Okay... My car was overheating a running a little hot a few weeks ago, and two main issues came to the surface. One, my radiator seemed to be a liittle clogged, and it was original. So, I took the cash I had saved for a paint job and bought a Koyo. In the mean time, another issue was brought to my attention. I had purchased an after market main converter for the exhaust, and it began to foul out the other conveters. Then, a rotary mechanic told me that if I kept replacing the factory converters with cheap aftermarket converters, my car will continue running a little hot, because the converters weren't good enough to handle the heat of my engine. So, I ordered a presilencer and down pipe from racing beat.

The day before I was scheduled to have my radiator put on, I decided to take my car to my buddy's house to remove the converters. Tragedy 1: The exhuast manifold had a crooked stud, and we couldn't get the old downpipe off the manifold without drilling it out - no replacement manifold, so we aborted mission. I drove it home from his house, disappointed and disenchanted - boy was it loud. It sounded like there was nothing even on there. He found me a manifold, but it would have to be done another day.

Drove it to the radiator shop the next day, and I picked it up the next morning without incident. I knew I'd have to leave it home for a week because I was going to school out of town, so I simply drove it home from the radiator shop and parked it. Came back the next week for exhaust session 2 with manifold, and guess what... Tragedy 2: it wouldn't start!

I've pulled the plugs, evacuated the combustion chamber of fuel, put the plugs back in, nothing happens. Used some gas line antifreeze in the intake. Duh, Duh, Duh, Duh-Duh, Duh, Duh, Duh... Nothing. I've got a brand new racing beat exhaust in the hatch, and I can't even drive the car to the garage to put it on. Heck, what good is it, anyway? I've got 3k on a rebuild, and the car was running perfect before all this tradegy started to occur. There wasn't even a backfire or any smoke when I tried to start it. Just the above dismal sound. The rebuilder put almost everything new on the car electrically, so why am I not seeming to get any spark. Took the plug wires off and put a plug in it, turned the engine over and a flash occurred. There's the spark, I know I've got fuel (smell), no compression? It is a brand new engine. I just don't get it. It was running fine - solid idle - perfect; I don't know what the deal is... I parked the 50mm cannon under the car port last week, came in this weekend, and now it is a lawn ornament with a $900 exhaust in the hatch. As if you can't tell, I'm very disenchanted with my car.

 

So are you saying the engine's flooded or not getting any gas. What color are your new plugs (assuming new plugs) ?

 

When I pulled them out, they just looked wet... I brushed them off, and they seemed to look fine. I think they are new plugs considering the rebuild was just under 3k ago. I think it's getting fuel, cause I smell it. I don't think it's getting spark - just because I don't hear any 'crack' whenever the engine is turning over. I'm no mechanic, it just seems to me that if I had good spark, after turning it over so many times, sooner or later, I'd at least get smoke, a backfire, or something. In this situation, nothing. Just the smell of gas and, "Duh, duh, duh, duh-duh, duh, duh..."

I drove it to my friends house with the original radiator and exhaust (fused converters) 130 miles (running fine), and pulled the exhaust off the manifold to find the crooked stud holding the precat phalange on, and when I tried to bolt it back on, it didn't want to seal - hence the 50mm cannon sound on the way home for 130 miles. But, other than the sound, vibration, and general back fire, the car drove home fine - no probs starting. The next morning, I started it up in the cold, no problem, and took it to the radiator shop (loud as heck). He switched the radiator, and I picked it up the following morning, running fine - just loud. The radiator shop is about 6 miles from my house. It was warm when I drove away from the radiator shop, and I simply drove it home. I parked it under the car port, knowing that I'd have to come get it the following week to try and swap the exhaust. And, like described above, when I came home, it wouldn't start.

???

 

Well if your getting a nice cachug cachug cachug the engine has compression... hopefully on both rotors.

If your getting spark but it's not cranking, if you have an 89-91 try engaging fuel cut by pressing the gas pedal to floor when cranking. The 86-88 models require you pulling one of the fuses (EGI I think) which kills the fuel or fuel rail I believe.

As long as your getting compression in the engine (ie cachug cachug, it's not just wirrrrring), a simple deflood proceedure should work fine. This is also assuming you've got good grounds on the engine, exhaust, etc...

 

It sounds like its flooded and the plugs have gotten too wet to spark right. I would suggest getting new plugs, checking the spark on all four coils with the new plugs before you put them in the engine. If you get spark on all four, I would think it should fire right up.

Before doing all that, first de-flood it. Take out the leading (lower) spark plugs and the EGI fuse and crank it for about 4 sets of 5 seconds a piece. After that, the excess fuel should be expunged, and if you have good spark, it will surely run. I doubt that it lost compression just from sitting around for a week.

 

i doubt he needs new plugs/ the reason its not firing up, i think plugs are good for, more or less, 2 oil changes. unflood the engine.

 

It is a '90 GXL. Yeah, I might have to brush up on my deflooding techniques. Would the lack of backpressure on the engine have anything to do with starting difficulties after it banged around for 250 miles and was then parked for a week? I guess I've changed the oil a few times since the engine was rebuilt, but the plugs didn't look bad when I pulled them.

Please bump a proper deflooding procedure for '90 GXL if any of you guys have time. I just took the 4 plugs out, brushed them and wiped them off, turned the engine over a few times without the plugs in, re-installed the plugs - nothing happened.

 

take out the bottom plugs, the leading plugs, take out the EGI fuse, or since its a 90, hold down the gas pedal all the way, and crank it for a few seconds

 

Where is the EGI fuse located? Sorry I'm an idiot about a lot of this stuff... Thanks for all the help so far, already...

 

My plugs jus died 3 days ago, from being flooded. I was doing the unflooding method, and it wouldnt start at all. Then I bought spark plugs and unflooded it, and boom it started right up. But still, I haven't found a way to solve my flooding problem.

 

an easier and faster way to unflood it is to take out the plugs. . all of them, then get a butan grill lighter ( you know the long ones) and stick it down to the plug holes, light it. . and bam. you get a flame almost like a torch for less than a second. do this to all four plug holes and all your fuel in the combustion chamber is burnt. I'm having the same problem with my car right now. It used to start and run. flooded, now won't start. Mine will crank and fire, almost sound like she's starting but won't make it to life. Just thought i would add my o2.
Dom

 

sounds like a way to make chicken ala fried FC owner.

 

nah it's not that bad, the plames shoot straight out, not a big kaboom. Hence why you use a long gril lighter. It works really well beleive it or not. but it's understandable how you may think it's dangerous at first. it really isn't though. gasolin in that volume isn't dangerous. next time you flood giv eit a try. you'll be hooked it's easy and kinda fun. . . lol
~dom