Rad exploded, now won't start. O-rings and compression fine. s5 NA
 

We had an overnight super deep freeze a while back. The next morning I was driving to work and the temps took off and then top of the rad exploded. Moments later the car snuffed. I had to tow her home. The rad has been replaced. The car cranks just fine but she won't catch. I finally had time to dig into her today.


No blown fuses that I can find. Battery fulled charged.

Cranked the car with the rad cap off. No geysering, no visible activity at all from the inlet. Coolant level unchanged after cranking. So the o-rings are okay.

Did part one of the poor-man's compression test. Just over 90 on both 1 and 2.

Tied L1's plug to the strut bar and cranked it. Saw lots of spark, but it looked a little weak. More on that in a sec.

*Almost* pulled the fuel line off between the filter and the rat's nest - a little spurted out. So there's pressure in the line.

Pulled L1's plug after three short cranking attempts, including a crank with the fuel cut. Plug smelled slightly of gas but was completely dry.

12v between the batt and the EGR solenoids.

Weak spark - I checked voltage on coil 1. Between the either nut under the black plastic cover and the battery's neg terminal gets 12v. BUT when checking B/Y on the coil's white plug I get ~6.5v. I've cleaned the coil's grounds and re-checked and still got ~6.5v. Gonna swap in another leading coil tomorrow.

I've been associating the engine's snuffing with the rad blowing. I assumed something got hit by that blast/bolt of coolant that caused the engine to shut down. At this point the culprits are air, fuel or a big, fat vacuum leak. I'm iffy on blaming spark and am wondering if the coil wasn't weak before the incident. I did a quick once-over and didn't find anything that would have been a major air leak - visible vac hoses seemed fine as did the intake snorkel et al.

Tomorrow I'm going to check power to the injectors and try to further confirm that fuel is really getting into the engine. I don't think the plug should have been as dry as it was.

Comments welcome. :)

check the CAS and see if it has been soaked.
one thing that you could try is to get a hair dryer and go over all the wiring,and try to get it "dry".It won't completely take off coolant but it will help.

Good idea. :)


I think that's going in the wrong direction. I don't want spend hours standing over the engine bay in sub-zero weather with a hair dryer. I think the key to this is to use troubleshooting to isolate the source of the problem. I don't have any evidence yet to suggest that coolant on the wiring is responsible and I won't focus on that until I do.

I'm going to look again for vac leaks when the sun's up, and then focus on fuel delivery until that's either borne fruit or is off the list. :)

Did you make sure it's not flooded? In the cold temperatures, even piston engines are hard to deflood if they do get flooded. Only way is to use heat to make sure all the fuel evaporates...

Maybe when the rad exploded, coolant got sucked into the intake snorkle and into the engine?

In the course of working on it this afternoon I pulled both plugs, in part to re-apply anti-sieze to them. Both were bone dry. I wpied their ends on a rag and they didn't even leave black marks behind. It would be the driest flooding I've ever seen. ;)


The air intake (I'm using a K&N) was directly shielded by a custom airbox, as well as by the rad's upper hose neck. The explosion happened roughly where the red line is below, except it was a stock rad (it's strangely hard to find a pic of one of those online.) There are puddles of coolant on top of the engine, and traces on the wiring and piping on the passenger side of the engine. The battery, p/s pump and everything behind it went untouched by the blast. I'd say the air pump, the alternator and the front of the UIM got the worst of it.


https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1264224975

OIL in the spark plugs holes... unless you have verified no fuel, checked the pressure?? and what about the coil, any change when you replaced it?

I had oil on hand when I did the compression test. Didn't use it when I got the strong returns.

I've sort-of confirmed that there is pressure between the filter and the rails. I'll be checking tomorrow that the injectors are getting power. Checking the CAS as suggested will be part of that.

Coil hasn't been replaced. It's cold and dark out there now. :chicken:

pressure wash it and blow it with compressed air. there is probably coolant in everything so unplug and dry out all the connectors.

No pressure washer nor compressed air where the car is parked. Plus there's the whole icing up and freezing issue (possibly inflicting new damage) for any water I fail to clear away.

then my only suggestion is wait for spring or get it somewhere where you can work on it.

coolant and electrical do not mix.

Replaced the leading coil, it metered like the old one and the car didn't start. Curious part - if I meter between the connectors I get ~6.5v. If I go from b/y to ground I get 12v. Where's ma 6v goin'?

