2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

Ignorance != bliss - starting/running issues

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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 07:54 PM
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Longshoe's Avatar
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The Shogun of Harlem
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From: Jonesboro, Georgia
Red face Ignorance != bliss - starting/running issues

SO it ends up I had injectors and spark (I was asking questions about these in different threads). But here is my problem--- I finally got it to crank with the help of a little starter fluid. I know the injectors and plugs are firing because I had it run for about a minute. But here are some symptoms im having:

*Shakes like crazy when it started up and I think occassionly at idle (I honestly dont remember, but it did smooth out when I revved it up a little)
*Smokes like crazy
*Because just the header is on, its very loud but when I rev it to 3k it backfired
*It will want to die at idle unless I modulate the throttle. Sometimes it will be fine but there are points when it will start to die.

Now as for the shaking, at one point I dont remember if it was me or my friend but we had taken off the plug wires so many times to check for spark I believe leading 1 and 2 and been put on the front rotor and the trailing coil had ended up on the rear rotor. When we tried to start it with a little starter fluid there was detonation (sounded just like the door banging shut on the AFM except really loudly) but the motor did not start. I checked for compression and did hear three even pulses on both rotors but either its paranoia or the pulses dont sound as strong as they used to.

For the smoking-- I was playing with the OMP when the intake manifolds were off and I believe that was letting oil into the engine-- the sparkplugs when I pulled them were full of crud (oily crud.. I guess that is what it looks like when it tries to combust). So I assume the smoking is from the engine trying to burn off that crud.

Bottom line is I think its running super rich. It wont start without starter fluid, but when I try to crank it without starter fluid it appears to flood. I dont think its leaky injectors because it ran fine before I took it apart, and I didnt touch the primaries at all (the injectors on the housing themselves are the primaries and the ones on the intake are the secondaries correct?). The only thing I can think of is some major vaccume hoodoo going on, but imput would be appreciated.

edit: BTW not sure the car was running long enough but it isnt throwing any codes.
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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 08:05 PM
  #2  
RylAssassin's Avatar
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From: Boston
It just sounds like its flooded to me. I would perform the unflooding procedure to try to flush all that **** outa there and then try starting it without starting fluid.
Make sure you do it right too you can easily keep flooding the engine if you "unflood" it the wrong way.

Pull the EFI fuse to disable the fuel injection, hold open the throttle and turn the engine over for about 5 seconds (no more than 10 because it strains the starter like hell). You have to do this like 10 times if the engine is severly flooded, but you have to be really carefull and take your time. After the 10th time then put the EFI back in and try to start it up.
Oh and make sure your battery is good and charged
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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 08:17 PM
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The Shogun of Harlem
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From: Jonesboro, Georgia
The battery is fully charged and pretty strong (its a couple of weeks old). I pull the EGI Inj and EGI Comp fuse when trying to unflood it. I did unflood it a couple of times (crank for 7 seconds, wait 10, crank another 7 then try to start it) but I guess if its severely flooded it takes longer.

edit: wouldnt have running it for two or three minutes taken care of the fuel in the combustion chamber?

Last edited by Longshoe; Apr 15, 2006 at 08:21 PM.
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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 08:31 PM
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Smoke color? And the OMP is supposed to put oil in the engine. Do you mean more than normal?
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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 08:46 PM
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mmm doritos
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make sure u have no vaccum leaks or mixed up hoses
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Old Apr 15, 2006 | 09:19 PM
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The Shogun of Harlem
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Smoke is a bluish color I believe-- smells like *** and not sweet like coolant. It seems like there was already oil gunked up on the sparkplugs, I dont mean that the OMP is putting in too much oil, I just am curious as to how oil is injected into the engine. Can I just open the throttle with the car off and oil goes in? Or is it a series of vaccume lines that lets oil in when the car is running? Since I was playing with the OMP level when the intake was off (it looked so loose before that I thought it wasnt even connected) I must have let alot of oil into the engine. Tomorrow ill go over the vaccume lines if the car fails to crank again.
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Old Apr 16, 2006 | 05:32 PM
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The Shogun of Harlem
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Damn, I found a piece of hose that was once connected to something. Only problem is I cannot find out what it was connected to. Car still wont start without the aid of starter fluid (but it will run...sorta with a little starter fluid spray) after doing the unflooding procedure. I am almost convinced it is a vaccume hose but ive got a couple of questions.

The vaccume hose diagram on page 4A-5 of the S4 NA FSM does not appear to show all of the vaccume lines. Are these vaccume lines in the picture all you need to make the car crank and run? According to searching around I must have a huge vaccume leak somewhere because my car wont start without starter fluid. I know ive got injectors and spark because the car will run (though if I dont modulate the throttle a little, it will sputter and die). Unfortunately I cant spray a little water/carb cleaner/wd-40 around when the engine is running because it will die before I can get out of the car and do it lol.

Now as for the lone vaccume hose I found, I have an idea of where it might go. There are three vaccume nipples on the tubes that connect the dynamic chamber to the LIM. Two of them are pointing at the firewall, and another one is pointing up. Ill try to get a picture later but id like to know where these go to. I cant seem to find any indication of what they do in the FSM but im pretty sure something used to go in there. Currently they are capped off, but they do suck in air and im sure they are there for a reason.
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