New motor new problems

1fstb1rd

Registered User
Well finally got the engine I've been working on in the car and set up, today is d day, got everything in, set the (also have to set up the throttle body), cranked it, it just cranks, no sputter or anything just cranking. Checked spark at the coil, got spark, got fuel at the rail, no upshift light while cranking, got a tach signal, this engine previously ran perfectly.

I guess what my question is, is there anything that can stop an engine from running on the trans? Or anywhere else for that matter? I checked all fuses and such, went thought all basic diagnostics. I didn't touch the cam stalk timing or anything internal on the motor.

I bolted the battery ground to the engine mount using a bolt and not the stud with the bolt on it, could that be my issue, but would the battery still have good voltage? Months of hard work and im losing hope, in sorry if this makes no sense and for bad grammar and punctuation, but I'm outside in the cold working on this car typing from my phone, thanks everyone
 
Did yo make sure the main injector harness is connected? just a thought. as long as you have spark and fuel, something should happen. The reason say that is if you have fuel pressure, how do you know its coming out the injectors?
 
its the gray connector by the EEC test port on the far passenger side right? then yes it is hooked up. I have a hunch it could possibly be the alarm, being disconnected for weeks could be the culprit. Im at such a loss. i cant figure it out. usually im pretty good at diagnosis, but i have been in 30 degree weather since 8 am trying to get this thing going, went to start it at 5 o clock and had nothing. im eating dinner and going back out. i belive my car has an aftermarket alarm.

sorry for rambling, im just thinking out loud.
 
i have been there, it is very irritating especially in the cold. If your alarm has a mobile imobilizer then i suppose that could be an issue, but as long as you have the key fob to dis arm it, it should allow the engine to run.
 
It doesn't have the imobilizer, but i am going to try and disconnect the alarm completely anyway right now and see if that works, i will keep you updated and let you know.
 
nope,alarm didnt cut it. took the black plastic guard off the HB and the vanes and sensor is fine. the upshift light goes out when cranking so its not that. im gonna try swappin the coil for laughs, cant hurt, i have 3 laying around. i can swap the dis with another one, but it was fine when the car was parked a month or two ago
 
Did you use the same wiring harness and sensors from the 89 engine ?

What did you use to reseal the IC tubes and all the other connections between the TB and intake manifold ?

Are you certian the plug wires are in the correct location (Haynes Manual is wrong).

When changing to the PP throttle body did you set your TPS voltage to about 1 volt with throttle closed ?

While trying to start it are you holding the throttle open ? Can you smell fuel in the exhaust pipes after cranking ?

David
 
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nope,alarm didnt cut it. took the black plastic guard off the HB and the vanes and sensor is fine. the upshift light goes out when cranking so its not that. im gonna try swappin the coil for laughs, cant hurt, i have 3 laying around. i can swap the dis with another one, but it was fine when the car was parked a month or two ago

sounds like your having a fuel prob just because its at the rail dont mean its making it into the motor.. pull a plug and see if its wet with fuel that would tell you.. if you been cranking and it aint firing the plug should be wet.
 
I have always believed if an engine had compression, ignition, and fuel the engine should run. That's where I would start. A timing light is your best friend when it comes to trouble shooting. Hook the timing light up as you normally would on #1 plug and check timing as you try to start your car. If car is firing as it should, the light should be on the timing mark. If that's ok, check to see if your other plugs are firing. If they are, the timing light should pulse when that plug fires. If all that checks out, put your timing light clamp around the positive wire going to your injector. The timing light should pulse when the injector fires. I normally use a test light though. If you have fuel at the rail and the injectors are firing, you should have fuel. Last is compression. Check compression on each cylinder and compare readings. They should all be close within a few pounds. This will show if the engine was assembled correctly. Low compression or inconsistency among the cylinders indicates internal engine problems.

Mark
 
Did you paint anything that the pass. side ground cable or accessory bracket/DIS ground path depends on?

These cars are about quality grounds...do what you need to do to make them happy.

Did you check the fuel-shutoff impact switch in the trunk? Push to reset.

Did you pull the codes?
 
Ok guys, this is where im at, i pulled the number 3 plug because it is the most accessable, and it is completely dry. they dont even smell like fuel, they are brand new. still, after cranking for hours. Bone dry..

Im gonna make the assumtion that all cylinders are not getting fuel, based on the fact it isnt even firing at all. I put used 36lb hr injectors on the car. they only had 52000 miles and i bought them from a reputable member. Im gonna have to check the rest of the plugs. Logic and odds would tell me that it is unlikely that ALL of the injectors are bad. so i guess where that leaves me is why are the injectors not firing.

David- I used the 89 harness on the 91 motor, the 91 harness had different connectors for the injector harness and the knock sensor harness. The TB is set up at .98 volts at closed, thats about as far as i got, and yes the IC tubes are sealed with new teflon gaskets.

