Project golf - STILL will not run (but backfires!)

[rubjonny]

doubt its the pump, i recon its the ign switch, if not its the ecu at fault or the relay.  remove all your battery/starter/alt wires and give em all a good clean till shint & refit, see if that helps.  Next pop out the ecu, pull the plug on it and check for corrosion/water damage on the pins, if there is any clean it up and plug it back in, then find out how it got submerged in the 1st place!

[cняis]

thanks rubjonny, i will roll my sleeves up and get stuck in 

theres no great rush with this project, but i dont want it sitting in front the garage this time next year, rusting in pieces.

also i promised your mate i'd be along to grab a jade green bootlid at some stage... 

[cняis]

ok boys and girls. 

today i cleaned up ALL the earth points and cables, including those on the head. they were gleaming by the time i finished!

i also checked the ecu plug and pins for signs of water damage but the pins were very clean. still, i cleaned them up anyway.

then i went to start her up:
- it turns over strongly with a slight will to start but will not fire properly (unlike last month where it would fire then die as the ignition was returned to position 2)
- if i open the throttle whilst turning it over it will occasionally backfire  quite loud too! but will still not start.
- the ISV is always buzzing with the ignition in position 2 (is that normal?)
- the spark plugs looks black (but not sooty) and smell of petrol
- often i cannot hear the fuel pump prime when i switch the ignition on, but i seems to prime after?

what do you guys think... is there anything else i should be looking at?

i was wondering if i should replace the HT leads, would these be causing the problem?

[whitegt]

just sounds like the timing to me

[cняis]

i see what you're saying, however i havent touched anything timing related since i've had the car, and it was starting/running fine in january! 

[Horney]

Man I hate random faults. Mines doing the same but without the backfiring.

Nick

[Khare]

i'd say before you turn evil against it, have it servied, change HT leads, spark plugs, oil and fuel filter. Then have the timing sorted, you may not have touched it but it might have messed up, as for the ignition going back to position 2, might it be the ignition barrel itself?

[russ-vdub]

aye a full service may help, sound like a ht leads 1+3 are reveresd or it misfiring like a b!tch. This will cause loud backfires if the leads are sparking before the head.

[cняis]

i'll try the HT leads of my daily when i get chance. the oil is fairly clear, but i see your point.

forgot to mention when i had it running in january, it was chuffing on over-run rally car style although i assumed that was a leaky exhaust.

any hints on getting the timing "nearly there" as i have no mechanic mates locally anymore? best to buy a haynes manual? i have never done the timing on anything in my life!!!

[rubjonny]

check my digifant faq!  all you need to set the timing spot on on a digi is patience and a timing gun.  Get an inductive one if you can, saves alot of messing about!