16v Running Poor Now its dead

[Judderi]

It started to loose power top end then got worse and worse to the point where you had to dip the clutch just to pull away. When i tried to put it in the garage last night it didnt even respond to me pressing the accelerator it just ticked over at about 200rpm. 1st i checked the ignition timing, i couldent seem to see the marks so turned the dizzy. It picked up and idled correctly. I then reved it and as the revs dropped it cut out and hasnt started since. When trying to start it, it sounds like its turning over too fast or faster than normal as if id taken the spark plugs out. This got me worried, i.e snapped cam belt/head damage etc? (Now im thinking its just because i put on a new battery at that point because mine was flat) So i started checking the timing. i set the bottom end to TDC and checked with a dowel down cylinder 1, the mark lined up on the flywheel and the mark on the cam pulley also lined up fine, so all seemed ok there. The only thing i wasnt sure about was that the rotor arm on the dizzy was point straight down to the floor. Is this right? i thought it should maybe have lined up with spark plug lead for cylinder 1.

Next i whipped the intake manifold off to see if i could see any valve damage. All looked fine and they went up and down as expected when turning the engine over. Obviously i could not see the exhaust valves but i guess if the intake ones are ok theres no reason why the exausht side would be damaged.

So i think it may be a fueling issue. i.e dead pump as the problem got progressivly worse. I can hear the pump but i suppose the lift pump could be a gonner.

i also checked i was getting a spark and all was fine there.

i cracked off the fuel line and primed the pump and fuel went everywhere but i suppose that doesent mean im getting the pressure needed for a k-jet system.

Whats your ideas guys?

Can anyone point me in the right direction of a guide on how to test the pump or injector spray?

Ta. Ben

[Diamond Hell]

You've not mentioned whether you've done a compression test.  Unless you've done one and confirmed there's compression there's little point doing anything else.

To test the injectors are getting enough pressure, remove the cold start injector from the manifold (assuming the motor is cold), place it in a jar, and turn the engine over - this will make the injector fire and spray fuel - be careful as it's very high pressure and exceedingly flammable!  Really if you're concerned about fuel system pressure you need a pressure gauge to accurately measure it.

[Judderi]

No havent done a compression test. Havent got a guage. Its on my shopping list though. Can anybody point me in the right direction for one suitable for the 16v motor?

[Conker]

At TDC my valvers rotor arm points to no.1 spark plug (IIRC). I would guess your timing is way out.

[Judderi]

How why and where though?

Also on the side of the compression tester, would this do for the 16v motor?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RDG-PRO-TUNE-COMPRESSION-TESTER-KIT_W0QQitemZ310024696942QQihZ021QQcategoryZ30921QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[mattneck(Beavis)]

Ben - I had hassle once on mine where the rotor arm just didnt fit properly.. it was loose on the shaft and kept jumping around.. could be worth trying to relocate it to cylinder 1 at TDC as it should be, or just replacing the thing to eliminate it.. incase the timing is completely doolally

[Agreeable Slick]

get someone to turn it over, whilst you advance/retard the timing, probably the same as mine had, where it just fell out overnight. Soon picked up after, just make sure you take it for a RR tune after to prevent pinking, and don't rev the tats off it.

[Ben Lessani]

Halfords do a compression tester for about £20 IIRC - very worthwhile tool in your arsenal

[Leon R]

Quick little test. Get to your ECU, think its one 10mm that holds the cage to the car, and take out the ECU plug. If you see this:



Repair the pins, then try again!

Same symptoms as mine but these pins can give varying faults too.

[Judderi]

Thanks for the replys. havent checked the ecu but did try moving the dist while a friend tried starting the motor. Didnt work. However when i 1st started troubleshooting moving the dist did improve running and foolishly i did rev it allot, when i let off the throttle it died and has never  started since. Could i have done valve damage? Intake side looks fine but i have no idea on the exhaust side. Still waiting for a compression tester.

This is where i got up to today. 1st i checked my injectors were getting fuel. At first it felt like the metering head pin was stuck when i lifted the flap but that worked itself loose and felt fine. i then bridged the pump relay and lifted the flap, i got a really good spray from all 4 injectors with plenty of pintle chatter. So all is well there.

At this point i thought id sussed it so put everything back together but with no joy. Just didnt want to fire, didnt even try too. i even tried lifting the flap myself and all i got was fuel vapor coming back out of the airbox. i should also add that i checked for spark at every plug and all was good there. So i checked all the timing again. Now im not sure now as nothing seems to line up like it would if the engine was stock. It has a 9A bottom end by the way.

I took a load of pictures. in the pics cylinder no 1 is at TDC and the flywheel lines up but nothing else seems to. The bottom pulley does not line up with the standard arrow in the belt cover but does line up with a painted mark that the engine builders must have done.












But at the head engine im totally lost. The only mark i can see on the cam pulley is a punch mark which here isnt lined up with anything. And i have no idea if the cams are lined up with each other as there are no punch marks on there chain wheels. Also the rotor arm is pointing straight up. As of yet i havent done a compression test as my tester has not arrived yet. Please help someone.