"Crank and No Start" Checklist

  • Sponsors (?)


check fuel first...easy test....crank and have someone spray starter fluid in the intake...if it cranks, then you have your answer...just because it has pressure at the rail does not mean its not fuel related, then test to see if you have steady spark with the spark plug+ screwdriver+ grounded metal test, and whats the history of the problem? did you just get the car? was it running before? etc etc...dont just go buying parts and hoping they work
 
wicked93gs ether is starter fluid and i went thru that check list i linked and it kinda saying comp the car just die and would not start back up its my lil brothers
 
dose my car have a 86-93 Tfi Module, Automatic Transmission and were would it be dose some one have a pic or is it the same as this AutoZone.com | | Control Module - Ignition | CONTROL MODULE



computer did not fix it i hope its not the timing belt
 
Are you saying you replaced the computer?

If you're not going to listen to us, we can't help you.

You need to check EVERYTHING that has been mentioned in this thread. If you don't know what you're doing, take it to someone who does. Don't just throw parts at it and expect it to get fixed.
 
---Sorry I am late. I've ran into this site numerous times and just signed up this week.

---I concur with Red_LX that you cannot just throw parts at a vehicle. There are basics as you probably know, starting with electrical and then moving to fuel... electrical first for numerous reasons... like Auto 101 for starters.

---Pull a plug wire off plug a spare spark plug into it and ground the metal body of the plug to the block or another know, good ground... or buy yourself an in-line spark tester. Adjustable ones are real nice for future ignition upgrades, will look similar to a glass, in-line fuel filter and you can adjust the gap for best over-all spark, then add that gap to the gap already on your plugs ;)

---If you don't have spark, there's one problem. Take the module to a local parts house like AutoZone and have them test it about 4-5 times, with 15-20 seconds between testing.

---If you have spark, I would say it's not your module. They usually burn up on the run circuit, which brings me to a story I will tell another day about what was originally referred to as a unified ignition (using the Duraspark blue-tagged external module in combination with the dizzy-mounted module).

---Shut off the radio, put the cell phone down and tell everyone to shush. Turn the key on and listen for the fuel pump to prime. If it doesn't, that could be your problem. The fuel pump relay is under the center of the driver seat toward the front of the seat, just at the hump/recess for the seat and it has the annoying locking tab that you lift up with your thumb nail and push the relay toward your thumb. Using a small screwdriver will save your cuticle.
2ih8hef.jpg

---You can unplug the harness behind the fuel tank and test to see if the pump is working from there. Two wires to the pump harness/connector and hook it up real quick to a battery booster or 12v battery (lawnmower battery would even work for testing). If it pumps, plug it back in and move to the relay.

edit:
---Didn't have time to actually go over the "Crank No Start" reference you posted. It looks good with one major detail, which I firmly believe is more than "preference". Ether. Okay, ether is something you are not suppose to use at all with gasoline engines, or as it's classed IC engines. Though it is even more dangerous in a diesel, that's not the point here. Anyway...

. . . ... It really doesn't take much to damage an engine, starting with destroying the timing set ~hint hint @ weak "link"~. Suggesting that*, begs for a more in-depth description. I don't know where the info was taken from, but we have more fools now days than 1987-1993, and the severely effected, acid-induced defects that created the anime and video game fascinated population starting somewhere around `73 and starting HighSchool around 1987, perty much about the time they started including the driver in a repair manual as a mechanic (reference = Left Bank vs Left Side) So, considering California girls and Eastern girls use hair spray differently, a "little" can be a lot if a person is told to spray some. "One or two quick sprays of ether, not even a half a second a piece" is suppose to be done, casting the mist over the fresh air inlet, whether it be a Carb, Throttle Body or the Air Box (containing the air filter), while someone is turning the key to START. The "one-to-two, one second sprays and completely assemble the Cold Air Intake" soaks the moving parts and allows the ether time to wash further down into the engine, soaking and quickly drying those parts. The most important thing about ether that people don't understand, is how quickly it can remove oil from moving parts, even the vapors themselves can dry metal enough to cause damage...
. . . ... (now the "preference" part) but truly, there is no need for someone broken down on the road to walk somewhere to buy ether and IMHO, no reason at all to use ether if there is spark at the plug. That's just redneck to me (and redneck doesn't mean Southern). If you've checked the systems (electrical and fuel) and still don't get fire, No ether is going to make it fire and if it does fire intermittently and "the enedumacated" is spraying ether in there his/her 4th time now, that's a recipe for destruction.

---FWIW, the distributor is often too hot for modules. Either add a heat sync & fan, or pay top dollar for name brands. The usual low-priced parts house modules have a life span of maybe 2 years and it's the run circuit that normally burns out. Also try not to leave the key in the ON position while the engine is not operating. Would be a good idea to check and upgrade grounds too. All these with help the life of the module.

---Now, the "unified" ignition (which didn't begin with Davies nor did it include a coil as part of the "unity"), which began late one afternoon, somewhere South West of Mexico City... after someone was told at AutoZone that their truck had the external module when in fact it had a dizzy-mounted. The installer would have voted against walking back to the store if the store wouldn't have been closed by the time he got there. So, he began wiring the dizzy-mounted module to the external (w/blue tab/grommet), figuring if anything he would only be out the $15 for the module.

---I use to have literature on this. Think it might have been from HotRod Mag, well before Petersen's became a publishing cartel. Before their joining with JD Power and Asses which would make it about 15 years or so before they became who they are now. Simply put, it was prior to their Technical columns becoming what they're known for now. At one time they did have good write-ups and it wasn't all about Chitvy (pronounced Chit-Vee). The combination of the two ended the high RPM missfire and when the module does burn up, it'll cost you 1/4 the price because 95%-97% (LOL) of the time it'll be the external. If anyone has the literature, I would love to have a copy to replace my lost-in-the-many-moves copy... please please please. These engines are the correct era and this combined with a
home-made Multiple Spark CDI and we're really cooking on a fraction of the cost for a Mallory or MSD setup... lol. Though I do love my Mallory stuffs.

---Furthermore, if you really feel the need to get that 2 second run off an engine that has spark but not fuel; Gasoline in a spray bottle would work best. Set it to spray and about 3 full strokes, then assemble the duct and crank.

---If you're still having problems, start with the normal coil/ignition switch and coil primary/secondary voltage test procedures. They are illustrated in almost every service manual, even the cheesy Chilton misprint bible and omitting Haynes.
 
another note on fuel pump issues...on 2 fords I have had(including this svo) the inertia switch went off for no reason...simple push of a button and it was running again...but fuel isnt your issue if you used ether anyway, your issue is spark related, re-time the engine...take the timing cover off first and make sure the timing belt didnt break or anything simple like that, then re-time the engine, get a code scanner and see what the ecu tells you
 
What year is it? does it have a Distributor? When my 92 had a crank and no start condition it ended up being the Crank Sensor. Its a pain to change, but i would check it out. No good way to test it, but i if you aren't getting spark it could be that.

Dr.