Looks like i got me a good ole fashion fuel problem... Any insights on why the injectors wouldnt spray? (assuming that all the plugs are dry)?
 
Did you paint anything that the pass. side ground cable or accessory bracket/DIS ground path depends on?

These cars are about quality grounds...do what you need to do to make them happy.

Did you check the fuel-shutoff impact switch in the trunk? Push to reset.

Did you pull the codes?


Im aware that painting the mounting points of the acc bracket will cause a grounding issue, all grounds are clean , paint and corrosion free.

the interia switch is not tripped, fuel is getting to the rail and pump is working.

No codes, well 111, but that doesnt count.
 
Ok guys, this is where im at, i pulled the number 3 plug because it is the most accessable, and it is completely dry. they dont even smell like fuel, they are brand new. still, after cranking for hours. Bone dry..

Im gonna make the assumtion that all cylinders are not getting fuel, based on the fact it isnt even firing at all. I put used 36lb hr injectors on the car. they only had 52000 miles and i bought them from a reputable member. Im gonna have to check the rest of the plugs. Logic and odds would tell me that it is unlikely that ALL of the injectors are bad. so i guess where that leaves me is why are the injectors not firing.

David- I used the 89 harness on the 91 motor, the 91 harness had different connectors for the injector harness and the knock sensor harness. The TB is set up at .98 volts at closed, thats about as far as i got, and yes the IC tubes are sealed with new teflon gaskets.

Looks like i got me a good ole fashion fuel problem... Any insights on why the injectors wouldnt spray? (assuming that all the plugs are dry)?

Pretty sure the 89 injector harness has an orange ground wire that attaches to the same stud that mounts the fuel rail to the firewall end of the driver's side head. This picture shows the stud I'm talking about. Suggest looking for a loose wire with a large ring terminal in that area.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g433/1fastbird/1321807220.jpg

David
 
Pretty sure the 89 injector harness has an orange ground wire that attaches to the same stud that mounts the fuel rail to the firewall end of the driver's side head. This picture shows the stud I'm talking about. Suggest looking for a loose wire with a large ring terminal in that area.

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g433/1fastbird/1321807220.jpg

David

That is actually my motor,lol, the ground is attached the the hole below the rail.
I actually paid special attention to that, i remember reading when paul at BTM was doing the M112 thing that on the dyno the injectors were cutting out, that was his issue, so when i was hooking everything up i made sure it was there and tight, but tomorrow im gonna go through and check everything out. It seems to point to a wiring issue. thats at least what i think. Thanks for everyones input. i would have blew this car up without you guys.
 
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That is actually my motor, the ground is attached the the hole below the rail.
I actually paid special attention to that, i remember reading when paul at BTM was doing the M112 thing that on the dyno the injectors were cutting out, that was his issue, so when i was hooking everything up i made sure it was there and tight, but tomorrow im gonna go through and check everything out. It seems to point to a wiring issue. thats at least what i think. Thanks for everyones input. i would have blew this car up without you guys.

Yes it's your motor because I was looking at the pictures you posted to see if I could spot anything that might explain the problem. After doing a little more reading on that ground wire, I find where Dave Dalke said it's a ground for the o2 sensor and wouldn't stop the injectors from firing. See this post.

http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79249&highlight=injector+ground+wire

Suggest you disconnect the injector harness and take a close look to make sure a pin didn't get bent over or the harness connection isn't fully seated.

David
 
Sorry, im just so burnt out, I didnt know you knew it was mine. I didnt remember daves post, but that is some pretty good clarification. Im gonna get some sleep, Im off work tomorrow, and start going through everything. Its not like I changed 1 thing or added one mod. Pretty much EVERYTHING was gone through, so back tracking doesnt help much in this situation. Im gonna go in with a clear head, right now im just so frustrated. Im gonna get some rest and try again, haha.

David, thanks for your help man, I really appreciate it.

I will report back tomorrow, hopefully with good news.:)
 
Here is where im at. I checked the injectors I could get too, 1 2 and 4 and 5. They are pulsing while cranking. double check spark, getting spark. I really dont know where to go as of now. im lost.
 
Here is where im at. I checked the injectors I could get too, 1 2 and 4 and 5. They are pulsing while cranking. double check spark, getting spark. I really dont know where to go as of now. im lost.

Wait.

You have fuel to the fuel rail, and the injectors are pulsing, but you're not getting spray into the cylinder?

I think I'd triple-check that first part - sounds like there's a problem with the fuel delivery to the rails.

RwP
 
I disconnected before the fuel filter, gas SHOT out at a super high rate, i disconnected the fuel line at the rail and gas comes out at a decent rate. the thing that is so confusing is why is it not even kicking, no kicks pops sputters or anything just crank crank crank. Im gonna see if the fuel is coming out the return i guess.
 
fuel is shooting out the return at a good rate. so its getting though. I just cant see 6 injectors being bad in one shot. like i said, no kick sputter or cough.
 
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