Greetings everyone - I picked up an 88 Turbo S about 2 months ago and have attempted to start it for the first time in over 7 years. Unfortunately it failed to start and need some advice/help as to where the issue now lies. Without going into the entire story (which I will be doing soon, maybe tonight since I can’t get the car started!), here is the basic story/info on the car.

It is a 1988 Turbo S with 70K miles. A little over 7 years ago the previous owners son somewhat wrecked the car by sliding out on a rainy night and ran it over a curb/median and into some bushes. There was some cosmetic damage to the bumper and the batwing & protective plates for the engine were ripped off completely. The radiator and AC Condenser were also damaged as well as a few other minor things but I have now replaced all the mechanical components and am trying to get the car going so I can better troubleshoot it etc.

The car was well taken care of and garage kept but not properly stored after the wreck so I have also done some basic tune up work including but not limited to drained gas tank and replaced fuel filter. New plugs, plug wires, cap& rotor, the plug wires have been a royal pain in the **** getting to stay on but I believe they are all secure now.

Basically fuel and ignition should be good, I do have a new timing belt kit and water pump to put on but just wanted to try and start the car as is and haven’t swapped them out yet.

So now everything “should” be good to go and I went ahead and attempted to start it tonight and at best only got it to sputter and backfire a bit with some starter fluid but it sounds like it is literally running on 1 cylinder so didn’t push it to bad. It sounds like the timing is REALLY off or something but I am tired of working on it for now and wanted to get some opinions as to what to check for as this is my first 951. Here are a few videos you can check out, the lighting and camera suck hence the poor quality, but you can get the general idea.

If you have any questions just let me know and thanks in advance for any and all help!!


Short video – running like a diesel tractor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwgvzblZSGE

First start attempt - DOH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1BnDF0b-Qg

 

if the car has been sitting 7 years you need a new timing belt BEFORE you try to start it- too many have stripped the teeth off from dryrot and junked the head before ever starting.

you flushed the fuel tank and filter, i would pull the injectors out and see if somewhere local could do a flow test/cleaning on them as the old gas will clog them up. Then maybe hold the pressure line from the rail into a bucket and have someone turn the ignition on for a second to pump some gas through the line-DONT CRANK IT- just turn the ignition on. Sounds like you are getting spark etc if it runs and gas, but you need to make sure its running 100%, especially for a turbo car.

 

Check the connection at the AFM, and that the J-boot is fully on the AFM.

 

also may want to pull the air filter and stick your hand into the air meter to make sure the "barn door" is moving properly. It could be stuck making it hard to start/run.

 

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the replies! XS: Although the car has been sitting the I did pull the timing belt cover and examine the belts well and there are no signs of dryrot or missing teeth etc. which is the only reason i went ahead and tried to start it without replacing it yet. I am not sure of any local places to get the injectors tested but I am in the Atlanta area so if anyone knows of a local spot let me know.
I have not taken apart the fuel rail at all yet, was hoping I wouldn't have to but will do that if it comes down to it. I will also take off the AFM and check the barn door as it is possible that it's stuck and not getting any air.
Adrian: Thanks for the reminder! J-boot to AFM is definitely something to look at as well as i know it is sitting in there but I don't believe it is tightened down now that i am recalling - need to go to the garage and check! I hope it is that easy but i play the lottery and haven't won yet so I'm not gonna hold my breath...

Thanks for the info - I have never taken on a project like this before and am probably over looking a bunch of little things so i appreciate all the feedback!

John

 

The injectors are probably stuck...tap on them with a small metal object.

I would also clean out the fuel system b/c when it does decide to run (or sooner) you may fill filter quickly.

 

Make sure you have spark and fuel. Is the fuel pump running? Voltage at pump? Fuel pressure at the rail? All fuses ok?

 

+1

 

post some pics of the car. It looks to be in good shape!

 

There are quite a few rennlisters in the Atlanta area. You might be able to get a couple of them to help you out by having a wrenching party

 

Thanks again for all the replies!
I did confirm that my J-Boot to AFM was not secure but just sitting in place so that may have been part of the issue. I did have also verified that my I also went ahead and tapped on the injectors a bit, not while cranking it though. I have some redline fuel system cleaner which i will put in once it is running. Barn door appears to be OK. Going to be verifying fuel and spark today, not sure of voltages anywhere yet either. Fuses are all ok too.
I may be calling in the troops if i can't get it going this afternoon. thanks again for all the replies and ideas!
I have some pictures posted of it on my Flickr page along with pics of when i first picked it up...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7643884@N03/

Thanks!
John

 

You do good body work. I'm impressed. You will have a nice car when you get things sorted out.

George

 

Thanks George, I have to give most of the credit to my friend Patrick who was my Jedi Master throughout most of the process

So with Sunday being Mothers Day which i almost forgot about, i wasn't able to get much done on the car but have continued to tinker with it this week. Primarily i have just gone over everything which has been listed on here and right now the only thing left to test for is spark. I just don't know how to go about doing that without an extra set of hands which i don't have available usually until the weekend.

However I have installed new spark plugs and plug wires. I gapped the new plugs at .030 which what i found was recommended, but i also checked the old plugs coming out the the gap on those was closer to .040-.045 which seems very high to me, don't know if there could be something wrong here or not which is why i'm putting it out here!


Timing Belt - Have a new one which is not yet installed. Current belt is not dryrotted or cracked at all. I know I know, Unless someone has the specialty tools and some time to lend in Atlanta it's gotta wait cause i don't have the $$ to get it installed.

Water Pump - Have new one, not yet installed, see $$ issue above.

Fuel Tank - I emptied it by jumping the DME relay, fuel pump works good although i have not tested the voltage. Installed new fuel filter.

Fuel lines/Rail - I pulled off the return line and jumped the DME relay again and had plently of fuel coming out. From what i understand turning the ignition on will not turn on the fuel pump on these cars without cranking it as the pump is activated by a flywheel sensor or something right? Not fuel pressure tests have been done but i can pretty much assure you by the amount that the pump pushes out it is definitely getting plenty of gas to the top of the injectors.

Fuel Injectors - I have tapped on them a few times but only tried to fire it once and nothing changed. I am thinking about pulling them and getting them cleaned to eliminate the possability of them being the issue. I have heard good things from a friend of mine about injectorrx.com - anyone have any experience with them?

Connection @ AFM is good. AFM "Barn Door" appears to be in excellent condition, moves freely with just a slight touch.

All fuses and relays appear to be in good working condition.

I have looked over everything and don't see anything else that could be causing a problem, but then again this is my first 951 so that just basically means everything else is plugged in... Pretty much just comes down to either the Ignition or the fuel injectors being the issue, or some hidden gremlin.

I may need to organize some kind of gathering so if there is anyone in the Atlanta area who knows their way around a 951 and would be willing to help, i have beer

Thanks again to everyone for the advice, I really wanna get this thing on the road again!

 

Still betting on the injectors myself

I watched your video and you are getting spark,

If the pump is running with the jumper chances are it will run when cranking

 

Thanks! It was kind of seeming that way to me but i'm no mechanic! Good enough to convince me to go ahead and send em off at any rate. Figuring they are 20+ years old anyway and could probably use it, then i can go ahead and eliminate that possability. Now I have a project for the day