broke down on the side of the road. I checked there is spark at all the terminals at the dist. cap. I doubt ALL spark plugs stopped ALL at once driving down the road. The plugs were changed about a 1000 miles ago so I doubt they are all bad. Is there a chance it is the crankshaft position sensor or if it has one a camshaft position sensor changing the spark timing to be WAY WAY off?

[MountainManJoe]

That is not so easy when it is broke down on the side of the road.

how come? push it somewhere out of traffic and bring your tools. Or have it towed home.

I doubt ALL spark plugs stopped ALL at once driving down the road.

I never said the plugs were bad. This test ensures ALL ignition components are working properly. (coils, wires, etc.)

Is there a chance it is the crankshaft position sensor or if it has one a camshaft position sensor changing the spark timing to be WAY WAY off?

Maybe, but I would still expect it to at least cough or sputter if timing was off. If there were no timing signal , would it even spark at all? Maybe.

[MountainManJoe]

The service manual has all the info you need to ensure good ignition timing
https://charm.li/Chevy%20Truck/2002/Ast ... %20System/

[andyrud]

Well, Interesting fix! I had it towed into a repair shop. Trying to fix an indiscriminate misfire I bought a new Distributer from Amazon and installed it. The Astro ran great for about 50 miles or so and then broke down. I never thought it would be the new distributer, BUT it was. The shop put in the old distributer and the astro started right up and ran fine. Always learning, education costs a lot!!

Thanks for your help,
Andy R

[MountainManJoe]

yeah I don't buy important parts from Amazon for this exact reason. Glad you got 'er fixed.