94 SSEI Cranks Hard, Won't Start

[aj_94ssei]

I've had starting issues with this car in the past 5 months. Periodically would crank over hard (felt like you were trying to start a car with the ignition timing too far in advance). Couple days ago.. went out and tried to start it. Same thing.. it would not start at all though. Pulled spark plugs out and found that 1 and 4 were dark indicating a rich mixture? I changed that coil, it didn't change anything. I also had the ICM tested and it passed.Exhaust smells like raw fuel. Have had no service engine soon lights. I've inspected and cleaned most grounds that I'm aware of on the car and all appear good. not sure where to go from here.
This morning I removed spark plugs #1 and #4 and the car will start and run on 4 cyl. any help would be appreciated. thanks

[LakevilleSSEi]

Do a compression test. Especially on 1 and 4 if those are the ones you removed the plugs from and the engine started. Something about this doesn't sound right tho.

[aj_94ssei]

even if i leave the plugs in and just remove the wires the car will start. (This car has always ran great no loss of power no oil used.)is there a variable that could cause 1 and 4 to spark at the wrong time?

[LakevilleSSEi]

Coil packs in the wrong positions on the ICM....IIRC.

[aj_94ssei]

they have to be right, i could intermittently get it to run and run good before, always started good when warm.

[LakevilleSSEi]

Do you have plug wires grounding out?

[aj_94ssei]

plugs and wires are less than a month old.

[LakevilleSSEi]

Don't have to be bad tho to ground out....They touching any metal, particularly the engine lift brackets?

[aj_94ssei]

will check

[aj_94ssei]

all looks good, could the cam sensor cause tis or would that set a light?

[LakevilleSSEi]

IIRC, cam sensor would set a light, and I THINK (I might be thinking of the crank sensor on this) but I THINK it wouldn't start but one out of every 6 times, because the PCM would see the timing and sensor correctly the 6th time......I could be wrong.

Some how this doesn't sound like a cam sensor.

[aj_94ssei]

could the PCM be bad?

[LakevilleSSEi]

It's a long shot, but usually PCM's have a laundry list of screwed up *shoot* when they fail, and it's not often that they do unless they get wet some how. Your's being on the Passenger firewall IIRC under the carpet hard to get them wet enough unless you have water getting in.

[aj_94ssei]

do you know if there is any way to test the PCM?

[LakevilleSSEi]

Check it for codes...Theres a fail code for the PCM but ironically enough when they do fail rarely will they throw the "I'm dead" code.