How to Make an Unreliable Car Useful Again

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Clean the battery terminal connections.

     This is controversial but it creates a stable long lasting connection
   - completely coat both terminals and coat the inside of the cable connectors with dielectric grease. 
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   Step 2: Leave the battery disconnected when working on the rest of the electrical system. 

   ,  Remove the bolt.  Clean the cable terminal connector, coat it with dielectric grease, put dielectric grease on the bolt threads and re-bolt the cable to the ground.  ,), put dielectric grease on the connection, and snap the wire back on  the spark plug.  Repeat for all the plugs.  Pull the (other) end of an ignition wire from the distributor, coat the connection with dielectric grease and push it back into the distributor.  Repeat for all the wires.  ,  Leave the ignition wires connected.  Pull the rotor up off of the distributor shaft.  Shine up the brass tip on the rotor's edge.  Look at the top of the rotor in the center where the contactor touches it.  Shine up that spot and put some dielectric grease on it.  Reinstall the rotor.       ,  remove the contactor and spring, put dielectric grease on the contacting surfaces, and reinstall them.  Snap the cap back on the distributor. , This is time consuming.  You may instead want to spring for new plugs.  Clean the plug tip and electrode using a wire brush and some degreaser.  Clean the gap with fine sandpaper or a small file.  Verify the correct gap.  Put some dielectric grease on the (old or new) spark plug threads.  Install the spark plug.  Repeat for all the spark plugs.  ,  Put dielectric grease on the fuse's tips or on the round ends of a cylinder shaped fuse and put it back in the fuse holder.  Repeat for all fuses. ,  On some engines these may be under the intake manifold.  Determine how to unsnap the connector plug (this may be very tricky)  and disconnect it (don't break it).  Dab some dielectric grease into/onto each contact pin in the plug, and reconnect the plug.  ,  Reconnect the battery and try to start the car.  Good luck. 
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   Step 3: The battery to ground connection (may be difficult to access) - Follow the negative battery cable to the bolt that attaches it to the cars frame or to the engine block.

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   Step 4: Pull an ignition wire from a spark plug (Find and follow directions.

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   Step 5: Remove the distributor cap.

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   Step 6: Inside the distributor cap

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   Step 7: at the top

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   Step 8: is a contactor on a spring.

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   Step 9: Remove a spark plug.

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    Step 10: Remove a fuse from the fuse box.

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    Step 11: Locate the electrical wire connection on each fuel injector.

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    Step 12: Check to make sure that all the connections are back together.

Detailed Guide

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