My 92 8v has been running fine since I got it a couple months ago. It would start immediately when the key was turned. It started to have a problem where there was loud squeal when the weather was wet. I'm pretty sure this was from the alternator. In diagnosing this I poured a small amount of water on the alternator with the engine running and it immediately started squealing.  I know, not a smart thing to do.  The next day the engine was very hard to get started. It would make a bucking sound while cranking. I got it started and was able to drive it about a mile before it died and was very hard to start. It did start and I limped it home. Tonight I replaced the alternator but it is still having this issue where it won't start. If I don't give it gas it just cranks indefinitely. If I hold the gas it bucks and will backfire after cranking awhile but will almost start. It almost sounds like the timing is off. But I don't know how pouring a small amount of water on the alternator would cause the timing to go awry. But this started the day after I was messing with the alternator. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

I don't think your little water  caused a problem. The sqeeling was probably a slipping belt. Change it and make sure it's got the right tension...and not too much.

It almost sounds like it's not firing on all 4. Check all the plugs to make sure they are all tight...at the same time you might want to change them. Remeber to tighten them....but again not too tight.

If this doesn't cure it then look at the plug wires. If you can get the motor to idle or even get someone to sit in the vehicle while it runs at a fairly low rpm. If you can get a constant rpm then you pull ONE plug wire at a time and then listen to the motor. If the sound doens't change then that cylinder is not firing. If it dies or sputters more then that one is ok.

While you are working on it  you should do the air filter, PCV valve, change oil and filter, rotor cap and wires, fuel filter. Adjust valves and check timing. It all cost money but in the end you'll save fuel money and it will run better. You can even run a unjector cleaner in the tank and run a few tanks of high test.


My best guess is not running on 4 cylinders.

Slipped/bad timing belt? look in the dizzy and plug wires for water, dry as needed,
better yet just spray it with WD-40 or another electronics drying spray

good luck
Wild

Tonight I went to do the compression test but first I just tried to start it. It started within a second of turning the key. I ran it for 30 seconds and then turned it off and restarted it. It started even faster this time. Then I proceeded to do a compression test. Front to back my readings were 165/170/165/180 with the engine cold and at WOT. No codes were stored either. I then attempted to start it after doing the compression test. This time it bucked a bit but did start. When doing the test I did not pull the fuel pump fuse because I couldn't find it. So when starting after the test the intake was full of fuel. After getting it running I drove it for a mile and a half. The only issue was that if I revved it above 2000 rpm while the engine was not fully warmed up it would attempt to die. One difference today is that the weather is dryer than it has been. Does that point to maybe just needing new plugs, wires and maybe coil, cap and rotor? Once warmed up it ran well even when revving up.

You might want to go through all the ground poits in the engine compartment.  Bad grounding can mke these little guys act weird especially if the ground point is associated with heat.

Find all black wires that are attached directly to the body or engine and make sure that they are proerly secured. If there is any rust or corrosion at the fastening point, carefully remove the grounding bolt and clean up both the wire connector and the metal that is was in contact with.  Apply a dab of dielectric grease (find it at your local auto parts store) and re-secure the wire with the bolt.

Spark plug wires can corrode, so a quick inspection of the contacts on either end would be advisable.  Replace them - again using dielectric grease - to prevent corrosion.

I hope that this helps!

This afternoon I put on the new plugs, wires and cap and rotor. The vehicle stared and ran fine but it was dry out. 4 hours later it was raining very steadily. It again started and ran fine with no alternator squeal. I drove it about a mile both times with no issues. I'm not confident enough to take it to work tomorrow (65 mile round trip) but I'll drive it over the weekend and get my confidence in it up. The old plugs had gaps of more than twice the new plugs (.032) and they were the same kind of plugs. It looked like both the electrode and the anode had worn down. What is the effect of having a huge plug gap?

The spark has trouble jumping the gap if it's too wide.
Weak coil voltage and full throttle make it even worse.

Wild

 also always check the gap  on new plugs
 I have found through the years  when im told Pre gapped for my application ,,,, then need re done

also always check the gap  on new plugs
 I have found through the years  when im told Pre gapped for my application ,,,, then need re done

I did check them but they were all the same at .032, which was correct.