Need help getting engine started!

[anthony1707]

Hey guys so I have finished my first engine rebuild on my 1991 festiva, but the issue is that I cannot get the car to start. The starter is working, and the engine does crank. I can visibly see spark from the ignition coil to the ignition wire when the wire is held near the the coil during cranking,and I will check for spark from the spark wires when I get home. I checked the inertia switch, and it is not popped. I could not hear the fuel pump running so I replaced it with a new one, but I cannot hear the electric unit turn on. I had the idea of running a wire straight from the battery to the pump to ensure it is getting 12 volts but I am not even completely sure that fuel is my issue here. I also thought about listening to the injectors with a stethoscope, but would the injectors even be turning on and off without an operational pump, or without the car starting? I have not hooked up the radiator yet, and I see that there area few sensors that go into the radiator, could it be possible that this is stopping the car from starting? I will be trying to start the car with starter fluid in a few hours to see if it truly is fuel, but I would appreciate any help because this car is actually a school project that I need to get running by Friday, and I figured this was the place to ask for help. Thank you!

[william]

Is you air intake complete with no leakes?
The afm triggers the fuel pump. Also check your fuel lines onesfrom filter goes to the rail and the return comes off of the regulator (ufo looking thing).
You won't hear the pump run unless you push the flapper in the afm (that's the box on top the air filter) make sure the plug is in and tight to the afm as well. Also make sure the fuselinks under the hood and all good
Check those and report back .

[bravekozak]

gas + compression + spark = start

Make sure you have the spark plug wires in the proper firing order (see diagram).
Also, make sure you give it some spark advance.
Report back.

[dalebwilson]

Make sure the rotor button is in the correct orientation. It can be installed in 3 different positions. 2 of those positions will produce a crank/no start condition. Ideally, the rotor button contact should be pointing at the #1 spark plug wire while the #1 piston is at TDC.


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[WmWatt]

^^ TDC = top dead centre on the compression stroke

[anthony1707]

Thank you everybody for the advice. I have been busy with work and school and have not been able to spend ample time with the car but there are a few things I was able to find out. I was able to start the car with brake fluid and it ran for a solid 20-30 seconds and it sounded correctly timed with no misfires etc...... This tells me that fuel is my issue. Thanks for the advice William i did not even know about the afm, and I the air intake is complete without leaks so I will be sure to check that afm. Also mentioning the fuel lines I see that the ufo looking canister has one outlet that is not connected to anything, I was assuming it was some kind of evap smog equipment that the guys before me had not setup but it seems I was mistaken haha. I was ensure that the lines are set up properly and reoprt the findings here, Thank you!

[william]

Small outlet on fuel pressure regulator goes to intake vaccum.

[WmWatt]

The black thing strapped to the fender is the charcoal canister. The fuel filter is an orange clear plastic thing low on the firewall. Both driver's side.

[anthony1707]

Okay guys I was able to get the car running! It turns out that the fuel lines were installed backwards which is a stupid mistake but i was just glad to hear it run again. The issue now is that the car is running terribly. It needs gas on start up to keep running and it is misfiring pretty badly. The timing seems to be okay with the distributor in the correct spot, so I suspected the fuel injectors. I tested the connectors they all read around 12v when measuring from the battery to the connector, and about .8v when measuring the connector to the receiver on the fuel injector. I then tried running the car with a injector unplugged and compared it to how the car ran with all injectors plugged in. I tested all the injectors this way and they all seem to make a massive difference except for the injector on the number four cylinder which seems to make no difference. Could this be the cause of bad misfiring? How else can I be sure that the injector is dead? Stethoscope? If it is some kind of timing issue that I overlooked like not being set on the compression stroke etc.... how can I test that? Thank you all, I appreciate all of the advice that is helping to move my car and I along.

[WmWatt]

Pulling and grounding the #4 spark plug wire should have the same effect. Spark plug or fuel injector?

[anthony1707]

I was thinking that the fuel injector is what is bad....am i wrong to think that an injector could cause it to misfire badly?

[anthony1707]

I also tried pulling out every spark plug wire and running the car, and they all produce a spark from the wire, which caused me to assume injector, am I possibly overlooking something?

[WmWatt]

I would agree it's not the spark. I don't have the fuel ijected modle but have read here they can be cleaned with chemicals. There was somnething about it recently. I'd try the search box at the top right corner of the screen on "fuel injector".

[anthony1707]

I meant the fuel injector....I had tried pulling every single one of the spark plug wires and running the car, and each wire did produce spark. That's what makes me think that it is the fuel injector that is bad especially because it runs the same whether or not that 4th injector is plugged in, I just hope I am not overlooking something. I unfortunately cannot test anything today because I had to have my thermostat housing welded together because it was cracked by accident, but I will post a video of the car running tomorrow to hopefully give you guys an idea of what I am up against.

[anthony1707]

sorry for double posting for some reason I was not able to see any of the posts here on the second page but I see now. Thanks for the advice I will check for the thread and I have a 4th injector on the way which hopefully solves the issue!