Engine running rough, got fuel, got spark, no timing light
03-16-10, 05:29 PM
#1
Engine running rough, got fuel, got spark, no timing light
I'm stumped and I would really appreciate some ideas because I'm out of them. Every now and then I see some good info given out on here. Please pull through for me!
87 TII, 30 mins on new rebuild
Haltech E6K
The engine started and ran great. I set the timing. The timing light strobed brightly.
The car sat for the past two days while it rained heavy. I started the engine today and it sounds like it only running on one rotor. I pulled the L1 plug wire and started the engine. Sounded like it was running on one rotor but it sounded strong. I pulled the L2 wire and started the engine. Same thing. It sounded the same either way.
I pulled the plugs. They were not fouled. I cranked the engine over with the EGI fuse out and cleared the fuel. Cleaned the plugs and put them back in. I took the cover off the CAS and checked the pickup position with the yellow timing mark. That's fine. I hooked up the timing light and had someone crank the engine. No timing light strobe light. I swapped plug wires and tried to get the timing light to strobe from any of the 4 wires. No light. I thought the timing light was bad.
I tested the timing light on another vehicle. It works fine.
I went back to the RX-7 and checked my power source for the timing light and its good. I pulled a spark plug and verified spark when the engine cranks. Got spark. Timing light still won't light.
Nothing inside is wet. The E6K is in the glove box. Nothing in the engine bay looks wet. Maybe the problem will go away in a day or two when everything completely dries out?!
Then I'll be stuck somewhere next time it rains. I need to find this problem. This is a headache. :P
Weak spark? Stuck primary injector? Something with the CAS trigger shielding? GRRRRrrrrrr
87 TII, 30 mins on new rebuild
Haltech E6K
The engine started and ran great. I set the timing. The timing light strobed brightly.
The car sat for the past two days while it rained heavy. I started the engine today and it sounds like it only running on one rotor. I pulled the L1 plug wire and started the engine. Sounded like it was running on one rotor but it sounded strong. I pulled the L2 wire and started the engine. Same thing. It sounded the same either way.
I pulled the plugs. They were not fouled. I cranked the engine over with the EGI fuse out and cleared the fuel. Cleaned the plugs and put them back in. I took the cover off the CAS and checked the pickup position with the yellow timing mark. That's fine. I hooked up the timing light and had someone crank the engine. No timing light strobe light. I swapped plug wires and tried to get the timing light to strobe from any of the 4 wires. No light. I thought the timing light was bad.
I tested the timing light on another vehicle. It works fine.
I went back to the RX-7 and checked my power source for the timing light and its good. I pulled a spark plug and verified spark when the engine cranks. Got spark. Timing light still won't light.
Nothing inside is wet. The E6K is in the glove box. Nothing in the engine bay looks wet. Maybe the problem will go away in a day or two when everything completely dries out?!
Then I'll be stuck somewhere next time it rains. I need to find this problem. This is a headache. :P
Weak spark? Stuck primary injector? Something with the CAS trigger shielding? GRRRRrrrrrr
03-16-10, 10:47 PM
#6
I did. I didn't see anything unusual. Crank rpm is 700-850. Coolant temp matches air temp. Before cranking the MAP sensor fluctuates between 0.0 and 0.4 vacuum. During cranking the MAP sensor shows around 10-12 vacuum. I'd upload an excel file of the data but my only computer with a floppy drive just died. My tuning laptop is so old I don't think it has USB. If it does I doubt it will have the driver...DB-9 to usb adaptor?
This isn't the first engine I've used this E6K to run. This engine ran fine 2 days ago. I moved it in the driveway then it sat until this morning. I went to start it up and it started and ran bad. The WB02 says its running lean. Maybe an injector is stuck closed? I checked the plugs and they were wet but not dripping with fuel like when it floods. I'm hung up on this timing light issue. I think it's related.
I tried that. The timing light works fine. It's something with the ignition system. I think...
04-01-10, 07:23 PM
#7
FIXED
Alright...I hate finding threads where someone posted about a problem and never said how they fixed it. It turns out I pinched my wiring harness with a bracket from the power steering lines. That black/white switched 12v wire that ran through the harness and sent power to the leading coil was grounded. Apparently enough power was getting through to spark the plugs when i cranked the engine to check for spark but it couldn't supply the leading coil pack with enough power to keep the engine running.
I didn't want to cut open the harness and test wires so I ran the switched 12v wire from the leading coil to another source.
I'm conclusion I'm the worst mechanic ever.
Alright...I hate finding threads where someone posted about a problem and never said how they fixed it. It turns out I pinched my wiring harness with a bracket from the power steering lines. That black/white switched 12v wire that ran through the harness and sent power to the leading coil was grounded. Apparently enough power was getting through to spark the plugs when i cranked the engine to check for spark but it couldn't supply the leading coil pack with enough power to keep the engine running.
I didn't want to cut open the harness and test wires so I ran the switched 12v wire from the leading coil to another source.
I'm conclusion I'm the worst mechanic ever.
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