Please Help!

[jeffwubze]

hi i have a ka24de s13, last year i got it overheated and blown up the headgasket...i had a mechanic replaced my gaskets...but after he changed the gasket the car won't start at all.....the mechanic pushed all the responsbility and left my car in front of his house for 3 month and keep lying to me he is trying to work on it...in the end he never touch anything and i got mad with him and towed the car back to my house......the reason he didn't do anything because he broke my camshaft.....and he left the firing order wrong....injector unpluged....all kinds of mess.......so i am trying to work on it now to make the car to go back alive again...the only thing i am glad is he did change the gasket........the car is in my garage now....i replaced the spark plugs...starter...camshaft......gaskets......clean up all the mess he did to my car....

but now i have a problem.....the motor is turning when i crank it....but it is not starting.......i have a factory service manual....i followed all the procedure and checked everything.....but the motor just turns and nothing happens......the timing is right and the firing order is right...i also swapped the ecu to make sure the ecus are working fine......set the motor to TDC and #1....but when i try to crank it again.........a big bang from the engine sounds like backfire...then gas burnt smell comes out from the intake fills up the garage.......if i keep crank it then nothing would be happening....and the plugs are way wet.......the gas even can create a bridge on it....which means the fuel is there......i also replaced the ignition module.......reground the engine........what else i missed and any advice to help me out please!!!i really want to get my car alive again! please give me advices!

[elwesso]

well if your getting a fuel smell back through the intake its pretty obvious to me that one of the valves is not completely closing..... Its likely backfiring through the intake..... How did your mechanic mess up the camshaft? how in gods name did he BREAK the camshaft????

[jeffwubze]

long story....that mechanic is a jerk......he doesn't even know how to work on my car at all......and he even works in advanced auto.........so the incomplete closed valve can be the problem to no starting? my other friends are all saying it is the timing....but i did timing according to JWT and the factory service manual.......can there be electricial problem for not starting like the engine is not getting ground or pos? please help me!

[elwesso]

Well heres what brings me to this conclusion.....

you need 3 things to get the engine to start, as you know..... Fuel+air, compression, and spark....

First off, are you getting spark.....? sometimes you gotta try old school tricks, pull the plugs out and check each one by grounding the electrode and cranking the engine over..... You should know right away..... I assumed you already checked for spark...

if stuff is coming back out through the intake, that means that something has to be pushing it back in..... at least thats what I think it is, maybe im wrong... The fuel will tend to want to go down, unless something pushes it back... Since its geting partial compression, it may backfire like you said.....

I believe you that the timing is right, if you called JWT and you did what the FSM said, then I believe you.....

Check for spark if you havent already and report back.

[jeffwubze]

yeah....i checked on the sparks first thing after i got my car back from that jerk......at certain time i even thought the ignition module was faulty or soemthing....i replaced it and tested all the plugs with wire...it sparks well......today my other buddies came to look at the car....he says that on the distributor firing order i was wrong..... he says it it 1342 couter clockwise.....i thought it is clockwise.......which one is correct? well......i will try both see anything pops on!

[jeffwubze]

ahyyyyy....still not firing up.......can poor ground be a part of the problem? because it only backfires to the intake side....can it be poor grounding? the battery ground goes to the intake manifold......how about if i connect the ground straight to the head or the other side of engine?

[elwesso]

Something else fairly serious is causing the engine to backfire! its not gonna be simple this time, i dont think!

[jeffwubze]

ok....i guess i have to go back to the old story again.....it is the old story i posted on "Please help" earlier than this thread....

2004 oct......i was doing firing order work on my s13.......i was called by an emergency call from my friend says the guy suppose to show up ran away....she wants me to work for that guy's shift(believe me, family business is always frustrating!) the station got no cashier and people were piling up for stuff......i have to gear up my s13 quick to sub for that guy.....when i drive to work the car ran smooth......in the station, after the business slows down and the station is empty, i parked the s13 in front of the station and finished the work.....got the new wires and NGK plugs installed.....but the major thing was i forgot to clamp tight the radiator hose.....so when i was driving home unfortunately the engine overheated......i have to drive it with all the smoke......finally i made it home and pushed it into my garage....the wires were all melted up...and the spark plugs were burnt......after that time the coolant and gas leaks into the engnine aand you can see the smoke comes out if you open up the radiator...... after i replaced the wires and plugs i drove it to shops seek for help to change my blown head gasket....in that time the engine cranks up and runs.....just with coolant and gas into radiator......and i don't drive it for more than two miles because i was afraid it to be overheated again......the car usually sits in the garage for the most of the time...

