So, I have a 350 TPI in my GTA, and it will not run. I believe it to be something electrical. The engine seems to be flooding, and gasoline is getting into the oil. Ill run down a list of things we've done to the engine to get it to run. The previous owner seemed to be something of a dunce, so i wouldnt put it past him to have done anything. So here is the list-

-Changed the sparkplugs
-Changed the oil & filter
-Found the plug leads to be in the wrong order for a couple cylinders, and not even connected to one
-Tightened a connection of the fuel line by tank because it was only hand tight and the gas was spraying out
-new battery
-changed the chip back to factory from aftermarket


The engine is cranking, but not actually starting. Sometimes when left to sit for above 10 mins i can hear a few cylinders start once, but then its back to just cranking. It will also occasionally backfire. It seems like the leads have been replaced by the previous owner. I can upload a video to youtube of the sound and anything else, and then post a link here if anyone thinks they would like to see it. Thanks in advance for any help posted!


Edit: also, i just noticed the temperature seems be reading off the scale. Could it be the sensor throwing the computer off?

 

Test the fuel pressure & bleed down, should hold pressure after engine is off.
Get an ohm meter & test the injectors, a bad one can shut down a whole bank.
Get a noid light, this test the pulse to the injectors.
Test for healthy spark at the coil & plugs.
Any codes?

 

sorry, new at this. how can I check for trouble codes?

 

http://www.austinthirdgen.org/index.php?pid=27 thats how u check

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g8PdrT0MCU testing injectors. Check the spark plugs again, you may have a leaking injector, leaking internally.

 

At this point I would disable the fuel system because all you're doing now is flooding and fouling the spark plugs. The temp sensor is not an issue at start up.

Get it to start on starter fluid, or a 1oz gasoline prime only. It should run for a few seconds.

Once you verify spark & Injector pulse and it still won't start verify baseline (initial) timing.

 

Flooding and fouling plugs is the least of his worries

Rings are shot

To the OP, you need 3 things to run, air, fuel and fire. In almost all cases air is a given. If your plugs are wet, fuel seems to be in the bag too. Check your IGN system, starting by pulling a plug and visually confirming it is firing

 

Does your car have the VATS system something else to look at.

 

Fouling is not a worry, but it is a bother because it can be misdiagnosed as no spark. You need plugs in good condition to get fire.

Air is a given, but if rings are shot compression may not be enough; 80psi is the minimum for combustion.

Spark must be on time, or at least close to TDC.

VATS disables the starter and injector pulse, but even though the starter is working that doesn't guaranty the injector pulse that's why a noid tester light was suggested. The injectors are split into odd and even banks supplied by one fuse each so at least one connector of both banks need to be tested for 12v, or injector pulse.

 

While I don't have most of the things I would need to check most of those problems, i did check the trouble codes and took a multimeter to the injectors.

The only code was 12, wich was not on the website's guide for my engine. In the car's manual it said that that code would come up when the engine was not running whenever the terminals are connected.

Ill list the injectors and their resistance here, cylinders first then resistance.
1. 20 2.15
3. 20 4.14
5. 20 6.13
7. 13 8.14

 

You need new injectors.

 

Ditto - if that's what they read cold they're probably worse warmed up.
Still, that wouldn't keep it from starting up and idling.

 

Alright I need to know- I dont think I really have the skill to swap the rings or anything myself, so am I going to need to invest in lottery tickets to get this thing running, or what? I could do most myself, but deep internals? nuh-uh.

Sorry to ressurect the thread from the dead.

 

Why are you thinking about rings? They suggested injectors, its not a big job.

 

Rings won't make it not run. Abandon that stupidity and concentrate on what's put together wrong.

Right now, sounds like someone had his **** skinners in something they didn't need to be in. Trying to guess over the Internet what they sodomized could take MONTHS before somebody who can't even see the car let alone troubleshoot it randomly guesses whatever it is they fornicated.

I'm guessing the car wasn't just driving down the street, just humming along perfect and happy and all, and one day out of the clear blue, just like that {sofa snaps his fingers}, it up and started acting like this. Eh??

