Oldsmobile/Buick Repair: Olds wont start, oldsmobile 98, starter fluid

Question
Is this the only advice you have?

Would really rather not have to deal with
potentially dangerous things.


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Followup To
Question -
I have a 1986 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham, fuel-injected, 3.8 liter V6.
I've owned the car less than two months.
It ran/drove fine until about 2 weeks ago.
I was running low on fuel, and when I got where I was going, I pulled into a parking spot, and the car died before I even put it into Park.
I tried to restart it once, and then decided that I must have ran it out of gas.
About 4 1/2 hours later we tried starter fluid (and re-fueled obviously) and still nothing.
After having the car towed home, we have done the following:
Replaced in-line fuel filter, checked/replaced all fuses, checked spark (it's fine), replaced battery and we can hear the fuel pump when the key is ON.
The car has plenty of fuel.
It just won't start.
When the car is cold, and we attempt to start, it backfires (pops) but only the once, every time afterwards it just cranks, won't turn over.
Please, any advice, ideas, or other help you can offer would be very much appreciated.

Thank you,

Frustrated in Oregon
Answer -
If you pour a little gas in the intake will it try and run ?. Be CAREFUL this method is EXTREMLY DANGEROUS because you can get a FLASHBACK and get burned.



autohelp

Answer
You have to take into consideration that I have no idea how much mechanical knowledge you have. I have seen people get their faces burned because they were looking down the intake when someone else tried to start the engine and they got severly burned.

for all I know you could be a total novice, a shade tree or a certified tech who is just stumped on this one.

Once we find out if the vehicle will try and start this will tell us how we must proceed on the diagnosis.

I could have asked you how many ground pulses are you getting from the ECM off of terminal C6 on the blue plug in with a suitable ground source using an analog voltmeter you could have wrote back and said "DO WHAT" TO WHERE".


Let's see if it will run first. I spent over 30+ years as an ASE certified tech with advanced training in numerous fields of automotive repair. So until we can determine your ability to perform diagnostic procedures, I have to start off like you are a novice.



autohelp