Hi have you checked to see if your getting fuel IE have you opend the right feul rail to see if you have fuel pressure? or do you have a feul pressure gauge on the fuel rail? I knoe you said you drive the car every few weeks does it sit outside in the snow or rain if so I would be looking at the fuse panel and just above it for water leaking down from your blower box where it come throught the fire wall just close the fuse panel cover and look up see if there water dripping while a helper gently sprays water in the cowl area after you remove the cowl cover under the hood, also look at your 14 pin connector under the hood next to the passenger side cross brace and see if it has gotten water into it might be a good time to clean the power port as well, dont forget to disconnect the battery before working on this connection , and I hope that your speed sensors is getting replaced also check the knock sensor connections and check on the rear of the right front cam gear for the hall sensor connection if your wires are old the connector bodies of the knock sensora and the hall sensors will start to decay for lack of a vbetter word and basically fall apart, Stan

 

Bill and Stan, excellent tips. These kinds of answers and ideas are what will put my shark back in the water. I will obtain a pressure guage tomorrow and report . Any ideas on where to get one locally, or I am pretty good at fabbing things with the right direction as to parts , thread sizes I would need etc.

 

Hacker, I just put fresh blinker fluid in a week ago-that can't be it although I will recheck and fill as neccessary. Didn't you hold a tech session on the "Hacker Pschorr's changing blinker fluid made easy" method? A crowning achievement I might add!

 

I just did a delivery test at the pass side rail, but just used the key to get the pump to run for the normal 2 seconds when the key is turned to the start position. I don't know if this helps anybody that is trying to help us but the 2 sec. squirt yielded a little less than 2 or three ounces. About enough to fill a shot glass two or 3 times. Is this ok or am I looking at a fuel delivery issue? The pump sounds ok and comes right on. Thanks

 

Perhaps the injectors are not firing ? you can buy a simple "noide" light which plugs into the injector connector and flashes or crank the engine a while then remove a sparkplug to see if it is wet with fuel . The comment about it cranking enthusiatically does raise questions about the timing belt because when the belt lets go most cylinders have no compression and the engine turns over on the starter more quickly than normal.

 

I would think that a snapped TB would at best give you spark on 2 plugs -- not all of them. Kevin, can you get a pressure gauge on there?

 

Dave, I am still trying to find one locally so I can resume testing. Autozone etc.? Where do you think I may have luck? Jim , Laura was cranking the car while I looked through the ports on the cam covers. Belt appears fine. This is probably something simple as it was running perfectly one day, next I can't start it. I still have good spark and I think the pump is fine bases on previous tests, but it is possible it may be week.

 

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that. IIRC the fitting at the front of the fuel rail is very tough to find a matching gauge fitting for. It might be easier to set up a gauge with a banjo fitting and attach it directly to the pump. This would not help you find a problem elsewhere, like a regulator jammed open.

 

If there is a little fuel pressure and fuel I would think you'd get some popping and chugging, if the injectors were firing. You can get a pressure test kit at any auto parts store but you might have to bodge an adapator of some sort, but from your delivery test results I'd be testing to see if the injectors are firing and/or examining the plugs (wet, fouled?) first. Usually the injector clicking is loud enough to hear plainly, can you hear it?

-Joel.

 

Joel, Laura was just cranking the car and I was in the eng.bay and heard the injectors on each rail chattering. Now I am really confused. Spark, fuel, injectors chattering,brand new everything last july and a NO-start! I also just did the relay jumping technique again as well as swapping the LH and EZK from my other 87 for the second time -just to be sure. I also can't figure out why my crank sensor is so loose and i still have exc. spark!

 

What you can do is spray a little, and I mean “little” bit of started fluid into the intake. If the engine starts for a sec you’ll know that there is a spark issue and not fuel. If it doesn’t its probably a spark issue. Can you smell gas when cranking over? IF the injectors are firing, you should be able to smell unburnt gasoline by now.

 

Imo000, about the 3rd crank when I try to start it (about every 3 hours) I can't stand the fuel smell.Especially near the exhaust pipes. Tested spark for a 4th time. The sparks jump a 3/4 inch or better! Perhaps I've spoiled her with the thousands of dollars I've spent the last two years on new parts ,most of which she didn't need. I am going out into the garage right now to plead to her, and beg for a second chance !

 

Are the plugs soaked in gasoline? If so I would try a new set and swap the LH brain again. See what happens...

 

Kevin... I didn't see that you stated the timing marks aligned.
You can have a belt ~tensioned ok, tracking ok and in good
shape; but if it did jump tooth/teeth your compression won't
be ok. Improbable but possible.

Pull plugs 1 & 5 (front on each bank)and get compression values.
Tell us what you get. (oh, tighten up that loose sensor & is
TempII still ok?)

G'luck.

p.s. Have you got a first-born child?

 

Kevin.."I can't stand the fuel smell.Especially near the exhaust pipes...." Ah that is a good piece of information because if there is fuel in the exhaust there is fuel in the cylinders.