2005 summer........a friend gave me the FSM to let me to fix the car....one afternoon when i was reading on the FSM for the car....this mechanic saw me and suggested me to let him to change the head gasket.....he promised he would finish up the car in two weeks......i bought the gaskets and the necessary materials for him.....then he towed the car to his house....he says he can finish it in front of his house...fine......after three weeks finally he finished up everything and came to my station...without the car! i asked him...he says he finished the car.tested drove it.....but it blown up the gasket again.....but there was minor problems on it so it CAN"T start..the windows don't work....he will manage everything well and drive the car back to my house for me...of course without any charge........weeks after weeks....i always try to call him and wait for his late response..he always says he is working on it.....even with doubt i still have to trust him because the car is not running.......In pensacola florida summer times there is always hurricanes, that mechanic lives close to the beach, which is one mile to my station. after two hurricanes brought the rain and winds, i decide to check out my car see if there is damage to my car......that stupid guy left my windows open through all the storm and the interior is messed up with garbage in it! i informed him and asked him to take care of that...he agrees.......but my worry keep going on and on....so i check the car everyday.......he only puts plastic bags on the windows to avoid rain....and his garage is empty! one night after i get off work.....i finally broke the last straw...i hooked up the battery and rolled my windows up!( just that simple!)and checked his progress on the car....nothing haven't been done since before the storm!

i complained my urgence to him and ask him to fix all the problems.........but he turns out not answer my phone and the house is empty for two weeks....and my car just sat out there forever without any progress...then he called me and said he was on vacation.....but later he disconnected his phone......with anger and frustration i go to advanced auto parts to look for him.....he convinced he will finish up the work and contact me regularly...plus he was mad with me to fix the window, because he said i messup his work.but he never contact me regluarly.....so in the end i burst my last straw.......after knowing that he did nothing but ruined my car....i only can choose to tow it back to my house instead of being trashed in front of his yard.......when the car goes back to the house.....the exhaust camshafts were broken in the head and the brake light is always on.....interior is messed up with humid and fungus.........the worst thing is the wires are in wrong order and not even the BPT valves are connected! after i seek for the sheriff's comments, they will seek for him and ask for legal consequences.....but i dont' want him to redo my car...because i know he can't do anything at all....he can't even plug an window relay to roll up the windows! i will just let the cops to handle his actions! too bad for that mechanic to screw a station guy who knows too many cops!

but the problem is still here.....the car is not starting.....so i have to work on it my self to recover all the mess he did to my car......after Hurricane Wilma my camshafts arrived....after replaced the camshafts there is only wet plugs and backfires to the intake with several bump bump sound...i thought the starter probably weak because that stupid mechanic took my spare starter and never put it on the car, and my car cranks weak! then i replaced a brand new starter with two hundred dollars! still same thing.......i try to replace the ignition module....still same thing....even with new ecus...still nothing.....the plugs and wires are all new.........

i redo the timing and set it back to TDC and i am pretty sure the distributor and the crankshaft, even the camshaft oder are right....but still the car is doing same thing.........cranks it, then several backfire sounds....then nothing goes on...only with alot of gas smell in garage....wet plugs..some friends are telling me now probably bent valves can cause it to be not starting and backire....i kinda wonders another thing.....once i open up the valve cover....teh engine oil is mixed with gas..........so can it be another blown gasket? or some other components needed to be looked at?

please help me out on my car.......i like my s13.......she is my drifting tool and i love it.....i dont' want to salvage it........please help me out! thank you!

[jeffwubze]

just got teh pics for the valves....kinda wonder for the positiion is kinda suspicious....please help me to identify if the valves are normal or not

thanks

[jeffwubze]

wow.......just surfed through my old post.............it HAS BEEN 4 YEARS since i started tuning s13s...........always learned a new lesson on old stories......whenever you are trying to get a mechanic to work on your car....make sure that mechanic is reliable and he is working in a car shop.......never trust any dude pop up and say he can fix your car in a blink!! EVEN YOU MEET HIM IN THE advanced auto parts store!

let me update the following of the story.....i did file a case with the escambia sheriff deputy about this stupid guy who WORKED IN THE ENSLEY HOOD DRIVE ADVANCE AUTO PARTS STORE back in 04-05......when the deputy tried to reach the dude by the address i gave him....the house was empty.......he ran a background check.....the dude was on something and being on warrant for something......the deputy refused to tell me furthur info due to privacy act......but the deputy said the dude was in deep crap anyway.....he asked me do i still want to file a case against him........even the chance to get back the money was nearly impossible.........i asked the deputy to give me a copy of filing report......and i went back to the HOOD Drive Advance auto parts to ask them if they saw or knew the dude.............the workers over there told me he left due to some register problem and he got fired........

i could put the dude's name over here but i am not going to.....because i pity him for the crap he has to deal with the cops.........and i have to declare that the people in HOOD drive adavance auto parts are good! i am still a regular customer for the both stores in the ensley area..........the guys all know me by my last name and my stupid requests.......since i am kinda the only asian dude with that last name....duh

the lesson here is:

we all have hard times, especially when our cars don't run right or not even running.....and we will be so anxious to get it running again.....and we try all the means to get our babies to be alive again.....and also tried to be easy with our walllet.....

next time someone or a mechanic offers to fix something for you...........think before you act.........find a good qualified shop!

this post is dedicated to my old S13............thank you for helping me to escape Hurricane Ivan and all the old good and fun times.......

jeff

[rioredstang]

You have left out one step on the timing. You must set to top dead center of the compression stroke. Pull the #1 spark plug out and install a compression gauge. Crank engine over just till you have compression. Then bring timing mark to TDC, remove dist cap and see if rotor button is pointing to #1. I'll bet it's pointing at #4. This is 180 degree's out.

The #1 cylinder will pass TDC twice. Once on the compression stroke and once on the exhaust stroke. If it's timed on the exhaust stroke it fires the plug while the intake valve is open. That's why it backfires.