tried to get this fired again tonight. failed again.
when I first hit it, it ran for half a second and died, would not refire. I bypassed the ECM and it will now nearly fire consistently so something in that system is probably shot. NBD... I pulled the stepper motor off the BBD and ran the needles all the way out as suggested, that was a bit of fun to figure out. I tried to pull the cap to look at it and the rotor but couldn't get the more difficult rear screw to break free. It turns over a little slowly with pretty high load judging from how quickly cable heat builds, and the fact that the interior lights go out almost completely even with battery charger connected on 200a capable 'start.'
It seems that the engine doesn't turn over well/ has starter issues/ something. I pulled the easy belt, and the AC and alt spin freely. Would have to be water pump or PS pump if it's accessory related.
I'll probably pull the other belt and check that out next but I expect to find no issues. I haven't pulled plugs yet, that's probably next, to see how they look and see how it spins with no compression.
I don't relish pulling a starter on a CAR that I can't drive up onto ramps, but that may be the next step.
I should check the oil for fuel again, haven't done that lately.
Starting fluid doesn't help it out.
I tried it again just now after a good 2 hour cool down and it was still a little sluggish cranking. It's right about at that speed where you start to worry about things not starting... lo and behold - it doesn't!