No start - Help!

BLOWNXR7

Registered User
Hello,
I backed the car (89 XR-7) out of the garage, put it in first (manual) and it quit. It hasn't run since. There was no "sputter", it just shut off. I checked for spark and there is none. I replaced the DIS module, coil pack, cam position sensor and ignition wire harness with spares from a 1990 model. I exchanged each part individually and tested for spark every time. I have little mechanical knowledge and do not trust any local shops with this type of problem. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

David M.
 
You did great... cept for 1 little thing.... you need to crank the engine over and look at the dash to see if the upshift light (up arrow) comes on. If so, you hit everything except for the crank sensor. From your description of the shut off and nospart, this sounds like the likely culprit.

If you see this happening, check to be sure you crankshaft main bolt is still there. They have a habit of breaking and allowing the harmonic balancer to wobble forward enough to cause the crank sensor to stop.
 
Thanks for the tip, does the upshift light trick work with the manual trans? My light never comes on when driving. Also, after looking through other posts I saw the poor guy with the broken crank pulley bolt. I checked and mine is gone too! How the hell do you get the remainder of the bolt out of the crankshaft? I have another bolt and washer from my other engine, but I obviously need to get the rest of the original out before I can put it in. Any ideas?
 
Doesn't Start

I was driving mine home on day and it died on me. After hauling it to my garage and checking all the sensors, it ended up being a bad ground at the battery to the chassis. I'd take a look at that also.
 
The only way I know of is to take the crank pulley off and use an EZ out on the broken stud. From what Ive heard, due to the fact that the bolt snapped, rather than seized, it usually turns without a lot of trouble.
 
Dont use another 'used' bolt and washer man or you'll end up doing this again soon. Make sure you get one from a 94+ V6 mustang...they're only a few bux (bout $4 i think) and can save u alot of pain. While you're down there might wanna change that crank sensor if you havent done it in a while.
 
Hello,
Thanks for all the info. I'll be spending my day off trying to get this resolved. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
 
BLOWNXR7

I have alot of experience with this. ha ha. I have replaced THREE balancers all had broken bolts.

I went to Sears and they had this craftsmen bolt extractor. It worked great! About $20 and has four different sizes.

Tory
 
Hello,
I'm down to the balancer. Tomorrow I'll remove it and get after the broken bolt. I also noticed that my rad is shot. The local NAPA store wanted $469.00 for a new one, and that's with a "dealer discount". I'll be checking with my local Ford dealer soon. I might as well stick it in while I've got it exposed. If there was anything else out there I'd rather drive then I would park this thing for a while.
 
If you can afford it, go for the BHJ balancer. Much better quality than the stock balancer. Either way, replace the balancer that broke the bolt.

The only thing is getting the balancer honed. The balancer has a stepped ID, the first ID reaches .8" and allows the balancer to engage the key before the interference fit. The second ID is an interference fit and must be honed to fit your crank snout. On my damper, the first step ws not deep enough and needed to be extended to 0.8" so I could line up the key easily.

As far as the radiator, I recored mine to a 3 core for about $250. If you have the metal tanks (you should on an 89) you can do this and it will cost a little less than a new radiator. The car now cools off much faster when stuck in traffic.

If you pull the radiator, you will need to pull the IC. Wynn (tbird88) sells a set of teflon IC seals very cheap. They are a definate no-brainer method of sealing the tubes.

Aaron
 
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OK, I've got a new bolt and crank sensor. Now I'm told I need to replace the balancer. It appears OK to me (no torn insulator or visible damage) and I marked the position relative to the pulley before removal. Is there a possibility the balancer is out of balance and this is what broke the bolt? I'm running out of cash, considering I need a radiator and also noticed the HG's are leaking coolant externally. Again, thanks to all for the input.
 
Sort of your call. If you're tight on funds, you could just use bolt it back on and torque it down and take your chances on it breaking again. It might, or might not.
As for the crank sensor, I'm not sure you needed a new one as the balancer squirming forward is what caused the loss of the signal, not necessarily the sensor itself. But if you replace the balancer, you might as well replace the sensor at the same time as a precaution. Almost all of them eventually fail anyway and its a heck of a lot easier with the balancer out of the way.
 
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