No the temp gauge reading wrong won't keep it from running. The temp "gauge" isn't connected to the computer in any manner way shape or form. However that doesn't mean that it's not of interest. That, sounds like they have the temp gauge sending unit wire hooked up wrong, specifically shorted to ground somehow. Might be a clue buried in there as to what's farkled; try going and finding that wire (dark green, comes out of the harness down the driver's side valve cover and goes over the VC and connects to the sending unit which is between the #1 and #3 plugs) and see if it's hooked to something else.

A little history would help point in the right direction.

 

One guy did,(Pocket), since gas is getting into the oil. True, the injectors are something i could do, but if it IS the rings..... that's another thing. I'm not 100% sure it is the rings, but it seems likely they will need to be replaced, if not now to get it to run, then soon.

 

Alight, ill try to cover as much as i can, but it might just be im mising something.

So, I had been looking for a project car to work on with my dad, something not really easy, but didnt require a complete restoration. I got a tip from my uncle that he had a friend whos car crapped out on him a couple months ago.


Since then we've been going through, trying to find the ghost in the system that is stopping this car from running. While nothing seems to be in perfect condition, nothing seems to be totally broken either. Everything that i know is wrong with the car has been posted here already, except for a hand-tight fitting on a connection from the fuel tank to the lines which poured gas all over my garage floor. I was thinking the next thing i was going to test would be to see if any fuel is even getting sent through the injectors, but it seems it is. Im just waiting to get the proper tools to check the fuel pressure and/or check if each injector is sending out fuel.

 

OK, so why was the connection loose in the first place? Do you honestly think that the car was perfectly fine, and for no apparent reason, after however many hundred thousand miles of staying perfectly tight, the tubing nut just backed itself off?

I'm telling you, once some hack has had his ***** pullers into a car, all bets are off as to what is now wrong with it. You gotta go back over everything he touched, find all the you-know-what tracks, clean em up, and THEN start to figure out why he felt compelled to start hacking on stuff.

What has been done to the car? What happened to it to cause this? What was the PO trying to do? What did s/he actually do? How many wires are cut, vacuum lines disconnected, whatever else?

 

i dont know. The car was empty of gas when we got it, so we didnt notice there was a leak until we put some in. The PO seemed to be not so good with cars, and had left the spark plug wires in the wrong firing order with one even disconnected. The wires seem to be new. He had a Hypertech chip installed which we replaced with the stock one ( just in case). He also seemed to have put in a new radio and then removed it, and there seems to be wiring in the back from some speakers he tried to install. Im not sure what else there may be, but that is all I can think of off the top of my head.


Thanks for the help, i realize im not exactly an expert with cars yet.

 

Alright, im sorry but im ressurecting this thread from the dead again. Im going to try asking specific questions instead of just "it doesnt work what do i do?". Ive posted a video to youtube, maybe that will help you get an idea what it looks like in the mess of an engine. If you want pictures/video of anything, just tell me and i should have either uploaded within a day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJRsF...hK6TpIkdIBiyhE


First question- you can see it in the video, but im not sure what that fuse is or where it goes. It currently has a 15 amp fuse in it, which isnt blown. it seems to be connected to a wire that is stripped open and twisted together-im assuming thats bad, so im going to twist them back together properly and tape them up so they cant touch any metal and get grounded.

 

So today we got a tip that one injector could be throwing off the lot- on the first attempt, it seemed like it was about to start, but only for the first couple revolutions. For some reason, this makes me think the fuel pressure may be low- i tried checking at the schrader valve , and it did NOT seem like 42 PSI. im off to buy a fuel pressure gauge in about half an hour to see.


EDIT: maxed out at 30PSI, and still doesn't start when primed with a few turns of the key.

 

After a suggestion and finding its trouble code circled in the manual by the PO, i tried cleaning the MAF sensor instead of just disconnecting it on a whim. When i first tried starting it, I turned the key on a couple times to build up fuel pressure. on the second time, i heard an odd noise- i coulda sworn it was electricity arcing, but i tried starting anyways. Heard a click, and all the electronics died. The battery had a low charge so ive put it on to charge. Im thinking something in the starting circuit is shorted, and ill be checking over the wiring and maybe the fuses to see if any blew tomorrow.

 

Sounds like a bad connection somewhere fritzed out... battery connector, fusible link, bulkhead connector; something between the batt and the ign sw.

I'd start at the batt and follw the big red wires until I find the one where the 12V disappears. Not too tough.

 

will do! cant do it till tomorrow though.