2.3T merkur problems

hyperse7en · Dec 13, 2006

hey guys
i will be buying an EFI turbo 2.3 out of a merkur xr4ti, however i need to hear it run. it apparently has some type of electrical issue. the engine will turn over, but wont fire. im going to mess with it either tomorrow or thursday, what should i look for other than spark? i dont mess with EFI, so i really dont know where to start to find out the problem. advice would be greatly appreciated. oh btw, the junkyard im buying it from, just got it in, and spend a small amount of time trying to get it to fire, but gave up quickly, after only getting a sputter or two out of it. (yes, they are trustworthy people, who ive dealt with many of times)

Mustang78 · Dec 13, 2006

check F.P., Spark, Timing, and make sure there's gas in the tank! i've been reading up on those little buggers and they're intercooled also, and rated at 190hp with 240ft. lbs of torque...which sucks for me cuz now i might lose to a 4 banger..we need to get it running and drive it a bit, i hear those are well balanced and just good cars, i was thinking get it running at hennings, drive it to your dads or my house, strip it then trailer it back to hennings..oh yeah i'm gonna ask how much for the T-bird 4.6 engine or whole car to do the same thing you're doing, an 82' with a 96' 4.6 would be sweet!

~Mark~

hyperse7en · Dec 13, 2006

4.6 would tear! buuuuttt.......isnt that car an automatic?? that little 4 banger should kick a**!!! i didnt see an intercooler on it though. unless they mean the turbos watercooled. i think im heading out there today. i NEED to get it to run, cuz i would kill to have that engine in there. that 4.6 would probably be cheaper, than building up the 306. anyway ill call you later or somethin.

65ShelbyClone · Dec 13, 2006

Mustang78 said:
i've been reading up on those little buggers and they're intercooled also, and rated at 190hp with 240ft. lbs of torque.

The Merkurs were not intercooled and were rated at 170hp/187tq. The '87-88 TurboCoupes had intercoolers and were rated at 190hp/200tq. They usually made closer to 230-250lbs of torque, though

hyperse7en said:
that 4.6 would probably be cheaper, than building up the 306.

Not by a long shot, especially if it doesn't have the PI heads.....and a '96 T-bird definitely won't.

Just check that it's getting spark and fuel and that the timing belt isn't broken. If it's not getting spark, it could be the TFI module on the distributor, a bad coil, or something like that.

hyperse7en · Dec 14, 2006

well i dont know jack on the 4.6, other than we could pick one up for cheap. apparently its getting spark. we tried to get it to crank over, but either the startes junk, or the engine is siezed. they claim they were crankin on it a lot, so if theyre tellin the truth (pretty sure they are) then the starter is junk. so without the starter crankin, and crappy weather stormin on us, we really couldnt do much. friday, george (owner of the junkyard) is going to pull it, to see if it turns over. if it does, its sold. also, i checked the timing belt, and its fine. i figure ill buy the engine, and everything for it. sort everything out, and see if we can find the problem. the ignition, fuse panel, and some other wiring stuff, has been messed with, and doesnt look in great shape. im pretty sure, theres just somethin electric thats not getting power. if we get another starter in it, ill see if it's getting fuel pressure first.
thanks
jeff

Stinger · Dec 15, 2006

The TFI (ignition module) is probably bad...does the tach register rpm when it is cranking? If not, that's the case.

hyperse7en · Dec 15, 2006

we got it to crank. cant hear the fuel pump, and its not getting fuel pressure. now that all the electronics are working, the fuel gauge is below empty, so it might just be out of gas! anyway, i bought it, and am hoping to pick it up next week. well trailor it to the shop, and then drain the tank (if its not empty) put a couple of gallons in it, and see if shell run. the guy from the junkyard tried to start it, but the starter gear got jammed on the flywheel, so he gave up after getting only a couple of sputters. after a push start the starter started working. we sprayed gas in the intake, and she fired off a couple times. i said "good enough for me" and went inside to pay for it. ill keep it updated.
thanks
jeff

Mustang78 · Dec 19, 2006

update: we put gas in it, no fire, it has spark for sure, and fuel pressure for sure, just not sure if it's enough to make those injectors work the way they should.. i need a tester. I loosened the dist. and turned it as he cranked, i found a spot about 1/8th of a turn counter-clockwise from where it was originally where it would sputter..but i think it only did that because of the fuel i fed the engine through a vacuum port after the throttle body. does anybody know the "right" fuel pressure for this engine? i have a feeling it's fuel related, or compression. we pull started it for a while in circles and jeff says it "feels" like it has enuogh compression, but wont even attempt to start. would it run if the turbo is seized up? i want to pull off the outlet side and spin the turbo by hand a little, just to make sure it spins and isn't rusty. the timing belt is good, that's not saying it's in time tho, the crank to cam timing could be off for all we know. Thanks and we REALLY want to get this thing running so jeff can pay off the bill and bring it home

~Mark~

Mustang78 · Dec 19, 2006

also FYI the very first 10-30 cranks we did this morning it backfired lightly out the exhaust 2-3 times, and once out the intake(pretty violent that one). It only did it once so i would assume the timing isnt too far off, the Tachometer works when we pull started it(we spun that little bugger at 3K+ RPM's pullin it), so it's probably not the TFI, Thanks tho

~Mark~

2.3T merkur problems

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