I have a 1980 Pontiac phoenix, one day i was driving and it stopped, i

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Silencer

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tried to start and it would'nt.? I have a 1980 Pontiac phoenix, one day i was driving and it stopped, i tried to start it and it cranked but no start, so i towed it home and tried again no start. it has been a few years since. i replaced the battery the coil and the module inside the distributor and now when i try to start it up the car wont do anything. then i hit the starter with a hemmer and it cranked once. and now it will not even click or try to start. i think it is an electric problem....CAN ANYBODY HELP ME?!?!!?
 
First thing.......bad starter.
Second thing.....solve the original no-start problem
Third thing.......hope to god you can get parts still.

When you get the starter cranking again, (don't care how) then you will have to check for spark and fuel. The carburetor is probably dry as a bone and cannot be trusted that much......the ignition system is questionable at best......and we have no idea yet if the timing chain broke. If the timing chain broke, the engine would crank over way too smoothly....like a sewing machine, and you would have no spark.

The real question here is...IS THIS TRIP REALLY NECESSARY?
In its day, this car was rather disappointing to many people.....not sure why anyone would think it would be any better now. Its probably not worth the trouble, and I hate being right about this sort of thing....but it is the truth.
 
It "could" be anything, so it really depends on how much time and money you want to really spend on it. assuming your willing to do what it takes then I'd recommend starting with the basics. test the starter at a parts store, test the battery, make sure your getting spark, make sure your getting fuel. if your getting spark and fuel then the problem is something else so move on to timing. a 28 year old car is about due for a timing chain and a lot of other things. either you'll finally figure out the problem or you'll have wasted a lot of time and money. the smart thing is to start with the obvious and cheap and work your way up. (including checking the gas tank to make sure it has gas)
 
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