howdy, as some of you may know, i am rebuilding my 86 rx.

 

 

i have hit a snag in my progress, i cant get the car to start anymore, it died last week. i have replaced the ignition coil, plugs, wires, alternator and battery. i also made a new ground for the fuel pump, andchecked all the fusable links. everything checks out, but the engine just wont start.

 

 

is there any one in central maryland that could possible come out sometime and help to get the rx running???

 

 

before the car died i was > < this close to getting it inspected and registered.

 

 

someone please help me. thanks

 

tim c.

bump, anyone??? i really need help with this, i need to get the car on the road so that i can get some stuff done on my impreza and still get to and from school.

Engines need three things to run.

Fuel/Air

Spark

Compression

 

Go down the list and isolate each one until you get to what isn't working and then work on the individual components of that system until you get to the problem.

 

If no one is willing to cruise over there, get help from the Board via specifics.

 

Good luck,

 

BW

you dont have the fuel lines backwards do yop? the inlet is before the injector and the return is after the puel pressure regulator

the car was running up untill the weekend before last. i drove it to the end of the street and came back and backed into the driveway. didnt touch the fuel lines other than qentally pushing one about 1/2 inch to get the hood release bracket bolted down under the dash. i think that the problem is in the wiring under hte dash, the fuel pump wont run unless i jump it to the hot wire. even when i make the pump run and then ttry to start it, it wont start, it cranks over like a champ, but nothing happens, not even a sputter.

 

i need to figure out if the problem is in the ecu, wiring, or under the hood. i dont have much in the means of diagnostic tools other than my fluke multimeter and my juicy brain.

 

im lost on the diagnostics, im better at fixing things than finding out what is wrong with em. im the type tht thinks up new and exciting things and new ways to do things, but i am srewed when something goes wrong and i dont know where it is.

well, i am really lost on this, i have replaced parts, now including the ecu, and the car still will not start. i dont know what to do anymore, i am temped to just get a new wiring harness and rewire the entire car. but that was a p.i.t.a. the first time around, as some will say, wiring is hell.

 

i really need help with this issue.

t-belt snapped perhaps? just a guess but maybe worth a check

I was thinking the same thing....t-belt?

 

Matt

if you had to jump the fuel pump, perhaps you have to jump the coil to + also...

 

 

no power to ignition and no spark...

 

shot in the dark of course

the t-belt could be a source of the problem, shouldnt be though, im pretty sure that the belts i put on were new. ill check that anyway, jus to be sure. on the otherhane, how would i go about jumping the coil? also, how could i check to make sure the injectors are working?

 

 

if anyone is willing to come out here on a weekend (fri-sun) ill gladly break out the grill and treat you to a cook out for your help, and ill prolly find something else to give as well. dont mean to sound cheap or anything, but i am unemploued and broke. but, what the hell, its an excuse for a cookout anyway. might as well have one while the weather is still nice.

Let's start with basics.

Fuel/Air

1) Crank engine a few times. Pull a spark plug and smell the cylinder. If you don't smell gas, then you need to test the individual components of that system. If you do smell gas then it's not fuel.

 

2) Take that spark plug w/the wire and rest it against the engine and have a friend crank the car. Do you see spark? If no, test the individual components of that system. Yes than it's not spark

 

That leaves compression as the last factor.

 

That may help people guide you towards what's wrong.

 

Good Luck

One wonders if this could be a FPCU related problem. It's a little box about the size of a deck of cards, locaed on the DS kick panel above and forward of the hood release handle. You may of caused the plug to loose contact while messing with the hood release. Just a thought is all, and I'm going from what I know on my BRATs. You should hear the pump run for a second or two when you turn the key to the "on" position, if not, that's the 1st thing I'd check.

What are you doing this weekend?

 

 

I guarantee nothing, BTW. But I don't have anything planned.

the lack of the fuel pump priming was the first thing i noticed when it didnt start. i rewired the pump, but still no priming, i jumped the relay for the pump to make sure the pump worked. it ran like a champ. i tied replacing relays with some of the spares i had, no change. i got another ecu, no change. i replaced the coil, plug wires, it has new plugs, fresh gas, clean air filter. it ran perfectly, with the exception of the timing being slightly off, untill the weekend before last.

 

i mighta bumped something out of place when i reinstalled the hood release cable/bracket. i have no idea anymore, my head hurts.

 

 

by the way, if anyone is wondering, on the weekends, i usually stay home or rather close to it. and this weekend, i will be trying as hard as possible to get the car running so that i can drive it to school next week. that and my impreza is way too close for comfort to the timing belt replacement and wwwaaaaaayyyy over due for its 90k mile service, its at 104xxx miles now and its only a 2000 model.

hey snotrocket, im free all weekend if you are willing to come up. ill break out the grill.

STOP!!!! Before you go any further you need to check the timing belt. It is very simple and the fact that the timeing was a "little bit off" is a big clue. There are two rubber plugs on the front of the engine, one drivers side and one passengers side. Pop the off and stick your finger in the hole feel for the belt and if it is not there or is very loose then you know for sure. I have had the same problem and without the timing belt you will not get fuel to the engine. There are sensors that prevent flooding of the engine. Do this first and then come back to the board for more info. I live in Richmond, va and my family would love a family ride to Baltimore so I might be able to help you.

 

For now, Get your hands dirty and check that timing belt.

 

Mike

oh yeah, if anyone wants to contact me, my cell # is 301- 305-1807

 

my aim screen name is bikergothdude

 

feel free to call me or send an im any time.

man, if I was closer I'd come and help you. free grilled food, and I get to work on a sube, its like a dream deal, or something..

timing belts are fine. it ran fine until i got under the dash the other week. i am wondering if the ignition switch might be buggered. i had the plastic bits off of the column and was tring to get the steering wheel off of the car to get to the headlight dimmer switch and try ot fix that cause i dont have low beams.

Ah, You didn't post that info earlier. I would be inclined to agree with you. Take the column apart and check carefully your connections. It is probably that the ignition isn't fully engaged, or the module itself is buggered. Try a spare one or unscrew the module from the ignition and try to start the car with a screwdriver. If you need a new ignition module I have one that you can have. Just pay me of the shipping.

 

Wait, you said that the car is turning over. I had a similar problem and it turned out that the timing belt( anew one) had actually stripped on the crank. Pull the distributor cap and see if the rotor turns while you try to crank the motor.

the main problem i am having when trying to run tests is that i dont have anyone to help me out, i need an extra set of hands on this. i should prolly geta remote starter from pepboys. its hard to do any of the tests that require starting the car while watching the engine.

aaaaarrrrrgrggggghhhhhh

 

 

well, i have been told to try the dropping resistor for the injectors, cause it seems that they arent spraying. i will report back in a few minutes after i attack it with my fluke meter.

well, the resistor is goodariffic. i think its down to the ditsy or the ignition switch. knowing my luck, the entire car is boned.

i need to know how to check the ditsy and ignition switch.

anyone know how to figure this out?