It was f-ing running! WTF?!?

[TheKryptKeeper]

I've been trying to fix my car, see zerothread?id=336542 Well, I got it timed and cranked it by hand and it held pressure and nothing clicked or stopped. So I went to start it, it stumbled a bit and roared to life. I turned it off and fixed the exhaust, started it, turned it off. And it wouldn't start again. No pressure on any cylinders. It just whines like it did when I blew a head gasket. What the hell? Am I just a failed mechanic? Did I bend the valves on the third time I started it?

Krypt

[Neil]

you got new head studs and torqued them in the right order to the right Ft/lb, as dictated by the shop manual? .. you did get a new head gasket, right? I remember someone tried to re-use a Cometic and they were baffled why it wouldnt run.
Modified by Neil at 2:36 PM 5/13/2008

[TheKryptKeeper]

Yes, I did. This time I followed the manual step by step. It ran! No weird noises, no screeching of valves bending.

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, so I might have no actually tightened down the camshaft gears. I'm going to go check that today.

[motoman399]

seriously you might just have messed up your motor. you better hope you tightened them

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, so there is water in the oil. It is all milky. What could have I done? Blown the head gasket, again? It didn't even run long enough to get the exhaust hot. Anybody?

[Cone Junky]

Did you pressure check the head or at least have the head milled?

You might have jumped the gun in the assumption it was just a gasket problem..

[TheKryptKeeper]

Oh yea, I blew the head. You should have seen the gasket. And yes, I bought a good used head and pressure checked it and had it milled. It works now, but I'm having a lot of trouble timing it. I can get it to rev, but it idles like ****. What am I doing wrong?

[urcaptnspeaking]

could just be jumping time.. check out the timing chain. see if there is any slack

[DjPantsSpecR]

a few things.... the milky oil could be as a result of not changing the oil after you pulled the head off. once you pull the head off, all kinds of coolant runs in the cylinders and into the oil pan. this can easily and instantly spin a bearing or cause all kinds of damage.

have you put a timing light on the car? did you check the spark plug order? i forgot in the other thread, but if you get the cam timing off by half a tooth when you try and put the distributor to 20 degrees btdc you wont be able to get it there.... you can get it close, but it will be no cigar.

but if its cranking around that easily now, chances are you bent valves, so check clearances ASAP

[TheKryptKeeper]

That half a tooth thing sounds right. I can't get my distributer to time just right. It is either between 5 ATDC to 10 BTDC or 30 BTDC to 50 or so BTDC. What do I do to fix it? I really don't think that I bent valves. I'm getting 160 PSI on all cylinders.

[urcaptnspeaking]

i had this problem... its a pain to fix. but mine eventually just blew up.. really fixed that problem.

[TheKryptKeeper]

Yea, I'm hoping to let this last until my sponsorship kicks in and I get the skyline motor. You say you had this problem, how do you fix it? Also my heater core is leaking into my cabin. FTL.

[urcaptnspeaking]

Sounds like you have a few problems. Well heatercore.. need to plug that off or you will be losing all kinds of coolent. Also, yeah i had this problem.. as I was in the process of fixing it , it threw a rod. so I never got down to it. You may have to consider a total rebuild... or another motor. May be that time bro.

[DjPantsSpecR]

oh okay, you should be getting higher than 160 if you're half a tooth off. but it sounds like.

like i explained to you in the other thread, to fix this you have to rotate the idler sprocket either forward or backward one tooth or the big part of the gear, not the small part.

[TheKryptKeeper]

I should be higher than 160 if I'm half a tooth off? Why?

Alright, I could be a half a tooth off, and to fix it I would just take out the upper front cover and move it forward or backward respectively?

[DjPantsSpecR]

you have to completely remove the idler sprocket to move it forward or backward one tooth. it doesnt matter if you move it forward or backward as long as you time the cams accordingly afterward.

it should be higher than 160, because i've run into this problem myself twice now, and its always been higher than 175. your motor might be on its way out, but check again once you get the cams in time

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, so just move the idler sprocket one way or the other and reset the valves accordingly? That won't be too hard. But I just want to make sure that it's what I need to do.

