1990 Grand Am SE 2.5L turning over, but not starting.

Greetings all, this is my first foray into the forums here on my own.
I used to post in the Chevy/VW forums under my old roommates login.
But now, I have a little problem I hope you might be able to assist with....

I have a 1990 Grand Am SE 2.5L Tech4 ( I assume, since it is a rounded air filter, not a square(the 2.3L)) that i'm in the process of trying to get running.
The car had been sitting in a driveway for around 6-8 months before I even looked at it.
The owner had stopped driving it, as it had not started one morning for him in the extreme cold.
When I got to it, it wouldn't start of course, so I changed the battery, spark plugs, and spark plug wiring.
The engine has a head gasket leak( I'm assuming, simply based on the ammount of oil that has collected around the block)
Now, I replaced all the parts, and tried to start it.
It turns over, and feels like it's going to start, then either just dies, or gives a small belch( I have gotten it to shoot fire once heh)
So, when I saw this, the first thing I did was check the firing order on the car.
Each cylinder is getting spark, but the car is just NOT taking.
I checked the exaust system, and it IS getting flow, the injector IS giving it gas.
I tried to bottle feed the car a bit, since the gas is old, but that also had no effect.
The only thing I can think of personally, is that the ECM might be bad.... that is what I HOPE is not the case, as per those arn't the cheapest things to repair.
I was wondering if anyone else might have any idea's to add, that might be able to help me.
I'm kinda at my wits end... I know my Chevelle like the back of my hand.... but not this little car.

Any help you all might be able to provide me would be more then appreciated!!!

-A


*edit* for spelling, and initial greeting....don't hate me, I probably still have some spelling/grammer error...

Since every engine needs two things to work you are on the right track in trying to figure out the problem. The first is spark, obviously you have that one covered and the second is the fact that you introduced fuel into the system. The other thing you need is to make sure the spark and the fuel are working together. I would check the timing on the car to make sure it is right. If you got fire once then it may have just hit right once but will not continue. If you removed the head and reassembled the car then the timing may be 180 degrees out or just off far enough that it will not start.

If you suspect the ecm then buy a used one from a wrecking yard. The cost is minimal compared to a new one and it may solve your problem. I found a number of them in Colorado, especially in the Colorado Springs area for around $40. (car-part.com) I would start with the timing first though as it may save you some money.

Since every engine needs two things to work you are on the right track in trying to figure out the problem. The first is spark, obviously you have that one covered and the second is the fact that you introduced fuel into the system. The other thing you need is to make sure the spark and the fuel are working together. I would check the timing on the car to make sure it is right. If you got fire once then it may have just hit right once but will not continue. If you removed the head and reassembled the car then the timing may be 180 degrees out or just off far enough that it will not start.

If you suspect the ecm then buy a used one from a wrecking yard. The cost is minimal compared to a new one and it may solve your problem. I found a number of them in Colorado, especially in the Colorado Springs area for around $40. (car-part.com) I would start with the timing first though as it may save you some money.

Thanks for the response GTP-Dad... the only reason I was thinking it would be the ECM, is the fact that from what iv'e read, the timing on the '90+ is all automatic... and controlled by the ECM....
I haven't done any work to the actuall engine... at least, nothing that major...I will have to double check, but this is everything that I have read out of the little haynes automotive book we purchaced for the vehicle hehe....

Just a few curiosity things.... If you saw oil on the Engine block it may have only been your valve cover gasket, ( which are notorious on the 2.5L for leaking) not the head gaske, unless coolant was mixing with the oil. You say your getting spark and fuel but not turning over, The ECM could be the culprit, but have you checked/ replaced the ignition module? Thats another possibility. Thankfully the 2.5 are fairly simple to work on and diagnos. One last thing, You said it's a 90 SE with the 2.5L, did the car used to have the 2.3 that you mentioned?

Just a few curiosity things.... If you saw oil on the Engine block it may have only been your valve cover gasket, ( which are notorious on the 2.5L for leaking) not the head gaske, unless coolant was mixing with the oil. You say your getting spark and fuel but not turning over, The ECM could be the culprit, but have you checked/ replaced the ignition module? Thats another possibility. Thankfully the 2.5 are fairly simple to work on and diagnos. One last thing, You said it's a 90 SE with the 2.5L, did the car used to have the 2.3 that you mentioned?

That would be my mistake, the car was always a 2.5L
I replaced the ECM computer module for the car, but to no effect.
The last culprit I can think of would be the ignition module... but when it was checked last, it was OK.
I have someone running a computer diagnostic on it atm, I guess we shall see what happens....