Just found an old 89 3.0. been sitting a couple years. Story was timing belt broke but never got it to fire after replacement. Pulled it home and everything checks out per my Haynes book as far as timing marks,etc.(I'm just a shade tree guy) Got fire from coil to dist and to plugs but still can't get her to fire up. Tried spinning the rotor 360 but no luck yet. Need any kind of suggestion before I have to give up.

Does it have fuel? Sitting that long, the fuel in the tank will have gone bad, and I bet you have a clogged filter by now. Does the fuel in the tank smell like varnish? Do you have a fuel smell at the tailpipe while cranking? Will it fire off if you slosh a little fuel in the intake? How is the fuel delivery if you pull the filter and crank it?

Drained tank when I got it here and put fresh fuel in. Plugs have gas on them when I turn it over, which made me skip pulling the filter. Have had what sounds like she's barely trying to crank at times but can't her to catch. Sure won't hurt to check all the fuel delivery though. Thanks for the reply.

OK, getting fuel (good move to drain it, btw).

Set timing with a light, grounding the timing connector at the firewall, near brake booster (download and reference the factory manual from mitsubishilinks.com). Pull #1 plug. While hand rotating the motor with a 22mm socket on the crank pulley bolt, put your finger over #1 plug hole and feel for compression as the crank pulley reaches tdc. If no compression felt, rotate one full turn to tdc. Pull dizzy cap and look at where rotor is pointed (NOTE!!! The contact inside the dizzy cap may or may NOT go to the plug wire connector above the internal contact - you can trace them on the underside of the cap) and make sure it points at #1 plug wire. If not, remove the dizzy and align it correctly. There is an fsm procedure to do so, involving a mark on the dizzy shaft and housing. Reset the timing again and remove the grounding wire from the timing setting connector. Now, check the cam timing. Remove the cam sprocket covers and align the crank to tdc on #1 again. Check timing marks per fsm.

THis should correct mechanical and ignition timing. The motor is not an interference motor, so a broken timing belt should not have dinged the valves, and it should fire off.

Great instructions. Will try tomorrow. Comment about diz cap may be very important.

THe cap has snagged lots of folks, you won't be lonesome...

How are things on the Forked Deer? I grew up on the Muscle Shoals. Did a ride up the FD from the MS river once with Scouts.

For the ignorant among you, Dyersburg TN is the birthplace of Emmett Kelly, Jr., the great clown. There used to be a sign on the city limits coming from Jackson...

Pretty good and slow here for a senior citizen like me. Don't think the Emmett
K sign is up any more. Don't know why not. Not too many attractions except for the BOSS HOSS factory here. Good place to live........

You da man ! Diz cap was my problem. Got dist straight and she's runnin like a champ. Thanks for making my $200 investment a great one !

Least I could do, since you still have to play Alabama...