[TheKryptKeeper]

Damn, I think my heater core busted too. There is water on my carpet now.

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, I did it and lined the cams back up, but when I went to turn in over, it barely started and just sort up putted at 500 rpm, then died. Non responsive to throttle or anything. It hasn't started again, but my battery is dead too.

[TheKryptKeeper]

Compression is still at 160.

[DjPantsSpecR]

make sure, you're not flooding when it wont restart like that, its very common to flood.

pull the fuel pump fuse out adn crank it til it runs. then let it die, replace it, and then crank it up

then see what you can get the ignition timing to. it should be 20btdc with the bolt in the center of the slot. and report back

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, I took out the fuel pump fuse and turned it over and it sounded like it wanted to start, but didn't. I put the fuse back in and it started really weakly again at about 500 rpm. Then it died, and wouldn't start, so I took the fuse back out wondering if I had let it sit for long enough. And tried starting it again, and it really sounds like a few cylinders fire, but not quite. So I'm waiting for the battery to charge a bit more. I didn't know that fuel injected cars can flood.

[DjPantsSpecR]

it happens all the time if you're fuel pressure regulator isnt tip top.

are you CERTAIN that the plug wires are in the correct spots?

[TheKryptKeeper]

Yea, same thing is happening, it starts, and it sounds like 4 cylinders, but you can't rev it or it dies, and if you are not a little bit on the throttle, it dies.

[DjPantsSpecR]

you still havent told me about timing, and whenever i've had idling problems like this before it was because i had a large vacuum leak somewhere, usually around the intake manifold

[TheKryptKeeper]

Alright, so it was timing. I set it to the number one cylinder post, but it was all off. Unless I was supposed to point it at the number one post, and then let it turn as I seated it. Anyway, I can get it to rev, and I can sort of time it, but it is the same as it was yesterday. It won't idle. I was screwing with the idle screw, but it did nothing. Unless I don't know where the idle screw is, cause it is no where close to the one shown in the book. The one I'm messing with is near the firewall on the passenger side, and I need to point the screwdriver medially towards the center of the engine. Not straight down in between the intake manifold like the manual says.

[DjPantsSpecR]

you're thinking of the correct screw. i hope you are adjusting it with the TPS disconnected

when you're putting the dizzy in i think you did it right. once it seats, it should be pointed directly at the number one cyl post.

either way, the problem is not in your IACV. you NEED TO GET THE TIMING RIGHT. this si timing problem. either your cams are off, or your ignition timing is off (im guessing both) but you need to get it right.

so what exactly did you do today? you've been so vague is really hard to help you, i have to do all kinds of guess work and jsut throw things at you that i've run into or tried.

basically what im hearing from you, is that today you took the front cover off, completely removed the idler sprocket from the engine, moved it either one tooth forward or one tooth back on the lower chain from where it previously sat, and then retimed the cams accordingly?

[TheKryptKeeper]

Yes, I did do that. I also found a vacuum hose that was off. So I put it back in and it started running better, but it is still not running right. And the distributer didn't line up when I put it on I lined it up to the number one cylinder. That is the way that it was when I couldn't get it to rev at all, So I set it one more tooth before. Now it starts right up and runs, but it idles like crap. I can't really keep it running for very long, cause my heater core exploded, or something. It is draining into my cabin. Oh! Also, I have to have my distributer set all the way to the right, meaning that the actual distributer is turned counter-clockwise all the way. It seems to be dead on the 18 degrees BTDC. It will be easier when I can get it to idle right. Also, the idle adjustment screw isn't seeming to do anything. It doesn't raise the idle, or lower it. It seems to do absolutely nothing.

Grrr.Krypt

P.S. And thank you for your help. I am kinda just sitting around looking forward to your posts. :-P
Modified by TheKryptKeeper at 3:33 AM 5/15/2008

[TheKryptKeeper]

Yea, I just double checked and I had no tps and I screwed the idle adjustment all the way out, until it almost fell out in my hand and it did nothing to the idle. Then I screwed it all the way in and still no change. It revs great, but the idle just sucks. Anyway, I'm taking apart the dash tonight, so...

FTL.

Krypt