Key on, pulled a secondary injector connector and got 12v.

Started to pull the CAS, unit wouldn't budge and I don't want to pound on it. I'm leaving it alone for now.

I sprayed several shots of Quick Start into the UIM and then cranked her. She fired right up and ran for about 7 or so seconds. I was able to rev her repeatedly during this. So I'm going to continue to pursue fuel as a cause. I'm going to dig down to the primary injectors and see what I find. Right now I'm thinking either voltage isn't getting to them, or there's some ice or a frozen line or something preventing flow. We'll see. :)

Standard diagnosis. Check AFM, injectors and spark. Remove the manifolds, secure injectors to rails via zipties, remove CAS, key ON, turn the CAS gear and observe the injectors. You may get lucky with guessing but keep this as a last resort. And breaking the CAS is nearly impossible, its metal.

sounds alot like the AFM is not powering the fuel pump, can you do a voltage test on the pump? You could also try jumping the intial set connector so that the pump runs without the key in the start position. which you will have to do anyways to follow the cas turning instructions above.

Manifolds are ready to come off. Came back to get a fresh battery for my mp3 player. :D


I will be doing this with the primaries if I can't find anything else down there.


It still has electronic and plastic bits inside. I'm going to use a spare for the injector testing above.


Just checked it. Disconnected the fuel line between the filter and the piping to the rails. Put the hose end into a jar and cranked her - jar is now half full of gas. Fuel pump is working properly and fuel is getting to the rails. :)

Dammit. :(

The primaries seem to be fine. Both are happily clicking away when the CAS is spun. I didn't actually pull them, though. I left them in and listened, and then did the poor-man's stethoscope by using a screwdriver pressed to my ear. The only thing I haven't done is actually watched if they're releasing fuel. It's gonna be a pain, but I think that's next.

I was surprised to find that there wasn't any coolant pooled in that low area where the primaries sit. The coolant didn't get down there at all.

12v on the b/w for the rear's primary. Jumped right to the CAS test without checking the front's voltage.

It's looking a lot like fuel delivery is a-ok. When everything's back together I'll try cranking with the AFM disconnected. Other than that, this looks like it's back to either spark or compression for a cause. Which brings me back to:

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1264277607

When I did that test I got ~6.5v. And yet I also found that 12v was being sent to the coil... :scratch:

Could this low voltage at the leading coil be the result of a failure of the condensor connected to B1-09? Or should I turn my attention to the g/y wire and the ecu?


https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...1&d=1264281144

Honestly, the wiring is pretty good at keeping water out, I usually wash the engine bay with no problems, (but it could be possible i suppose)... have you tried starting it with oil in the plug holes, crank over for 15-30 seconds with the EFI fuse out and spark plugs out and gas pedal down all the way to the floor. Then put the plugs and fuse back in and crank it over without stepping on gas pedal? If it tries to start like sputtering, then keep trying this until it starts....

On the other hand, one more thing you should check is the water thermo-sensor located on the water-pump itself. I believe this guy will give you hard starts if it's failed...

You have fuel, you have spark, you have air.... It should start with all those conditions met and the only thing that happed before was the rad exploded.... I would also worry as to why the radiator exploded, did it freeze? If so, it could cause metal to crack. Did it have an extreme pressure causing it to pop? This would be bad for seals...

I really want to emphasize that just a tiny flood in cold weather will make a car not start. I had a friend the other day tell me he was called to help start a car, it turns out it was flooded, it was cold here and there was no way he was able to start and unflood it. He tried removing spark plug, cranking without fuel. Nothing worked. He ended up using a blow dryer directed at the cylinders. It started right up after that....

Okay, the primary injectors check out. Fuel delivery is off the list. I put everything back together and came in without trying a start with the AFM disconnected. I'm cold, hungry and I didn't have a light. Maybe later tonight, tomorrow for sure.


Me, too.


I'm well aquainted with the deflooding procedure. It's on my to-do list if I keep coming up empty handed elsewhere.


I broke this on a past RX-7 several winters ago. I can assure you that it makes starting impossible in sub-zero temperatures. I looked at the sensor this afternoon and it was intact. I may test it later.


Apparently my coolant mixture was weak enough for it to at least turn slushy. After the explosion I pulled off the road and went to add water. When I took the rad cap off it was all slush beneath. I had been adding small amounts of straight water early in the fall as I was chasing a leak where I'd piped the temp sensor for my rad fan into the upper rad hose. I'd expected that 3 or so months would be more than enough time for that straight water to become intermixed.

