Well I had to replace the front tranny seal anyway, so when I pulled the the tranny, I checked the TC and it was grooved about an inch up the snout and the bushing in the pump was bad. So I pulled the oil pump to replace the bushing, but couldn't get it out, and rather than buy the tools to do it, I just bought a rebuilt pump and stator with all new bushings and seals. However, when I looked at the flex plate once it was exposed, , the wear patter on the back of the flex plate didn't look totally symmetrical, which made me think the same thing a bent plate, so I got a new ATP flex plate and a rebuilt Pro King TC. and put it all back together.
I loaded it up with fluids but spilled a heap over the funnel that leaked down by the distributor...and perhaps coil. I added 5 quarts of tranny fluid plus one in the TC (everyone said expect to use 8-12). Filled up the transfercase, installed new stock header to replace Borla header and new downpipe/cat/muffler/tailpipe.
I really expect this to fire right up.
Instead, I put in the key and the batter was dead, I hooked up jumper cables and cranked it and turned over two or three times and died very rough, tried it again and it cranked a little bit longer. Again, very rough with a fluctuation in the idle almost like it was 180 out. Tried again and gave it a little gas, and it actually sounded ok at slightly higher rev, but when I let off the gas it backfired and died.
With the backfire, I figured my timing was off. I pulled off the distributor, found top dead center and tried to stab it one tooth back. I got in the car, tried to crank it and it just kept turning over and over and over. I pulled the #1 plug and it was brownish.
I put a screw driver in the plug wire and laid it across the valve cover and cranked it and nothing, then I put a plug in it and tried again, thinking maybe just not enough juice to jump from the screwdriver. Again, nothing. It doesn't look like I'm getting any spark at all.
oh, and it was those damn E12 bolts on top that were loose. Everyone complains about how hard the are to get to, but I stuck my hand up there, gave it a couple twists and out it dropped. You could also see where oil had been leaking into the top of it from an apparent valve cover leak....new gasket for that too.