jeff bryant

hi all....this morning i tried to start my '84 carrera and it would not turn over... i have never had this problem ever before, it's always started right-away, plugs are new.... there's plenty of juice in the battery, it turns and turns but will not start the engine. i checked the relays and all is good there, there is gas in the tank and all the wires underneath look good... any ideas, maybe the fuel pump??? thanks!

Stephen Masraum

I know you said all of the relays are good, but just to verify.... Did you check the DME relay that is under the driver's seat? Try pulling a spark plug and then getting someone to turn the engine over. Hold the plug wire near something grounded and see if any sparks come out. Then you'll know if you are getting spark and you will have narrowed your search down.

bds1

on the flip side, if you smell gas then that part is good. But the bad part is if you smell gas and if you get it to fire, this may blow your air box.....a BACKFIRE!

I don't know the good way to handle trouble shotting this you may want to check a wire for sparc, find problem. fix problem and wait 15 min for gas to dissapate.

jeff bryant

i have not checked to see if there is a spark or if the DME relay under the seat is bad because i do not have a spare, i know, i know, it's like locking yourself out w/o a spare key...i'll never go w/o a spare DME relay if that's the ultimate problem.... one question though, would the DME relay just go bad w/o any warning? thanks!

jeff bryant

bds1-
i have not flooded it or even tried for fear of the air box issue.... my car always started right up w/o even pressing down the gas pedal hot or cold....i'm hoping the DME is the culpriate but w/o a new one i'll have to wait until monday....thanks! oh-yea, i will check for a spark though, thanks!

john walkers workshop

there's no airbox to blow on a carrera. wack the relay with a screwdriver handle a few times, to see if you can get it to function. replace it anyway, as it's probably old and unreliable.

bds1

I have an 80 SC, is there any relay that I should carry ?? fuel pump or other?

I didn't know that 84 has no air box, thanks.

Bill Gregory

For an SC, I like to carry a spare red fuel pump relay.

jeff bryant

changed out the old DME relay with a new one tonight and the engine still will not turn over....gezzz.....the air box on a carrera is actually called the air cleaner/filter box....

Dial 911

Jeff,
After reading your posts, I feel you're really not going about the troubleshooting in a methodical way.

First of all...don't say the engine is "not turning over". That indicates the starter is not working (I believe yours is). What you should be saying is: "The engine is not firing"...get it?

Now...you don't say you have actually checked for a spark at any of the plug wires, have you? If not, do so now.

Take any plug lead off and attach another plug to it. Ground that plug securely to the engine block. Have someone crank the motor while you look for a fat, blue spark at the plug.
Whatever you do, don't hold on to the plug lead when doing this test!

Do you have a spark?
If so, your problem is likely in the fuel system.
If not, then you could have issues with the coil, DME, distributor, other related electrical items. If you're not into (methodical) detective work, you better see a shop.

jeff bryant

please excuse my wording sir, my engine turns over normally but fails to start, is that better? obviously my car is either not getting sparks at the plugs, or no fuel is reaching the engine, or a bad dme relay, which i have replaced today, or too much fuel is getting to the engine, flooding, which it's not. at this time i am not able to pull a plug wire, insert a new plug and have someone turn the ignition while looking for a spark because i am alone. secondly i am not able to get under my car to check the fuel pump because my floor jack along with all my tools, manuals, everything was stolen recently.... so i've been hoping that all that was wrong was the dme relay. rest assured dial911, when i have help, i will check the spark, and when i can borrow a floor jack i will crawl under my lowered car to check the fuel pump.... this is difficult without help or tools which is why i'm trying to elimate the obvious, one-man check items, first. and oh-yea, i am going about the "troubleshooting in a methodical way" that works best for my specific situation, no help or tools.

J richard

I don't have my 84 anymore but, when my fuel pump ran it usually made quite a bit of noise, not hard to tell if the thing was working, just listen for the buzz with the key turned to start, Also the ignition would make a high frequency squeal that you could hear with the key in the run position. It should tell you if you have a DME relay problem.

One thing I would definately check. The back of the ignition switch is basically a large plug that plugs into the mechanical switch. I do remember having a problem with the contacts becoming oxidized. It would crank and everything checked out but no start. Grab the back of the switch and wiggle it back and fourth and press it firmly into place and then try starting the car.

Good luck, hang in there

PS: sounds dumb but, do you have an alarm on the car that has an ignition kill? if the module goes out, no ignition.

jeff bryant

i do have an alarm, clifford intelleguard 8000, that has a two-point "autolmmobilizer" built in....the alarm arms/dissarms fine but i'll check it out. thanks!

jeff bryant

**update**

looks like i'm not getting a spark... i am getting fuel, replaced the DME relay, checked all the grounds; the alarm module is fine but........ the siren, which is mounted right next to the coil, is wired into the ground side of the coil which looked suspicious...... then i saw the reference that my haynes manual (911 65 through 89) page 272 note # 17 states "ignition coil terminal 1 must not be used for ground connections when installing a burglar alarm system (ignition coil would be destroyed with the "ignition on"). i guess the question is why did i take three years for this to possibly damage my coil??? should i replace the coil and have the alarm guys re-wire the siren? does anyone know how i can get the specs for my coil? i'm getting .9ohms between the positive and negative terminals....when checking the high tension post of the coil against the positive/negative terminals i get some resistance but w/o the specs of the coil.......i'm sure the bentley has these specs but i don't have a bentely, yet.

thanks!

HarryD

Hi Jeff,

Getting a balky car to start is always frustrating. Reading your ost, I surmise that the car cranks, but you have not determoined if you have both fela nd spark. If you are getting fuel, you should smell it. Another item to check is that the air flow sensor is operating. If it is weak or failed, it will not tell the car to turn on the fuel injectors. I had this problem with one of my beaters and it turned out ot be this unit. A simple test would be to sprayt a bit of starter fluid in your air box and see if it fires. If so, you have confirmed that you have spark but no fuel.

Best of luck.