S4 Non Starter - Also need help identifying vac lines
11-21-16, 08:51 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
S4 Non Starter - Also need help identifying vac lines
So i've just bought a UK S4 N/A as a restoration project, a car I've wanted to own for years.
Now I bought it as a non starter that's been sat in a garage for 10 years, I'm planning to do a full restoration, everything out etc, but before I get started ripping it to bits I want to see where I stand with the engine, ideally I'd like to get it running before I take it out so I know if I have to rebuild or not.
Now the previous owner had been trying to start it with no joy, after some poking I found the fuel pump wasn't working, and when I removed it, the whole lot was covered in rust and the tank was looking bad inside.
I dropped and then cleaned out the tank with a tank cleaning kit which took care of the rust and I fiitted a new fuel pump and fuel filter and refitted the tank.
Now I have fuel and when I bridge the yellow connector I'm getting plenty fuel back down the return line when I pull off the pipe.
I've checked the plugs and they seem pretty good, and i've tested them by turning the engine over with one of the plugs out and I'm getting a spark.
I followed the deflood procedure (spin engine plugs and EGI fuse out, inject oil into cylinders etc) and apart from once where it sounded like it caught ever so slightly I've had no joy.
The battery is brand new and fully charged.
I don't have compression tester, but will get one if I have to do, just want to exhaust other options first.
So after some more digging I found a few things disconnected in the engine bay:
Not sure what's supposed to connect onto this.
This plug is disconnected, there's nothing obvious to plug it into.
Missing from this V connector.
Also disconnected, 2nd photo shows where hose originates.
I've been looking at the diagrams online, but I'm struggling to place a lot of the stuff, any help much appreciated!
Now I bought it as a non starter that's been sat in a garage for 10 years, I'm planning to do a full restoration, everything out etc, but before I get started ripping it to bits I want to see where I stand with the engine, ideally I'd like to get it running before I take it out so I know if I have to rebuild or not.
Now the previous owner had been trying to start it with no joy, after some poking I found the fuel pump wasn't working, and when I removed it, the whole lot was covered in rust and the tank was looking bad inside.
I dropped and then cleaned out the tank with a tank cleaning kit which took care of the rust and I fiitted a new fuel pump and fuel filter and refitted the tank.
Now I have fuel and when I bridge the yellow connector I'm getting plenty fuel back down the return line when I pull off the pipe.
I've checked the plugs and they seem pretty good, and i've tested them by turning the engine over with one of the plugs out and I'm getting a spark.
I followed the deflood procedure (spin engine plugs and EGI fuse out, inject oil into cylinders etc) and apart from once where it sounded like it caught ever so slightly I've had no joy.
The battery is brand new and fully charged.
I don't have compression tester, but will get one if I have to do, just want to exhaust other options first.
So after some more digging I found a few things disconnected in the engine bay:
Not sure what's supposed to connect onto this.
This plug is disconnected, there's nothing obvious to plug it into.
Missing from this V connector.
Also disconnected, 2nd photo shows where hose originates.
I've been looking at the diagrams online, but I'm struggling to place a lot of the stuff, any help much appreciated!
11-21-16, 08:58 AM
#2
1st pic appears to be for one of the solenoids and would likely need to be capped (and there might be other like hoses in close proximity which also might be uncapped). And what are the colors of the two wires in the Green plug found in pic #2? Normally the emission solenoids each have a Black/White wire and then the other wire has its own definitive color.
11-21-16, 09:13 AM
#4
Full Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for the quick replies, I should have spotted it was a bleed nipple, but in my defense, its torrential rain and 5 degrees outside today!
****** the wires are orange with a black dash on it, and black with an orange dash.
****** the wires are orange with a black dash on it, and black with an orange dash.
11-21-16, 09:23 AM
#5
And we swoop in like vultures at times to help out at times. And we're fahrenheit guys for the most part.
And please leave out the 'n' if you know what I mean as I don't want to stink up the place more than I already do.
Last edited by satch; 11-21-16 at 09:43 AM.
11-21-16, 09:25 AM
#6
I just went out and checked...my S5 doesn't have a connector like that in the solenoid rack area, so I don't know what that is.