What I think happened was the mixture in the rad was somewhere between slushy and frozen when I drove off, on my way to work. The coolant couldn't circulate. Shortly before the explosion my digital temp gauge started flashing (it does this once it hits 210F.) The last I looked at it, moments before the explosion, it was at 216F. Then steam was pouring out from under the hood and then the car snuffed. The stock gauge never left 1/2, btw.

I've intentionally overheated an s4 NA (H on the stock gauge, no aftermarket gauge at the time so no idea as to the true temp) in the course of doing RETed's modified coolant flush with no apparent harm done. While 216F is nothing to smile about, I'm certain it's well away from being damaging.

Up until I did the compression test yesterday I was worried that the o-rings might have also blown out. The rad may have blown, but that didn't mean it was the only failure due to coolant pressure. I still don't know for certain that there isn't heat-related damage within the engine, but after the last two days it my feeling is that it's unlikely.


I hear ya. If it does come to using oil, we'll see what we get. :)

check the water temp sensor behind the water outlet. If its not working you wont get enough fuel to start in cold temperatures

This afternoon:

- went out cranked her after last night, AFM disconnected. No change.

- changed the noted condensor out for another. No change.

- checked both plugs after these attempts. Dry.

I haven't pulled the water thermosensor yet. When I broke the one I mentioned before, it still started in weather like this, albeit it took longer to fire up than normal. It wasn't until a morning when the temp was down around 5F that she completely refused to start.

I'm split right now between trying oil and pulling the thermosensor. I've got about 45 mins of daylight left and it's been raining out all day. Whichever one I choose will probably be the last thing for today.

That 6.5v on the leading coil is still bothering me. If the spark's at half the strength it should be at, maybe that's the problem right there. If the coil and the condensor are both okay, then that leaves the ECU, which I won't pull until the rain stops.

Did the car stall/die itself after it overheated? I'm guessing your 'poor man' test was to just use a piston checker collectively? At this point (and probably the first thing I'd have done, at all), I'd pull the two leading plugs, and turn the engine over by hand (19mm socket on the front e-shaft bolt), every half rotation should should hear a pulse from each rotor, and it should alternate from front to back every turn. Go around 3 times to check all faces. That'll let you know if at least all 3 faces are producing compression. If all of them sound even and decently strong, pull your EGI fuses and crank the shit out of the car in intervals, let it sit, repeat. Plug it back in, have someone crank with it at WOT and spray as much starting fluid as you can find into the intake, you should at least get some kind of attempt to fire.

I put some 5w30 into the engine. No change. :(

I'm beginning my search for a replacement coil. New forum searching today has found several posts stating the car will run even if it's only using the trailing coils. If that's true, then spark probably isn't an issue.

- not spark
- not fuel

leaving me with

- air
- compression

The butterfly linkages on the uim all seemed fine. I think I'll give them a closer look. I'll do another compression test as well, and see if I can't grab someone to do the cranking for Poor Man's part 2. :)


Yup, can't hold the valve open and crank the engine at the same time.


I did this by hand, pulling on the ps/ belt, after adding the 5w30. I could feel the resistance with each pulse, hear the whoosh and see the ripples in the oil that had dribbled out from the spark plug holes. I was doing this to spread the oil before it had time for much to dribble back out of the holes (some did anyway.) I did not watch it in that detail, though. Something for tomorrow. :)


There is already a fuel pump kill switch installed. Using it has made no difference.

As mentioned earlier, she fires right up with Quick Start.

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...0&postcount=11

But since just about anything will run with Quick Start, this doesn't help much.

The car will start and DIE with the AFM Disconnected.(at least my s4 does.)
connect the AFM and try a shot of Ether in it,.
If everything is Ok,it will fire up and keep running.

The only things really left, given the above, is the quantity and time that they're introduced. So, it could be either an extremely large vacuum leak, lack of compression, or the time either the injectors or plugs fire.

The only downside I can see here is that usually trying to pull or turn by hand without some better leverage means it turns over slowly so you can't really get a good idea of the strength of the pulses. Try again tomorrow so you can get a good bit of a crank on it to better compare the sound.



Didn't see the quickstart mentioned, and usually I pull the EGI simply to avoid firing the gas that's still in the champer (so the plugs don't fire with the leadings out). My guess is something introduced a large vacuum leak, or you've got too little compression. If you can find a volunteer, try to modulate your AFM flapper by hand while cranking and see if you can get it to kick over or even start. Usually the quickstart will get it runnnig roughly enough to stay running with large throttle input or give you an idea of some other problem.

