[rasrx7]

i have done alot of other cars in the past, and have done what on most cars would get it running..so as of tonight..im stumped and slowly losing the battle.. #-o

first off. i just bought the car sunday from a friend. it hasnt been driven or started for at least 1 year, and it was running before. The car is a 92 with 50000 original miles.

I started by conditioning the oil, fuel and water. I then primed the motor before starting it. Even added oil and fuel additives to help get the liquids going.

With starting fluid into the throttle body through the pcv, the car starts up and idles. Once i stop spraying the starting fluid, it stalls.

We changed the plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, and fuel strainer. I even added 5 gallons of gas. But the car will still not turn over.

We checked the fuel inline before the rail and gas makes it out to there. after that..im guessing maybe clogged fuel injectors..can ne one help ??/

 

[sideshow]

where were you sprayng the starting fluid?? tb? did you have the vam hooked up???

 

[rasrx7]

where were you sprayng the starting fluid?? tb? did you have the vam hooked up???

shooting it in thru the return line from the valve cover to the intake before the throttle body. eveything is all in...runs great on starter fluid, but nothing from fuel system, or at least, not enough to keep it going..

 

[airbrush1]

I'd drain the gas tank...... and re fill it.....

Change the oil....as a precaution....

I would also tend to think that you have a problem with the injectors at this point..... It could be something as simple as a corroded electrical connector..... Check the harness for the injectors, the WHOLE thing, just to be sure....

if the problem isn't with the signal to the injectors, then it would be a mechanical one, there are tons of places that can clean and flowtest the injectors for a nominal fee.... that would be the next step for me

 

[Max_Power]

with $70 they are cleaning your injectors and your engine from carbon at the Jiffy Lube...at least that's what I heard!

I do that every 5K miles with SEA FOAM ($7)...

 

[rasrx7]

some are telling me crank angle sensor??? not sure but im gonna try check the injectors tonight..im afraid to pull em out and have to deal with leaking fuel..but its the next logical step?? i hope

 

[rnorma1]

It's not the crank angle sensor if the car ran with the starter fluid. If the crank angle sensor was dead there would be no spark ever.

It's a fuel issue somewhere.

some are telling me crank angle sensor??? not sure but im gonna try check the injectors tonight..im afraid to pull em out and have to deal with leaking fuel..but its the next logical step?? i hope

 

[rasrx7]

It's not the crank angle sensor if the car ran with the starter fluid. If the crank angle sensor was dead there would be no spark ever.

It's a fuel issue somewhere.

some are telling me crank angle sensor??? not sure but im gonna try check the injectors tonight..im afraid to pull em out and have to deal with leaking fuel..but its the next logical step?? i hope

noted..im gonna try the injector and get them cleaned..and check the afm..thanks

 

[rasrx7]

Check engine codes last night and it shows 2. bad ignition signal and a g code...the showstopper code???? cam angle sensor..

 

[rasrx7]

ok..changed out the CAS with the parts from bill and still no dice..i m running outta options..any one can help.

 

[renesisdrms]

RARX7: something gives a bad feeling about your fuel...ITSELF. so the only time it was running was from starting fluid/carb cleaner...see, here's the thing. at the dealership, i came across a similar problem...check spark,fuel pressure, air...u know, routing **** from auto training. but i took a sample of fuel after i'd asked who the driver was...and it was a new female driver.

the reason it won't ever run but only on carb cleaner is because it fuckin had DIESEL fuel in it.

well...i hope thats not your case, but where did your 5 gallon of gas come from? a jug?...if so, its worth a try to check it out my man.

 

[renesisdrms]

P.S. rasrx7: tho airbrush assumes fuel inj. problems... one bad injector or corrosion will not affect all! the simplest way to save all your money and make sure your fuel system is functioning is just to simply remove all your spark plugs...tuck/disable the spark wires away.
and CRANK the motor over and see if fuel mists are shooting out of the spark plug holes.

get my drift bro? try to tackle your diagnosis in the simplest way before replacing bunch of parts emptying your wallet.

if no fuel mist comes out...then you move down the line...check fuel pump fuse, then fuel pressures..etc.

checking spark is a simple one. hold one plug wire and point to a good known body ground such as valve cover...have your friend crank and see if any sparks.

come on come on...post back again... let me know if your car is working at any point...hearing you in pain is ridiculous. stop buying anything. try to solve the problem first.

if you got diesel fuel in there...HAHAHAHA! have fun syphoning out with ur mouth. j/k, bro, just drop the gas tank. =)

 

[rasrx7]

thanks for your response...heres what ive done so far

..i put in 5 gallons of fresh gas..car read empty when i got it, i got a new fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel strainer, battery, spark plugs, and just tried 3 different CAS. The fuel reaches the fuel rail, but after there..its the injectors and they may not be firing.

