7 replies to this topic

[David S.]

Hi guys,

 

I'm hoping to get some help from you all. I have a '92 on the lift at work that won't start. Customer took the head off of it for some reason. We know it ran before being taken apart. He put it back together and now it won't start. Car was towed in and we found A LOT of bolts that were only started in their holes. Everything from exhaust manifold nuts to cam cap bolts were loose. The timing belt wasn't lined up and the front covers were either falling off or left off completely. So, we put it all back together to the point that it should run. It doesn't. 

 

The car is now timed correctly and is getting injector pulse while cranking. It is not getting spark. The check engine light was not coming on so I googled that and found that a shorted MAF could cause that. I unhooked the MAF and the CEL started working but the car still wouldn't start. Does the MAF have to be hooked up for it to run? My game plan is to take my coil, igniter, and spare MAF to work on Monday and see if any of those help it. I just wanted to see if any of you had experienced this and knew any other possibilities.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

David

[mdavis]

rough crowd.

 

will not start without the AFM connected-  you'll get no spark.

 

 

let us know what you find out.

 

 

MD

[Kyle Keenan]

Has the car ever had an alarm installed on it? Sometimes they have an ignition immobilizer installed and those tend to cause issues.

[David S.]

Thanks, guys.

I swapped in my spare MAF and still didn't get spark but the CEL would at least work with it plugged in. Next I swapped the igniter and presto! Now it starts. It runs terribly, but I only let it run for a few seconds because the valve cover is still off. I'll get it all buttoned up and see what the next problem is with this thing. Thanks again for your input.

[LarryKing]

It's very easy to get the timing belt off by one tooth.

[RazerX]

check grounds....

[David S.]

So the car sat on the lift overnight after running for ~30 seconds. I came in to find coolant on the floor. Apparently the owner didn't bother to replace the head gasket when he pulled the head off. The kid's parents have decided they don't want to put anymore money into having it fixed and the had it towed home.

Thanks for all the help.

[LarryKing]

Could be the infamous incorrectly installed non-symmetric intake gasket.