The last resort---

*Not Generally Recommended*
Pull the car to about 20 mph, let the clutch out, you should get the engine up to the 3000 to 4000 Rpm range. This is assuming it's really flooded, or low compression. i've had a few blown motors(too low comp) start with this way ONLY.

I had vac leak on my list at first, but I've seen had a good look around, and pulled and re-installed the manifolds (to get at the primaries.) Didn't find anything.

Talking to my mechanic friend in a chat right now. He has a good suggestion - put a teaspoon of fuel into each leading plug hole, put the plugs back in and crank her. **about finding dry plugs all the time --> "hmmm, then plugs should be wet if there is not combustion"

If she starts (or at least reacts to the fuel,) then that means that she isn't seeing fuel during cranking, which brings a whole new puzzle. Anyway, that's for tomorrow. I'm starving, food now! :yum:

How about puttin a jumper wire in the intial set connector like i already told you and assumed you tried.. at least see if your fuel pump is running, if it is and still no cranky, find the clog or replace the pump.

also it may seem like a stretch, but you can Verify if the CAS is turning when you crank the motor?

Sounds like a fuel issue. My 7 would start only with ether, I swapped the primaries for known good injectors, no difference. I was getting proper fuel pressure...so I was puzzled. I changed the fuel pump just for shits and giggles and that turned out to be it.

I would say pull or push start it. Verify you have sufficient pressure and hold pressure refer to FSM or haynes for specs.

I did answer you, although I tested it in a different way. The fuel pump does send properly during cranking. I also checked my fuel cut-off switch and it is working properly as well.

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...9&postcount=14


Sort of? I've established that the coils fire and the primary injectors fire when the CAS is spun. For the primaries, it was with the key ON and not a cranking situation. I've confirmed that:

- fuel pump operates during crank and key ON
- signal from CAS to ECU to coils is working during crank
- signal from CAS to ECU to coils is working key ON (could hear them during the primaries testing)
- signal from CAS to ECU to primaries is working key ON
- signal from CAS to ECU to primaries is not confirmed during crank

If the teaspoon of fuel gives positive results, I think the next step is troubleshooting between the CAS and the injectors. The only thing between the injectors and the chambers are the runners - I don't think there's anything in there that could possibly prevent fuel from reaching the chambers. Plus it would be an extraordinary coincidence if something in there did go fucko at almost the same moment as the rad failure.


There isn't room (nor traction) to push start it and no option right now to pull her. [edit] Also, push/pull starting won't accomplish anything if fuel isn't reaching the chamber. That question needs to be answered first.[/edit]

Pressure was verified during the primaries troubleshooting; a) by how quickly the jar filled with fuel during the brief cranking and b) when I first went to check the primaries/CAS, I keyed the car On without blocking off the fuel line to the secondaries (which I had disconnected to remove the manifolds.) Can you say fountain? :) And finally when the primaries were firing they were emitting proper cone jets. Lots of pressure.

you're gonna wind up with a car in pieces that has more problems than it originally should have had if you keep it up.

the car is probably flooded due to cranking it after the electrical issue of the radiator explosion. the coolant STILL needs to be cleaned out with water and compressed air and deflooding procedures followed, most likely i would suggest a few ounces of MMO in each leading plug hole and crank the engine over by hand a few times.

it's your car and your choice but i'm letting you know that i was serious. you can beat your head against the wall all you want but ripping things apart and looking for ghosts will just frustruate you more.

Just as soon as I come up with a way to test parts that is based on standing back and staring at the engine instead of localized disassembly, I will change my technique.


You appear to have discounted (or overlooked?) everything I've recorded here. Flooded, with dry plugs? Without stinking of gas from either the engine bay nor the exhaust? That doesn't make sense to me. Plus I'm the one with his head under the hood. No one else is. Either you trust my posts to be honest or you don't. If you don't, why reply?


Maybe. The shutdown seems directly tied to the explosion. Whether that was caused by a component being disabled or destroyed remains to be learned. If something was rendered inoperative due to continuing exposure to coolant, I'll find it soon enough.

