Engine rebuild complete , now wont start !!

[philbrooker]

Good afternoon guys,

2.8 Engine

After rebuilding the engine and refitting it I have had enough !

The engine is timed correctly, has excellent compression, new plugs, coil, roter etc. Engine has a good spark and fuel is getting though, pump working. No visible air leaks either.

The engine will fire up on the key but will not "catch" I can even rev as long as thge starter is still engaged (naughty i know)

Any ideas, I wasted my whole day off messing around with this!

Thanks,
Phil

[hallsie]

Have you tried some engine start spray down the air inlet?

Its a high octane type thing that might give you the edge you need to get it started properly and may help blow out anything thats causing either a blockage or minor timing problem!

Stu

[Wedg1e]

If you disconnect the cold start injector does it still try to catch? If not there's perhaps a fuelling problem with the main distribution system.

[keatsie]

Don't shot me but.... have you double checked the valve timing?

[philbrooker]

Ill try disconnecting the cold start sensor , what will that do ?

Thanks,
Phil

[Druid]

This any help??

[keatsie]

Works for me......

[chedder]

keatsie said:

Works for me......

Me too!......either of em!!!!

[D1 MAD]

Does your ignition light come on before you engage the starter? Sounds like you only have power to the system when the starter motor is running. Check the supply to the coil before and during cranking.

[SplatSpeed]

neat fuel in the inlet manifold

good for a laugh

[mrzigazaga]

As the poster says.."Avoids down-time of equipment"...Ill have a can and two of those young wenches please..

[adam quantrill]

D1 MAD said:

Does your ignition light come on before you engage the starter? Sounds like you only have power to the system when the starter motor is running. Check the supply to the coil before and during cranking.

Yeah - clip a bulb (or a meter) across it - I bet it goes out as soon as you stop cranking.

[E Ponym]

Do you have a 6V coil with a ballast resistor.

If you do then check the 12v feed to the resistor.

The 6V coil is designed to provide a decent spark when the engine is cranking on the starter motor so one side of the resistor is connected to a feed that is only live when cranking.

Under normal running a 12 volt feed to the other side of the resistor is dropped by the resistor to 6V, otherwise the points, plugs and leads would crap out early because of over-voltage.

Russ

[Wedg1e]

philbrooker said:

Ill try disconnecting the cold start sensor , what will that do ?

Thanks,
Phil

Well as others have said it's actually more likely to be a problem with the ignition system, I forgot about the ballast

When you're cranking, the thermo-time switch at the front of the engine causes the cold start injector (CSI) to throw petrol straight into the plenum, as if you had, say, an SU carb with the choke on. Thus the engine gets extra fuel to help it fire. Once the engine fires on its main injectors and you let go of the key the CSI shuts off.
So it can happen that the engine is trying to start using just the fuel from the CSI but the main injectors aren't squirting. The K-Jetronic injection's pretty simple and it relies above all on decent pressure from the fuel pump - the injectors need the pressure to help them open, whereas the CSI is opened electrically so will fire even if the fuel pressure is too low for the main injectors to work.
If the car's been stood a while it's not impossible for there to be crud causing a blockage, fuel pump to have siezed etc etc - all, hopefully, worst case scenarios.

If you disconnect the CSI and the spluttering stops, the engine's possibly not getting fuel from the main injectors.

[adam quantrill]

E Ponym said:

Do you have a 6V coil with a ballast resistor.

Good spot - sometime the "ballast resistor" is just a resistance wire hidden in the loom.

Check that the points get +6 to +12V when the engine is NOT cranking. This checks the resistor, too.

[taz turbo]

adam quantrill said:

E Ponym said:

Do you have a 6V coil with a ballast resistor.

Good spot - sometime the "ballast resistor" is just a resistance wire hidden in the loom.

Iv'e had 2 V6 wedges, for a ballast resistor both had a thickish (about 4mm O.D.) near or next to the air metering unit/air filter.

Chris.

[HOTTY]

philbrooker said:

The engine is timed correctly, Engine has a good spark and fuel is getting though, pump working. No visible air leaks either.

The engine will fire up on the key but will not "catch"

Thanks,
Phil

Daft question, are you sure, as my 350 had a long lay up, I thought that i had set up the dissy correct but i took a more experience wedger (wedg1e) to identify that it was not quiet right.

Get somebody to turn it over, whilst you turn the dissy complete. See if that has any effect, it did for me.

Hopefully you find the problem soon

[jeff m]

Assume you've already checked the 8v on run position.

Crack the pressure reg to check the fuel pressure. If none or just a dribble.
You should have residual pressure.
Check for 12v on WUR or Thermotime thingy as thats the same 12v as the fuel pump. Whilst cranking and stalling
Swap the safety module for a regular relay, it if runs then Safty module is not operating and your fuel pump is loosing it's 12v.
(safety mod ops from HT Coil)

How long did the car sit?

Edit to add logic.
If there IS residual fuel pressure then car failed to continue running due to no spark.
If there is NO res pressure then pump stopped before the inginition gave up.

Edited by jeff m on Friday 25th February 05:18

[heightswitch]

are you sure it is timed corectly??

One of the most common mistakes is to get the engine timed correctly but find it is 180 degrees out??

First principles. make sure the piston is rising to TDC (use a pencil in the bore to feel it coming up. then make sure the timing marks line up and your distributor is coming up to number 1 HT.

N.

[GV]

Try lifting out the dizzy and rotating it 180 degrees, you may have set it up on the exhaust stroke instead of compression.