a.zaki

The car is a 1976 911, it's a 2.7l engine, 911s cid 163,9 engine family II if that matters at all.

The motor turns over however it does not start! I'm wondering if there are any common issues as to why it wont start. I have taken off the air filter to check if there is gas flowing at all when trying to start the engine but I didn't see anything (I honestly don't know what to look for, probably wasn't looking at the right thing tbh.)

There are two tubes coming from the back right side of the engine bay, they are coming through the firewall and have grommets connected to them, are these the oil lines? I seriously hope not.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

74Red80S

There are a few recent posts about similar issues, mine included. The electrical system of the mid-years is not dissimilar from the SCs. The air filter and cables are always a good first place to check. Obviously the battery, but that is rarely ever the cause. Electrical problems tend to be the most common issues in cars, especially in aging cars. Electrical would mean loss of spark. If you know how to check for spark, would recommend starting there. I have had and seen others with faulty ignition coils, car will crank but never start. That is an easy (and relatively cheap) fix. Consider checking the CDI box, it should hum (along with the fuel pump) when you turn the ignition key. Another source could be the distributor, the distributor caps are also pretty easy to check and address.

a.zaki

yea I don't hear much if any humming when I turn the key. Would this mean the CDI is dead? I also did get some backfires and I hear that might be bad...

Spyerx

Dead cdi or coil are common issues. Air fuel spark check you have each. Check pelican I’m sure the guys there can walk you through a set of steps on the early cis cars. I think i have an extra cdi box here if you’re in SoCal.

a.zaki

I'm actually in Canada! Would you be able to ship it to me?

Spyerx

can you post a picture of your CDI box and the plug? let me see if its the same part.

a.zaki

I hope these pictures will suffice!

The CDI box

The Plug

systemsc

Your CDI is the earlier Bosch unit (3-pin), which typically is more reliable than the later 6-pin CDI. Have you pulled the coil wire from the distributor and placed it about 10mm from the coil
body to check for a spark?

Read here for troubleshooting info under No-Start; https://www.systemsc.com/problems.htm

a.zaki

I have not tried that, which one is the coil wire? (I'm a super noob when it comes to this car) Thanks a lot for the troubleshooting page, I'll give a read over.

systemsc

It's the wire in the center of the six spark plug wires in distributor cap.

Spyerx

I think the CDI i have is a 6 pin

coil is mounted to fan top. There is a black wire that runs from that to the distributor. if you're a newbie on cars, you may want to seek some help... if you are familiar with cars you should be able to navigate the 911 engine. the basic components are similar, except these use an injection (CIS) vs. carbs.

If the car was running, and all of a sudden there is no start, it's likely fuel or electrical. So there are a few things to checkout. Also, Pelican Parts is MUCh more active on the older cars and has many experts and lots of threads on CDI/CIS issues.

Start with electrical:
Verify CDI, A basic test of the CDI is when ignition is on you can hear a buzzing
Verify spark - do test Loren suggested, pull cap and inspect cap rotor for no cracks or wear
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...-question.html

Then do fuel:
you really need a fuel pressure gauge
but if it's turning over
Check WUR
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...ound-85-a.html
Check pump
etc

Tuning a CIS for proper running and idle is another thing:
https://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...rst-timer.html

Dr. 914

always spark and fuel first, usually if the car will not hit at all suspect the ignition system. You could CAREFULLY remove the air cleaner and give the car a toot of starting fluid to see if it will hit once, and if so the ignition will be good, have to be careful not to let the car backfire and blow the air box though!

a.zaki

The car has backfired already (newbie mistake I know). I have given the car a squirt of brake fluid to see if it would even sputter to no avail. I'm guessing ignition is the cause, but the CDI box is humming nicely, I'm going to test my spark soon with new spark plugs but I'm really unsure. Do you know of any way to test the fuel pump? I have lifted the plate in the air box and it makes some chatter but I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for here.

systemsc

Not always a good test. No need to try new spark plugs when testing for a spark, just PULL the coil wire and watch for a spark. It's that simple!

a.zaki

Understood! Will do that soon. Do you have any ways of testing the fuel pump should the sparks be working fine?