What I still won't do is dump water all over an engine bay in sub-zero temperatures, especially when there is no ready means of drying it afterwards. Call me crazy. ;)


I'm partial to atf, but I'm all out of it and there's nothing wrong with 5w30. :)


I don't want Serious. Too dramatic. I'm fixing a car, not breaking up with my gf.


And here I thought I was troubleshooting components and systems and narrowing in on the source of my problem. You seem absolutely convinced of specific solutions despite the evidence against one and the infeasibility and potential destructiveness of the other. Whatever. I'm going to keep working on it in the way that makes the best sense to me. It's all I can do. You go on being a pillar of support in the way that makes the best sense to you. :)

no need to get defensive but i will say i probably do have a little more experience in the aspect of these cars and gave my best suggestions.

engine oil doesn't burn, it will foul the plugs. water does freeze, get it somewhere warm and with compressed air. dry plugs does NOT mean the engine can't be flooded, i'm sure you cranked the engine for a good 20 minutes after the issue, possibly with fuel being injected and no spark resulting in the seals becoming dry and unlubricated which results in low cranking compression on older engines and even new ones. gas does dry and leaves no trace that it was sopping in fuel only a few days prior.

i gave my idea, you can just disregard it if you want or argue why you think it's a bad idea. i understand your situation but sometimes you just can't fix something without finding a nice dry garage somewhere out of the elements.

How would you react if, after 3 days of difficult but productive work, someone told you that you didn't know what you were doing? That was the bottom line of what you posted... :squint:


And I will say that my mechanic from the chat earlier probably has more experience with rotaries than you and I put together (and we're both making these statements while missing half the equation, rendering them both nearly meaningless,) and with the same information I posted here he didn't focus on flooding at all. His intuition has mirrored my own, without any coaching from me; I'm going to follow that avenue first.


You would be dead wrong. There's no point in wearing out a perfectly good starter for no reason. It's been cranked no more than a dozen times since that morning, and no cranking for longer than about 10 seconds. I didn't just get off the boat yesterday.


Change that to, "can't fix something as easily," and I'll agree with you. What I have to work with is what I have to work with. Declaring that someone is doomed to failure because they won't follow your favourite strategy is not at all helpful. :icon_tdow

I call flooded too :) but prove us wrong please, I can't think of anything else that would cause it to not start besides that bad coil you suggested :lol:

What happened to just sticking the spark plug near a ground and observing for spark as the engine is cranked? That + the injector test with the manifolds off should guide you in the right direction. Sometimes biting the bullet and checking components with labor intensive methods is easier than guessing and getting frustrated because that can lead to you wanting to set the car on fire and other self destructive actions.

I haven't read the entire thread though (way too much reading for me personally).

prove us wrong.

spark>fuel>compression.

That was one of the first things I did. :)


You may well be right. I won't know until this is all done. :)

The Flaw in your fuel pressure test is that it filled the jar when there was no "back pressure" on the pump. you need a guage installed between the pump and regulator, and observe the pressure while cranking, it should be in the 38-40 psi range. i could be off on the figures, recheck in the FSM. it's more cost benefitial at this point to just buy a pump instead of a guage set if you can't borrow one.

Another thing is try to get the car to run for 20 seconds on quickstart, maybe in the 20 seconds the fuel pump will come back to life and keep the car runnng, but i doubt it.

Simple truth is, if a car starts on quick start, but wont other wise, its NOT FLOODED. does it start every time you put quick start in it? or not?

another thing, how much fuel is in your tank? would it be possible for it to be bad, or were you driving the car daily prior to this? can you fill a clear bottle with the fuel and maybe post a pic, or get a good look at it in a large quantity.

^ +1

I'd still lean towards fuel...

If she starts on starting spray, then the spark is good.
If she starts on starting spray, then the compression is good.
And if she starts on starting spray, then the CAS is in correctly to hit the spark at the right time.

I realized that after it was too late to edit. If you saw the arc then the spark is not your problem. Connect your spare CAS, turn it 5 or so revolutions, try to start the car and then check the plugs for fuel.

And FYI you can rent a fuel pressure gauge set from Advance/Autozone for free.

i missed that it is starting on starting fluid so flooding is out, do a spray test on the injectors since you're this far and then do a pressure test on the pump, volume doesn't really mean much.

my new bet is on the AFM

It means it isn't seeing enough. Or the gas is terrible and doesn't want to ignite... But, that's not all too common. Starting on starter fluid isn't really a good indication that you have sufficient compression either, but it gives an idea that at least there's something.