Maybe a test connector?
*Because all the solenoids are the same...the color coding of the connectors and the matching dots on the solenoids are for your convenience as the parts are actually identical. Configure the hose and the filter properly and any solenoid can be used in any position.
11-21-16, 09:52 AM
#7
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Thread Starter
Haha sorry Satch, I automatically put the N in there without thinking!
I'll test the continuity, when and if it stops raining, but so far I wouldn't have thought that any of these things are show stoppers as to why the car wouldn't start?
The seller showed me a video of him starting it with starting fluid, so I guess my problem is likely to be fuel related?
I have spark, I assume with it running on the starting fluid I have compression, which kind of only leaves fuel?
Being an 88 car, and in the UK cars before 1992 don't need a Cat or do anything but a really easy to pass idle emissions test I'll eventually rip out as much of the emmisions complexity as possible.
I'd just like to get the engine running before I start stripping the car so I know what i'm dealing with.
I'll test the continuity, when and if it stops raining, but so far I wouldn't have thought that any of these things are show stoppers as to why the car wouldn't start?
The seller showed me a video of him starting it with starting fluid, so I guess my problem is likely to be fuel related?
I have spark, I assume with it running on the starting fluid I have compression, which kind of only leaves fuel?
Being an 88 car, and in the UK cars before 1992 don't need a Cat or do anything but a really easy to pass idle emissions test I'll eventually rip out as much of the emmisions complexity as possible.
I'd just like to get the engine running before I start stripping the car so I know what i'm dealing with.
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11-21-16, 10:16 AM
#10
Red Pill Dealer
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The engine looks pretty crusty, did the previous owner live by the ocean? Do they salt the roads to melt snow and ice over there like they do in some places over here?
11-21-16, 10:27 AM
#11
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Thread Starter
Satch, any good way to test the injectors?
If I spin the engine over with the plugs out, but EGI fuse in, will I get a mist coming out the block?
Clokker, eventual plan is to MS the engine, but that's way down the line.
Tony, yeah they throw tons of grit down on the roads in the UK throughout winter. Surprisingly, there's no rot underneath, just surface rust on the suspension bits, for a 28 year old UK car thats pretty rare.
The car has been in a garage for 10 years, maybe more. The last time it was taxed and on the road was 2002.
If I spin the engine over with the plugs out, but EGI fuse in, will I get a mist coming out the block?
Clokker, eventual plan is to MS the engine, but that's way down the line.
Tony, yeah they throw tons of grit down on the roads in the UK throughout winter. Surprisingly, there's no rot underneath, just surface rust on the suspension bits, for a 28 year old UK car thats pretty rare.
The car has been in a garage for 10 years, maybe more. The last time it was taxed and on the road was 2002.
11-21-16, 10:46 AM
#12
I don't think your plan to get it running and then tearing it down is your best option.
You could run a compression test, mostly to confirm the apex seals are in place, but as crusty as the engine appears, you'll be stripping it down to the keg anyway and that's easier to do out of the bay.
Leave the engine and trans together, unplug the engine harness from the ECU and wipers and leave it on the motor and yank it all at once.
Were I new to the car and opened the bonnet to see that mess, I wouldn't even hesitate.
You could run a compression test, mostly to confirm the apex seals are in place, but as crusty as the engine appears, you'll be stripping it down to the keg anyway and that's easier to do out of the bay.
Leave the engine and trans together, unplug the engine harness from the ECU and wipers and leave it on the motor and yank it all at once.
Were I new to the car and opened the bonnet to see that mess, I wouldn't even hesitate.
11-21-16, 10:56 AM
#13
Satch, any good way to test the injectors?
If I spin the engine over with the plugs out, but EGI fuse in, will I get a mist coming out the block?
Clokker, eventual plan is to MS the engine, but that's way down the line.
Tony, yeah they throw tons of grit down on the roads in the UK throughout winter. Surprisingly, there's no rot underneath, just surface rust on the suspension bits, for a 28 year old UK car thats pretty rare.
The car has been in a garage for 10 years, maybe more. The last time it was taxed and on the road was 2002.
If I spin the engine over with the plugs out, but EGI fuse in, will I get a mist coming out the block?
