My car is still dead...running out of ideas

[Z28Driver]

I went out and bought new wires, a noid light (was using a voltmeter) and a spark plug wire checker thingie.

1. Replaced wires, getting a spark on the checker thingie.
2. Hooked a noid light to the injector harness, it came on
3. Fire + Gas = still no start.

:dunno:

Here is the rundown so far:

1. Fuel pressure in rail 34 psi, doesn't leak back down
2. Noid light comes on
3. Spark plug wire replace/test=pass
4. Fuel pump is humming
5. Sprayed carb cleaner in intake, still no start

 

[KEVINS]

Verify plug gap is at .032 and verify that it's not flooded now. If MAF is bad it may not start (right guys?) so you can disconnect it and it will be in "limp" mode and may start..

ks

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by KEVINS
Verify plug gap is at .032 and verify that it's not flooded now. If MAF is bad it may not start (right guys?) so you can disconnect it and it will be in "limp" mode and may start..

ks

How can you tell if it's flooded? and how do you fix it?

 

[FastRegalWE2]

when you pull the plugs to verify the gap, the ends of the plugs will be VERY wet and smell badly of gasoline. It prob is flooded from cranking on it and it not firing off. If it is, you will need to dry out the plugs, I have used the oven before. Regap them and put them back in. Is this thing coughing or anything, backfiring, anything like that? Maybe it has jumped time. Have you verified TDC on #1 and on the balancer????

 

[chevyII]

If the plugs are wet also put a little oil in each cylinder to get some compression again. If the car isnt hitting or spitting you may have jumped the chain.

 

[FastRegalWE2]

yeah, a LITTLE oil in cylinder good idea. Wouldnt trans fluid be a little better to soak in somewhat? I forgot about the walls being washed

 

[Z28Driver]

I just took out the #1 plug and cranked the engine. I felt a poof of air coming out of it.

 

[FastRegalWE2]

ok, well all that means is you have compression. What you need to do is verify crank/cam position in relation to that poof. If you can, get someone else to crank it while you put thumb over, when you get the poof, stop and check to see where the timing mark on the crankshaft is. It should be pointing near your timing tab. Turn the engine back by hand until you line it up at TDC. On these cars I think you may have to take off the valve cover to verify your timing. When #1 poofs on compression, both valves should be closed, and whichever cylinder just fired the exhaust valve should be open. Im not sure what the firing order is on these cars. So if the firing order is 1-4-3-2-6-5 lets say, when 1 poofed you would verify both valves completely closed and go to #5 and verify exh valve open but would be very near closed. All this would be at TDC on #1 though. If someone has an easier way please cough it up cause this sounds too long for some reason.

 

[FastRegalWE2]

BTW, just cause the mark is on the tab, doesnt mean it is right, the mark comes around twice, once on #1 cylinder and once for the previosuly fired cylinder. If it is on the prev cylinder it means the timing is 180* out. But that is NOT LIKELY in this case since you did not have the chain out or off. That is why you have to check which valves are open. If the car had a distributor, yuo could pop the cap and see where the rotor was pointing.


PS Did you have the cam sensor out? Does it spit and sputter, cough, try to start at all, or jsut spin endlessly with no hope of starting??????

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by ws6formula50
PS Did you have the cam sensor out? Does it spit and sputter, cough, try to start at all, or jsut spin endlessly with no hope of starting??????

No, i didn't take it out.

All it's doing is turning over, it's not catching. It's like it's out of gas or something....but i got a half tank in it.

 

[Pronto]

How long has it been since it ran? Is the battery fully charged?

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by Pronto
How long has it been since it ran? Is the battery fully charged?

I drove it friday morning, and it wouldn't start back up friday afternoon. The battery is just about dead now. I've been having to jump it with my camaro.

 

[Pronto]

Probably the battery then. Take it out and get it tested or just get one and see what happens. I like Delco but I suppose any one that is correct would do.

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by Pronto
Probably the battery then. Take it out and get it tested or just get one and see what happens. I like Delco but I suppose any one that is correct would do.

Wouldn't it still start up if i tried to jump it? I've been having to recharge it with my camaro battery whenever i am testing something. It's not clicking or anything like a dead battery does when you try to start it. It turns the motor over, the motor just won't catch.

 

[Pronto]

Maybe it's making just enought to spin the engine but not enough to power the ecm. Insufficient volts for the computer could be the problem.

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by Pronto
Maybe it's making just enought to spin the engine but not enough to power the ecm. Insufficient volts for the computer could be the problem.

I'm not a car expert by any means, but if your jumping it aren't you forceing it to make the power?

The plugs, radio, and lights have power, seems like the ecm would be on the priority scale.

 

[Pronto]

How old is the battery?

 

[Z28Driver]

Originally posted by Pronto
How old is the battery?

Beats me, i just bought the car 3 weeks ago

 

[Pronto]

Originally posted by Z28Driver
Beats me, i just bought the car 3 weeks ago

There's your answer. It could be 1 month old or 5 years. Why fight it. While your at it check the battery cables, it's not unusual for them to be corroded underneath the shielding.

 

[turbojimmy]

What's a noid light? If you have spark and fuel then you'd have fire. Some kind of fire. Any kind of fire - misfire, backfire - something. If it's not doing anything then you need to take a harder look at things. If it were cranking without spark you'd have really wet plugs. They'd be soaked in fuel.

Whether the car is getting juice from your Camaro or from its own battery should be irrelevant. It should be firing.

If it were sparking without fuel you'd have dry plugs. Jam a screwdriver in a plug wire and have a friend hold it close to a ground. It should spark and if s/he's touching the car it should hurt a lot.

Even though the electronics try to get in the way it still takes spark, fuel and air to make a fire. You're missing one of the 3.

Jim