You've already verified the injectors spray, so the only logical assumption (This is, of course, if compression isn't a problem) is that they're not spraying enough. So, you either have a fuel pressure issue (unlikely if the car ran fine up until stalling), injectors clogged (again, unlikely), thermosensor issue (possible...), ECU issue (unlikely), or the very highly likely event that unmetered air's screwing your cranking fuel ratio.

Put together cheap intake pressure tester and give that a whirl.

Thats what i thought also, but the pump runs, and the injectors ARE pulsing, and Spraying, he said he already pulled them out and tried that... i think although the pump is running and pushing fuel after resistance is entered in to the equation the pump is craping out, you maybe able to get away with a new fuel filter and new fuel sock... try try try.

I read through just about everything, but didn't see whether the fuel pump test connector was jumped during any of the cranking attempts (yellow 2-wire connector on shock tower). Any change in behavior if it's jumped?

If the AFM fuel pump switch is bad, then jumping the test connector will allow the pump to run. But another thing to consider is that the AFM fuel pump switch only comes into play when the key is released from the 'START' position and the engine has begun to idle. Start-up fuel delivery bypasses the AFM switch.

the pump can trigger and hold residual pressure and trick you into thinking that the switch is remaining on while doing on the car tests but during cranking that residual fuel pressure goes fairly quick.

there's just still something missing. a fuel pressure test would still answer a few questions as to whether there is fuel pressure remaining up while cranking. these cars have enough electrical issues that i never rule out anything that i have never seen before because they always tend to have a new problem everytime i look at one.

Progress!

Finally got to her this afternoon. I managed to get a little gas into the L2 hole before my plastic vet syringe turned into garbage. I reconnected the AFM, put the plug back in, cranked her and she sputtered and tried to start. It was the only time she has done this other than when the Quick Start was used.

So there we go - she's starving for gas.

I don't have my own pressure tester. Might be able to grab one tomorrow. But...

The engine reacted quickly and strongly to the little bit of gas I put into the chamber (and some of that gas would have been tossed out the exhaust port before coming around to the plugs. She almost starts when there's almost no gas in there, plus the previously observed bone-dry plugs says to me that the injectors aren't firing at all during cranking. If they were firing like I observed them firing when I tested them the car would be running right now and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Even if the pressure was abysmally low, some gas would still be reaching the chamber and she would at least be sputtering during cranking.

And finally, it makes sense to me that the injectors are at fault and not the fuel system, since nothing of the fuel system other than hard and soft lines would have been in the line of fire of the explosion.

Reminder: I did establish earlier that the fuel pump is sending during normal cranking.

I think the next step is to determine if the primaries are firing during cranking. I'm thinking that the easiest way to do this is to backstab the ECU pinouts for the trigger wires and crank the car. Correct?





This has not been done. I'll head down now and do it, just to rule it out (or in. :) )

Yes, backprobe one of the primaries with a jumper wire/miltimeter lead and then ground it repeatedly as you crank the engine (making sure not to ground it for too long at once). Even just one injector firing will be enough to get a reaction.

I was picturing + probe to the pin and - probe to ground, crank and watch for 12v on the display. I'm not sure what you mean by "ground repeatedly." Will a constant grounding from the probes be either disruptive or damaging?

Didn't you already once verify that the injectors were firing when triggered? It doesn't seem likely they would've crapped the bed at the same time the radiator went out. If the mixture's lean enough, you likely won't end up with gas on the plugs. My guess is you're either lacking appropriate fuel pressure, or the ECU isn't injecting enough. If the injector wiring's intact, and all that happened was it overheated, I wouldn't really consider them a likely candidate.

Yes, but it wasn't a cranking situation.


Perhaps not likely, but still possible. And it's a quick and simple check so why not quickly eliminate the question entirely? :)


What I've found says to me that *zero* fuel is entering the chamber. I inserted barely 2 cubic centimeters of fuel into the chamber. An online converter tells us that this is: 0.067 628 045 403 ounce. And that's before the loss to the exhaust sweep. In other words, the car nearly started with sweet fuck-all for gas in the chamber. Sweet fuck-all > nothing.


I don't see how at this point. That theory doesn't gel with my findings so far. I'll agree it's still possible, but it's been pushed back to my list of Super-Remote Explanations...


Ah, but if they're intact and part of them is immersed in a liquid like coolant, which goes back to Karack's previous assertions, then that might be a problem.

I'm closing in on this. Not much further to go, I hope. :)