[ender_]

i finally started up my car today after swapping heads. fired up just fine! i took her around the block twice, and i noticed a bump in power (probably because of the resurfaced head). i was super happy.. our third trip, i it started to bog, and finally, it just died out.

back at the garage, we tried to diagnose everything...
there's spark, though i noticed it was red in color...
there's fuel.
timing's all set at the marks.
firing order is correct.
plug wires are all brand new.

checked the ecu, and it threw out a code 30 for some odd reason... A/T control signal A? my car's standard though.

i double checked all my wires and they're all plugged. all my hoses are plugged.

it cranks but doesnt turn over! my friend was telling me it's probably my ignitor or something cause the sparks from the spark plugs are supposed to be blue...

 

[ender_]

oh, i also noticed that while it's cranking, i hear muffled puff sounds coming from the muffler..

 

[dohcrxl]

How did you confirm that there's fuel present? Keep in mind that just because there's spillage when you crack open the nut on the fuel rail it doesn't mean there's pressure. I'd confirm that there's 2 clicks from the main relay first then also that fuel is being PUSHED out of the "cracked open" fuel rail as soon as you turn the key to the on position.

Similarly, just because there's spark when you crank the engine, it doesn't mean that that spark is strong enough or is coming at the right time. What I'd do here is substitute a known working distributor if available. If you don't have a spare, I'd try cranking the engine in the dark and looking for what I like to call "spark leak". This is when spark is arching through a worn and therefore poorly insulated distributor cap and going straight to ground. If you see spark anywhere from the cap or wires that's where at least part of your problem is.

EDIT: is your tranny ground clean and tight? How bout the t-stat ground? That one will cause the main relay to not work or work intermittently.

 

[ender_]

im pretty sure there's fuel. i hear it pumping with the turn of the ignition, and when i pulled my plugs right after, they all have gas on them. also, i checked the line going to the fuel filter, and that leaks gas too whenever i prime the car.

i just replaced the ignition coil today. fired right up too! then while we tried to set ignition timing, it died suddenly when we moved the dizzy.

wont start up again...

oh, and yes, all my grounds have been cleaned off and are hooked up tightly.

 

[dohcrxl]

In that case check to make sure both the connectors on the dizzy are plugged in tight. I suspect though that it has something to do with the distributor internally. I'd pull both the coil and ignitor back out and make sure all the female connectors are fitting on the spade males tightly. Another thing to consider too is that when an ignitor fails, so will the coil not long after, and vice versa. When one is failing it puts strain on the other and will cause both to go.

 

[ender_]

thanks man. i'll try that and let you know how it turns out.

 

[ender_]

:shock:

i fixed the problem. turns out the KEY on the goddamn cam pulley was cracked and test driving it broke it outta place ... making my timing marks super off.

i just feel so stupid cause it was such an easy fix.

comes to show that **** happens.

so after replacing the cam and timing it again, it fired up like a charm.

thanks for all the help though dohcrxl. :?

 

[Neil]

Oh yeah, isn't that the way it usually is. It's usually something right under your nose and because of frustration/anxiety/whatever, you just overlook it. I do this all the time cause I get in a damn hurry.

Glad you found it!