According to the diagnostics, it was a ignition signal code and CAS problem. I figured, the CAS gives the ignition signal to fire, so i thought that would solve the prob after changing all those other parts. Heres the thing..if it sits over night, it will start and hold idle for 5 sec..then shut down and wont restart on its own until the next day. every time. It runs great on starter fluid and if i could, i would just sit in the engine bay just to drive it..hahahahah.

My last hope is to do what you said and check the fuel spray into the spark chamber. I was thinking of changing 1. the fuel injector and last 2. the ecu..thats the only thing left...right????? im really not sure and im now taking my time to get it started cause i thought dumping money on the basics would get it up and running, but its not the case.

I ve worked on many cars and have never come on an issue like this that what i have done couldnt solve..but this is my first miata..so im trying to put my domestic, honda, nissan, toyota, volkswagen and mazda rotary skills into it..hahahahah..looks like ive been stumped.

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated, but im gonna try the injector spray this weekend. and if i have to, give up and give it to a mechanic shop to get it running...

 

[renesisdrms]

well...if the fuel system works(complete), fuel should get shot out of the spark plug holes with the spark plugs removed...why change anything if system is working? if it don't work, then u check down the linebackwards...inj. conn., fuelfilter, rail, fuel injector module, etc...
then spark...same story.

 

[renesisdrms]

u know what...my 88 rx7 had bad afm and did the same thing...seems removing it for new air filter and even slight cleaning of the maf with carb cleaner can ruin it. tyr testing the air flow meter with a know good unit like 1 from ur fren.

and u never answer my question on the gas... can it have been diesel u put in?
u'll definitely get an ignition problem with diesel fuel...cuz that **** won't ignite!

 

[rasrx7]

u know what...my 88 rx7 had bad afm and did the same thing...seems removing it for new air filter and even slight cleaning of the maf with carb cleaner can ruin it. tyr testing the air flow meter with a know good unit like 1 from ur fren.

and u never answer my question on the gas... can it have been diesel u put in?
u'll definitely get an ignition problem with diesel fuel...cuz that **** won't ignite!

i topped off the tank with regular fuel, but if it did have any thing in it before that, im hoping the ratio of good gas to what ever was in it, will dillute the junk in it. Im gonna try the afm tonight.i tried cleaning it last week, thinking that would sove it, but ill swap it out to take it off the list.

pulling out the plugs, how easy is it to see the fuel spray? im gonna try again. i tried last night, but i really couldnt see it and for how long does it spray too..thanks for your help..

 

[rasrx7]

ok...did the fuel thing..and it squirts...bill gave me an afm and i swapped it, but still nothing....from 11pm- 330am i worked on the car firday night..around 330 i was about to give up, when i heard it try to turn over on the last try. So i went at it again, and was working on the cam angle sensor and idle set screw. around 430 i got it to start up and idle, but i couldnt rev it, it would immediately die with the opening of the throttle body. so i let it idle for 1 hour. no prob. since it was too early in the morning to be revving the motor, i decided to take a break and leave if off till about 8am. 8 am rolls around and i start it right up. i start messing with the cam angle sensor again, readjusting the timing, and loosening the idle set screw to be able to open the trottle body for throttle response. When i get enough response to bring the rev up to 6000 with the cable. it was set at full advance and idle set screw all the way in to get it to idle, then i brought the CAS down and the idle set screw out. I took the car onto side roads on my block to run it around to get ne junk in the injectors and tank through..also to get the oil and water moving through the system, so i could do a complete flush and tune up. I drove the car around for about an hour, with out any major problems, except for boggin at 3000 rpm to about 3200..other then that, everything is kool. after about 45 min of driving, the temp started to move a little past half so i brought it back in to the garage. let i idle for another 5 mins, then shut it down, to test if it was a fluke that it ran. Started it right up again, with no probs. shut down again and start up for posterity and no prob. NOW on the last restart up #3, it missed and never came back again and i cant get it to even turn over anymore. Back to sqaure one. NO probs, no major hesitation, and no crazy pops or sounds. No signs of it dying. now its back in my garage and im stumped again. Any other trys. let me know..thanks

 

[Diego Dangers.]

have you checked timing on the engine? the fact that you had it FULLY advanced to actually run sounds like a very large timing issue.

first thing I'd say to do is check to see if the inj. are actually firing. go to the nearest auto parts store and get a set of noid lights, disconnect each injector and place the noid light int he plug for the injector. if you do that, let me know the outcome and I can help you out from there.

second thing is: STOP CHANGING PARTS. before changing the CAS i would check for continuity between the plug and the ground side and the plug and the bulk head connector side. it might just be a split in the wiring.


it may be something as simple as a harness integrity problem, very simple fix.