Wont start - Gas in cylinder, spark too! no start

[stillracing]

Hey guys,I just picked up a 240sx from somebody who shouldn't have had one in the first place.

He was disassembling it in hopes of dropping a sr20 in it, I dont know why...he's just a dreamer/talker (we all know someone like this). ANYWAYS

I got it all hooked up, I live in Cali so I HAVE to deal with the stupid egr junk.

First off...the started was fried, so I replaced that one. DONE

Secondly...It would turn over and over and over again but no firing of the motor.

Third...I changed the plugs and noticed that they were all flooded, wet from fresh gas...

Fourth...I checked ALL the plugs for spark, through all the spark plug wires, I saw a spark, however it didn't look THAT impressive.

Unburnt fuel was getting blown out of the exhaust, I then noticed that the pairc valve tube that connects to the exhaust manifold was disconnected. I reconnected it, as well as all of the other piping.

Could it just not be starting from a weakened spark?

It feels like it wants to fire up but just falls dead on its face afterwards...

I have checked the ecu and no codes...

ALSO...There is a vacuum tube (looks like it at least) near the throttle body, there are four actually, but ONE has a T-valve on it and I don't know where the T part goes into, This fool didn't give me an intake either so I've had to make my own basically.

I could definitely use some help on this one, It'd be much appreciated.

Thanks

Dustin

[joshmeyer]

With no intake given to you, was there a Mass Air Flow Sensor on the car? Without one, it could cause your car to not start/start up and run EXTREMELY rich. If you don't know what the MAF sensor is/where it would be, its what goes in between your air filter and intake piping, with a sensor plug that runs towards the block.

[stillracing]

ahh yes, MY BAD.... There IS a Mass-airflow sensor, and it is hooked up.

I have some aluminum tubing from other intakes, and ALSO Carbon fiber tubing from intakes that I have made in the past (Yes I make carbon fiber pieces, including intakes WITH NO SEAMS!)

So I cut up some tubing and connected it all up (no leaks, or at least anything large enough to cause concern for the motors sensors.) I hooked it up to the MAF and its just tries and fails to start.

I hooked up the pairc valve and everything else.

Before I had done this there was pure fuel/air mixture blowing out of the exhaust manifold, after I hooked up the tube from the mani to the pairc valve no air/fuel mixture goes ifrom the valve into the intake. could this be a problem.

Also, now instead of clean unburned air/fuel coming out of the manifold, nasty black fuel smoke comes out the tailpipe.

Thanks again.

dustin

[stillracing]

If there was no Intake air temp sensor the ECU would throw a code right?

Thanks

[dkdeleon68]

If you are getting fuel in the cylinders and you smell raw fuel it is most likely your injectors not pulsing, which will cause them to stay open and dump fuel into the cylinders. get a noid light and check injectors for pulse.

[stillracing]

I will do that just to make sure, but, wouldn't it show a code in the ecu, I have the cali model so its quite F(*#@^*^ STUPID compared to "Normal Versions"

Thanks

[TheOne]

sounds like the guy also messed with the distributor, check timing.

[stillracing]

I also checked the distro timing, it looked very close, I would use my timing light but it wont fire up. Though I guess I could try to use it while just cranking it over....But it looked alright, pretty much dead in the middle. I had adjusted it while my friend was cranking the engine, but to no avail. It didn't help.

Dustin

[armyandy13]

im havin the same problem with my brothers 95. i really hope someone can help us out i feel like ive done every thing. is there anything other then the ecu controlling the injectors cause i really dont want to fork out 300 bucks for a new one of them.

[stillracing]

im havin the same problem with my brothers 95. i really hope someone can help us out i feel like ive done every thing. is there anything other then the ecu controlling the injectors cause i really dont want to fork out 300 bucks for a new one of them.

True DAT!

I just noticed that I DONT have a Intake Air Temp Sensor....But I'm still not throwing codes. I'm thinking that Im just not getting ENOUGH spark, even though it IS sparking.It just looks rather weak, but I'm not sure and not gonna do the 9V battery test on the tongue...

Any ideas.? I'm not even sure f the s13 -1991 240sx has the IAT sensor, I know the newer s14's do though.Please help

Thanks

Dustin

[TheOne]

91-94 240's didn't have a iat sensor.

even without a mafs the car should start, it'll run like **** and probably stall but it'll start, doesn't sound like weak spark unless your coil is bad.

i still say its dist timing, could be 180*.

go over all the wiring, maybe the previous owner did a hack somewhere.

does it sound like its firing sometimes?

[stillracing]

91-94 240's didn't have a iat sensor.

even without a mafs the car should start, it'll run like **** and probably stall but it'll start, doesn't sound like weak spark unless your coil is bad.

i still say its dist timing, could be 180*.

go over all the wiring, maybe the previous owner did a hack somewhere.

does it sound like its firing sometimes?

It DOES sound like it wants to and it DOES fire once in a while, but only due to pedal modulation and continual cranking (for 10 to 30 seconds at a time) and it'll try to fire a couple of times, 2-4 times.

Black smoke out the tailpipe, barely burned fuel, before I hooked up the egr paric valve and such it was spewing clean unburned fuel charge out the exhaust manifold, but I have fixed that since.

Thanks

Dustin

[TheOne]

reset timing.

open the oil cap, check the exhaust cam to see if its pointing outwards(to the exhaust side), check crank timing lines(put it on tdc line) and try again.

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=161707

if thats not it, then you might have a huge vacuum leak or 1 of the gounds is not connected.(if some of the grounds are missing, the engine will crank but it wont start, also most of the time it'll crank rather slow)

[stillracing]

reset timing.

open the oil cap, check the exhaust cam to see if its pointing outwards(to the exhaust side), check crank timing lines(put it on tdc line) and try again.

http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=161707

if thats not it, then you might have a huge vacuum leak or 1 of the gounds is not connected.(if some of the grounds are missing, the engine will crank but it wont start, also most of the time it'll crank rather slow)

I will do that... I'm currently "On the clock" at work so I will do that when I get home today. I had popped the valve cover off to look at the cams. I have an integra and FORTUNATELY FOR ME they make it easy to glance at the sprockets to show if it is off, but... the lobes were opposed to eachother when I checked. I will check again and make damn sure though.

My buddy thought that it might be the distro being off, I thought it might be the cam timing, so with both...it had better work. either way its one more gremlin gone. =)

Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes tonight.

Dustin

[stillracing]

IT turns out that the distributor is a swirl type that can be placed in at any degree of rotation desired...he had taken it out I guess... and placed it back in about 180 degrees off. Through the timing....the sonofabitch started....Now I have a new problem....I had checked for oil and the dipstick was broken at the handle....I asked him about it and he said "ahh man I have the same problem with my integra"...I know alot more about cars than this fool...but he's just that...a fool...

Anyways back to the new problem...It sounds like the absolute worst rod knock I have ever heard. I am now convinced that the dipstick broke off and is now wrapped conveniently around the crankshaft. I had pulled plugs to test for which rod was knocking. and also had a friend start it while I was listening at the oil pan.

It sounds like it is coming from RIGHT around where the dipstick goes into the block. I have bought some liquid gasket seal (silicone) and am going to drop the pan tomorrow night and see if that is the case. I also bought another longblock (ka24de) for a rebuild to a wicked ka24de-t or ka24de-rt block with experimental prototype race parts. So worst case scenario I drop the block and replace with the new built one once the proto's start rolling through.

I'll post again with a new link to the new problem.

Thanks again for all the help!

Dustin