Help before I go crazy. 99 suburban 5.7 vortec wont start.

[rickpilgrim]

There are many code readers and scanners out there, but I will share what I know.If you are just looking to read codes anything from Harbor Freight does that, and they have a 60 dollar one that will read live data, Thats about all the Acutrons and EZ scans that go up to $650.00 do also, with a few more features perhaps. Unfortunately, I havent found anything in the sub $1000(new) that will tell you what could be causing it.
The Snap On Modus we have is a 2006 model we bought used in 2009 with the latest update it was almost 7K. This is a bi directional unit, meaning you can ( even without the keys in) lock and unlock doors, test window and trunk motors, or run any part on the car that the computor contols for testing purposes. It has a built in tutorial so it tells you, step by step how to test things. Ours has the 4 channel labscope on it which is really nice for serious headaches that you would be going to the parts store and replacing this and that untill you found the problem. At the same time thoughthe learning curve is steep, I doubt if I know half of what it can do after 2 yrs and 6 seminars.
Not all Snap On scanners have these features, so do ask many questions before spending cash. BTW, the other day when paying the Snap On bill, the dealer had another Modus just like ours for $3500, and when I asked what ours was worth in trade I was told $1500 of a new top line system which is $11K.
The Only reason we bought this expensiveof a unit is that with 7 trucks, 2 mini(S10) trucks and 2 cars the $99 diagnosis charge was bothering me and the accutronand the EZ scan 5000 and 6000 were just not getting the job done on our stuff
No matter what you end up with it will at least point you in the right direction of where to look.
Just my 2 cents

[BarryB]

I could just one of those car MD's . LOL! Whenever I get ahold of my friend I'll see what he has. He tried selling it to me awhile back ago, but at the time I was broker than I am now.

[BarryB]

He has a snap-on MT2500 with several cartridges. That will go up to 01 he's pretty sure. He's asking 250.00 for it. So far from I've seen on ebay, 250.00 seems like a pretty good deal.

[rickpilgrim]

Barry B- the MT2500 sould be a good scan/live data tool, and I hope you can get it for $250. Do keep in mind and if money is tight Harbor Frieght has one that displays codes and live data, reads to 2012 model vehicles, however is only obd2 capable for $60. in my area. Our shop neighbor worked for the local VW/Audi dealer for 12 yrs, started his own shop 16 months ago, does 4-5 cars a day and all he has is that H-F scan tool and only bothered us 2-3 times since he's been there for diagnostic help.
Did you try the little cup of fuel in the intake yet? Like I said it will either fire and quit(fuel system problem), fire and run (and leave you wondering why) or do nothing at all. It would help alot to know that.
Are all your gauges and idiot lights coming on when you turn the key on? Cranking it over should bring the oil psi gauge up some and the tach in our 1998 trucks also reads around 3-500 rpm when cranking also, does yours?
The way you describe the quiting on the hwy with all gauges going to 0 really makes me wonder about the pcm, as when our 98 K3500 5.7 stripped the distributor gear @ 65mph the tach went to 0, oil psi sank to 0, temp said 210 ish and around 13v showing and the spedometer still worked untill key off.
If everything went to 0 at once I would start with a known good pcm if I did not have a scan tool.
PM me, I may be able to help you with a scan tool to use.

[BarryB]

Well, My friend came up today. put the scanner on it, everything read good. He fooled with it a good couple of hours. when he asked, you got another distributor cap. Which I did. swapped that out and it started right up. The freaking dist cap was bad. Don't ask me how or why, and it only had 100 miles or so on it. i was getting spark thru the plugs, might have been I didn't have all then right ones out, or it wasn't letting enough thru to fire like it needed to.
when I heard it fire, It was a big weight lifted off me.
On the scanner, yeah he said 250.00 bucks for it. so when I get caught up I'll get it off him. I've got a pretty nice code reader, but live data is nice to have.

[BarryB]

well while cleaning up the tools and parts. I noticed the cap wasn't what was bad, it was the rotor button. There is a burnt spot on the underside of it. So apparently it must have been just trowing enough fire thru to spark the spark plug but not enough to to actually ignite the gas. It has a new ac/ delco rotor button on it now. And it is running good. Now to tinker on the other little problems it has. Non motor related.

[rickpilgrim]

Glad to hear you got it fired up!! I hope you and you family get many miles out of it!

[BarryB]

Thanks guys for all the help. I'm sure I'll be picking your brains for the possible answers to the other small problems.