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View Full Version : Engine won't start (sortof complex situation)...


Gnnr
02-18-2006, 03:20 PM
Sorry this is sort of long, but I try to be as detailed as possible. The car is a '95 240sx with stock KA.

Heres the story. On my way to work, I was entering an on-ramp and accelerating when my car shut off, I put my hazards on and pull to the side of the road. I pop the hood and notice that one of the fan blades popped off and scorched the 2 connectors that plug into the distributor. The ones that come off the wiring harness next to the MAF connector. The small connector was still plugged in, but the other larger one popped out. So I plugged it in and the car turned on, but I was having a really ruff idle. I'm guessing that it was a weak spark (or something to do with spark). So I get to my job, and decide to deal with this later, as I dont want to be late.

After I get off work, I turned the car back on, and it continues with the ruff idle. I turn it off, pop the hood, and go look at the 2 connectors, I jiggle the one that had previously popped off and go back to start the car. But it wont start. Its trying to start I hear the screeching of the engine trying to turn on, but it wont grab.

Well, I figure that it has to be the connectors where seriously damged. So I go to the junkyard and cut the connectors from another S14 and cut and splice them into mine. Everything was color coordinated, so I dont think I could have screwed that up. Well, I go to try and start the car again, and still. No luck. I did my best to try and not flood the engine with fuel, and also not overdo the cranking as to not kill my starter. I held the throttle wide open at one point just in case I did flood it. But I dont belive I did.

I go and check the fuses thinking maybe one is blown, but they're all fine. Now the only thing I havent done is check for spark and check for fuel. But I'm pretty damn sure it cant be fuel. Afterall, the engine didn't start only after I messed with the large connector that goes to the distributor, so I'm pretty sure its a spark situation.

I guess my question is, do you think that my guess is correct about the distributor being the problem? Or should I check for something else? I did not see any other wires that got scorched, but maybe I missed something? The car is still at my job, and I will try to troubleshoot this again tommorow. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

joshuak3813
02-18-2006, 03:36 PM
i would start by seachring the rest of the harness to see if anything else is damaged

Slidin240Wayz
02-18-2006, 04:01 PM
check the relay's as well

Gnnr
02-25-2006, 05:54 PM
^ What are the relays and how do I test them?

Well, I went out today and bought a distributor from a local shop around here that tunes 240s and other imports. Anyways, after I bought it I noticed that the cap had a crack, and that the shaft would sometimes get stuck when turning. Turns out it was the rotor hitting the cap, the contact which cracked the rotor aswell. (this is all on the replacement one I bought, not mines).

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0070.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0071.jpg

No biggie, I decided to use my cap and rotor with the the replacment distributor. After taking out the distributor that was in the engine I notice that the end of the shaft is very oily (engine oil?) and it smells like gas. It also has one spot with what looks to be burnt oil. I believe this isn't normal, is it?

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0072.jpg

Well, either way it has to go because I discovered that the pins where bent, and the housing was cracked.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0074.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0075.jpg

This is how I cut and spliced in a new connector to replace the scorched wires for connector 1 and 2.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0066.jpg

And after all this it STILL wont turn on! I feel hopelss....help!

ps. photos taken with cameraphone, sorry 'bout quality.

Slidin240Wayz
02-25-2006, 06:12 PM
did you replace it with a new one?
I hope you will properly connect those wires; solder--heatshrink.

Carlos Doria

Gnnr
02-25-2006, 06:22 PM
Replace what? The connectors I got off another s14 from the junkyard. I didn't solder or anything, I just ghetto rigged it for now, jut to try and get it to start. I dont know how to solder or w/e. I'll have to get someone to that, or my only other option would be replace with a new KA wiring harness (that'd be a PITA).

Gnnr
02-28-2006, 02:25 PM
The Good

Got it to turn on. I had the distributor lined up on the wrong circle indentation. Once I got it right, it turned on. Left it running for 15 minutes, turned it off, and back on again. Everything worked.

The Bad

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/spx0066.jpg

I decide to put some electrical tape over the ghetto wiring setup I did. But after I did that it wouldn't start, again. Grrr! :evil: So after I redo the wiring, that should get it to work.

The Ugly

Stupid fan thats the cause of this mess:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/stupidfan.jpg

Have to deal with the PITA wiring tommorow....

infinitexsound
02-28-2006, 09:14 PM
diggin the flip flops.....

Gnnr
02-28-2006, 10:35 PM
diggin the flip flops.....

Thats the way we do in it Miami! lol. :D

aznpoopy
03-01-2006, 08:45 AM
good luck with it. make sure you get a new fan and time the car after you get it running right.

as for your dist smelling like gas... change your oil and filter. you probably flooded it a little. no biggie.

the head
03-01-2006, 09:19 AM
solder and heatshrink the wires and you should be good ignition triggers don't respond well to ghetto wiring since you got it running the problems left is just in those connecitons do them proper and you should be rolling