Pontiac Repair: Misfiring/backfiring, crankshaft position sensor, crank sensor

Question
Its a 95 Pontiac grand am 3.1 v6 automatic  .its missing and backfiring it did start but when i put it in gear it dies , now it wont start it will turn over.It has a obd-1 do you know how to check it?and do you have any idea what it might be?

Answer
Hi William:

well first off If it was backfiring and misfiring and now it will not start I would suspect an ignition system issue here. check to see if it has spark on all 3 coils if all three coils are dead then I would think it's either an ignition module that is bad which is under the coils or the crankshaft position sensor is bad which is in the block on the back side of the engine between the engine and transmission. BUT before you do that make sure with the key in the on position make sure the 2 wire connector that pluggs into the igniton module on the right side you have 12 volts and ground on the 2 wires the pink wire is power and the black is ground. You can also check the inthgrity of the crank sensor and wiring the other 2 wire connector on the module is for the crank sensor if you have an ohm meter meastre across the yellow and purple wires the resistance should be between 800 ohms and 1200 ohms. Good luck :)