Clokker, eventual plan is to MS the engine, but that's way down the line.
Tony, yeah they throw tons of grit down on the roads in the UK throughout winter. Surprisingly, there's no rot underneath, just surface rust on the suspension bits, for a 28 year old UK car thats pretty rare.
The car has been in a garage for 10 years, maybe more. The last time it was taxed and on the road was 2002.
You could do that but you want to disarm the distributor for sure. And wasn't it "dog's bollocks" of Clokker to use the term 'bonnet."
11-21-16, 11:38 AM
#15
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Thread Starter
That one slipped by me, I'll have to start calling it the 'hood' on here then!
Ah bugger it, guess I'll probably end up doing a compression test on it tomorrow and then going down your route and just pulling it out in one piece.
It would have been nice to get it started but its not the be and end all, it is going to be more awkward to get it into the space it needs to go into if we have to push it.
It's a 30 year old engine, so I'm tempted to just go ahead and rebuild it anyway, should be a good learning experience. It also means I can really get it cleaned up and looking nice before it goes back.
Ah bugger it, guess I'll probably end up doing a compression test on it tomorrow and then going down your route and just pulling it out in one piece.
It would have been nice to get it started but its not the be and end all, it is going to be more awkward to get it into the space it needs to go into if we have to push it.
It's a 30 year old engine, so I'm tempted to just go ahead and rebuild it anyway, should be a good learning experience. It also means I can really get it cleaned up and looking nice before it goes back.
11-21-16, 12:28 PM
#16
I'd put the engine aside and concentrate on the chassis first.
You have multiple options for the drivetrain but only one for the body and it can be a minefield.
Just offhand I'd suspect the brakes are garbage and probably a lot of the suspension.
Not to mention the possibility of rust hiding in the nooks and crannies you probably haven't seen yet.
You have yet to say what kind of car you want to end up with and that'll make a big difference in the way you approach the drivetrain.
You have multiple options for the drivetrain but only one for the body and it can be a minefield.
Just offhand I'd suspect the brakes are garbage and probably a lot of the suspension.
Not to mention the possibility of rust hiding in the nooks and crannies you probably haven't seen yet.
You have yet to say what kind of car you want to end up with and that'll make a big difference in the way you approach the drivetrain.
11-21-16, 12:48 PM
#17
Full Member
Thread Starter
I'd put the engine aside and concentrate on the chassis first.
You have multiple options for the drivetrain but only one for the body and it can be a minefield.
Just offhand I'd suspect the brakes are garbage and probably a lot of the suspension.
Not to mention the possibility of rust hiding in the nooks and crannies you probably haven't seen yet.
You have yet to say what kind of car you want to end up with and that'll make a big difference in the way you approach the drivetrain.
You have multiple options for the drivetrain but only one for the body and it can be a minefield.
Just offhand I'd suspect the brakes are garbage and probably a lot of the suspension.
Not to mention the possibility of rust hiding in the nooks and crannies you probably haven't seen yet.
You have yet to say what kind of car you want to end up with and that'll make a big difference in the way you approach the drivetrain.
I've been doing a lot of reading up and the N/A turbo setup seems to appeal as i'm not shooting for huge power figures, and apparently its a lot more driveable off boost.
I've been through a lot of the Jap cars from around this era, Starlet Turbo, MX5, MR2 Turbo, my current daily driver is an mivec FTO which is a pretty good all rounder. But the RX7 is a car I've wanted for a long time. I hadn't planned to get it, but it was at a price I couldn't refuse.
The brakes will be getting rebuilt, all hoses replaced (that goes for pretty much all the rubber items on the car. Same with the suspension, shocks and springs to be replaced, all other suspension will be coming off to get the POR15 treatment. And the underside checked out and fully re-undersealed. I know someone who runs a body shop who owes me a big favour so it will be getting a full respray.
Its most definitely not a few weeks work, I anticipate over a year at least, luckily I work offshore so I get plenty of time off to spend doing what I enjoy.
Parts are going to be the biggest issue I think, there's nowhere near as much available over here as you guys have, so I guess I'll be importing parts from you guys where I have to.
11-21-16, 01:04 PM
#19
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