s14 ka24de turns over but won't start.

[efaen s14]

Hey guys, about 2 months ago my s14 died while i was driving. I was going about 40mph at relatively low rpms when i noticed that i wasn't getting much of a response when hitting the gas. Over about 30 seconds to a minute i lost more and more power and eventually it stalled. I had it towed home and did every test possible. I had spark, had fuel, but my compression was low in all four cylinders (below 60). When oiled the compression went up to 120 in all four, but it still wouldn't start.

SINCE THEN i have done the following...

Tore apart the entire motor down to the pistons, (#3 was chipped between rings and #2 had some sort of abrasion on the top with the same matching mark under the head.

I bought a newer ka24de with much lower milage (mine had 202k, this one had 115k). Tore apart the new one to find it had a bent rod in #1. I used all the new pistons from this motor and threw them in mine, and replaced the rings with brand new ones from Nissan. I also used the head from the new motor, since mine had marks on the bottom and i didn't want to risk it.

Another problem i had was my timing chain guides and tensioners. 1 guide was totally destroyed, in pieces, laying in my oil pan. I replaced all tensioners, guides, and chains.

After all this i reassembled the rest of the motor and filled it up. When i attempted to start it, I GOT THE SAME EXACT SOUND IT WAS MAKING WHEN I TRIED TO START IT BEFORE. It cranks but doesn't start. Use your imagination.... and this is kind of what is sounds like...

crank....crank....craaaaaaannnnkkkkkkkk (brief silence) xhowever long i turn the key.

Please help friends. I've put over 30 hours of work into this motor.

:newbie:

[efaen s14]

The only modifications to the car are as follows:

Headers
Full Exhaust
Tein Coilovers
Mb Battle wheels 17x9.5

I'm 99.9% sure these mods have nothing to do with my problem.

[Gorman240]

okay well im not sure this will fix it 100% but its worth a shot right? well my car had a problem starting and it would crank and crank and crank but nothing would happen. eventually my battery just went dead. so i charged my battery over night and it started first thing next morning. i believe that if your battery is low on power it wont send power to the fuel pump in the tank. but i could be wrong with that as well. so maybe check your battery to see if it has a solid full charge! hope it helps, and good luck

[efaen s14]

Thanks gorman.

I tested the battery though and it had 575 amps at 12.9 volts, which is more than enough. I was thinking it something more along the lines of timing. A Nissan tech friend told me that it could be the distributor not positioned correctly. There's a gear on the end of it that connects to the head.. not sure if the position of this gear will affect anything. Any suggestions guys?

[blueshark123]

What happens if u spray starter fluid

[efaen s14]

Nothing different. It's getting fuel and the pump is operational.

[twyztidmind]

Does it backfire at all or at least try to start up? Did you have the head checked out when it was off?

[idlafie]

Is your Check Engine Light on?? Did you pull the codes off your Engine Control Module, (ECM)?? Use the SEARCH function here on Zilvia to locate a FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL for your 95 S14.

Things to check for...
1). Make sure there are no electrical shorts in the ground wire that connects to your engine block on the driver side of the motor next to and above your Oxygen sensor. Nissan uses that spot as a grounding point for several of your sensor wires.

2). Make sure the Crank Angle Sensor on the transmission bell housing is not disconnected or damaged. You might have disconnected it or damaged it while pulling out the engine to rebuild it.

3). Use the FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL to make sure the distributor & timing marks were set at Top Dead Center properly when installing the timing chain. Also, you might want to check the attached link just in case this happened when you were putting everything back.
car wont start after timing chain replacement - Nissan 240SX Forums (http://www.240sxforums.com/forums/s13-240sx-89-94/144865-car-wont-start-after-timing-chain-replacement.html)

Let us know what the problem was once you get it running again. Good luck!!

ID

[efaen s14]

Things i'll be doing in the morning:

Checking starter for broken teeth and trying the other starter i got.
Removing distributor and repositioning rotor to spark wire #1 while engine is TDC
Checking all grounding wires and sensors.

Another thing i noticed:

My knock sensor was not entirely connected, but i don't think this would stop it from starting.

As far as timing goes BESIDES DISTRIBUTOR it was all set perfectly at TDC as far as im concerned. :D
Scary thought, but i did not have the head checked out. I have the head from the new motor i got on there since it didn't appear to be damaged. My old one has some small marks matching those on old piston #2 so i didn't want to risk that causing problems.

If it doesn't start after i do all this, i'll seek out any alternative issues.

[efaen s14]

I've replaced the starter and set the distributor correctly. The engine now cranks normally but still won't start. Spark looks feint so i'm thinking something isn't properly grounded? I'm not sure..:wtf:

[efaen s14]

Okay guys so I've got some good news.. I did some further adjusting of the distributor and IT STARTED. It runs great and i'll have my car back on the road this weekend. Replacing the starter helped as well.:fawkd:

[salvadorss09]

efaen s14 what adjustments did you have to do to your distributor to get it running, my s14 isn't turning over and i think i have the same problem

[bmxer882x]

I would definately still get a timing light and set it correctly.

as far as what he did I know my sr has 2 bolts on the cas. If I remember correctly the kas distributor only has one bolt to loosen and then turn it. Look up how to make your motor top dead center (tdc) and go from there. That should give u a good starting point.

[salvadorss09]

I would definately still get a timing light and set it correctly.

as far as what he did I know my sr has 2 bolts on the cas. If I remember correctly the kas distributor only has one bolt to loosen and then turn it. Look up how to make your motor top dead center (tdc) and go from there. That should give u a good starting point.
well i can't get the car to start just turns over…i replaced the distributor i ensured it was at tdc when i inserted the dizzy and i kept the bolts fairly loose but enough to seat properly
btw i changed the dizzy because i have a orange spark so i thought the ignition coil was bad, i also replaced the MAF and i have spark and fuel

[SkyS13Walker]

Check all your grounds and clean them up so it's metal on metal also I would check the alternator to see if you are grounding out there

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