Why won't my 1982 Chevy Citation start properly?
Asked by LaurieOzp Apr 12, 2022 at 11:10 PM about the 1982 Chevrolet Citation 4-Door Hatchback FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
When starting out, it takes 3 cranks for her to start.
Then while out on errands, she won't start at all
without sitting for 1 to 2 hrs. She runs great when
she's running. We've done a tuneup, replaced her one
fuel injector and replaced some hoses. Not sure what
other direction to take.
3 Answers
beatupchevy answered 2 years ago
Check fuel lines for rot , pour some fuel in the throttle when the problem occurs to see if it's fuel related . Look for good motor to chassis ground . I can't believe that thing is still around .
I had an 82 Citation and it would not start after getting fully warmed up or would just quit running and would have to let it sit for an hour before it would start and run again, anyway found the pickup coil in the distributor would intermittently go open so there would be no signal to the module to fire the coil, I had both the pickup and module replaced and the problem disappeared. I would also check the fuel delivery and pressure. This old you may have relay issues too.
Definitely sounds like an ignition problem. When it conks out check the ignition coil as well. Sometimes a failing ignition coil will work perfectly when it's cold but when it gets hot it breaks down and quits. Hope that helps! Jim
