Ka24de Will Not Start

[grab-bert]

Hey everybody, first timer, just joined the forum.

I am sorry that this is my first post, but i am officially desperate.

Here's the problem: 1991 Engine will not start.

History:

Car was running like a champ for over a year until this happened. A few months ago, i took some advice and flushed the engine with ATF (which i have never done before), and then changed the oil out (which i have done before) after running the engine for a while on the ATF.

I also changed the spark plugs to NGKs. The #4 had a hard time coming out, and the ceramic broke off of the threads, which stayed in tact. The ceramic was intact as well. i used liquid wrench + reverse bit on an impact gun, and threads came out as a whole. New plug went in fine.

After all this, the engine would not start. It's been 2-3 months (i've lost track), and here's what i've checked so far:

-timing
-firing order
-spark/fuel
-codes (with a consult cable)
-battery
-about 1 million forums

I took it to a shop, they found nothing. I have not checked compression, because 1. i do not have a compression tester, and 2. i've read that the reading wouldn't be accurate without the engine warmed.

After trying to start for about 5-6 seconds, there's a strong fuel smell. I have not seen any leaks, and after trying to start it i pull plugs and can see they are black, so i'm pretty sure the fuel is getting to the cylinders.

I tried putting the old plugs back in, nothing. new distributor cap/wires, nothing. New battery, nothing.

I am at the end of my rope, my mechanic friends don't know what's wrong. at this point i'm hoping i've been a proper idiot and forgot something really simple. I made a video of what it sounds like, here it is http://youtu.be/bOrSDxpxgCA

I really love this car, with all my heart soul and mind, and want nothing more than to get it on the road again. If you guys have any ideas please, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your time.

[Tyler_240]

Have you tried a different battery, ensured its charged up all the way? I would triple check your terminals are snug. Sounds like it wants to start, but its definitely weak

[grab-bert]

Oh dang that's right, i knew i was forgetting something in the original post. I have charged the battery completely, it sounds exactly the same. But thank you for the reply.

[zerodameaon]

Check your oil, does it have a heavy fuel smell? If so you might have a stuck injector or some bad orings dumping fuel flooding the engine. Also try a different battery, or pull starting it if it is a manual.

[grab-bert]

I have tried a new battery, but i just checked my oil and it definitely has a heavy fuel smell. Does that mean i need new injectors?

[zerodameaon]

Not necessarily, you could have a blown lower oring. One way to check is pull the whole rail out with injectors and look at the nozzle area, you can normally see an issue. If not you can pull the whole rail but keep it connected to the fuel lines and turn the key to ON but don't crank, it should hold pressure.

[grab-bert]

Awesome thanks for the idea! I'm gonna check it out tomorrow when i have more time.

[zerodameaon]

I worded that wrong, turn the key to ON, but don't crank.

[Frank_Jaeger]

Awesome thanks for the idea! I'm gonna check it out tomorrow when i have more time.
After you check the rail is holding pressure, do crank it over and compare the spray for the injectors. Just put a paper towel under the injectors.

Did you or anyone else mess with your fuel lines? I.e. new fuel filter?

[cotbu]

You could also try priming the rail, then remove the fuel pump fuse then start the engine with the accelerator on the floor.

Start engine with throttle wide open

[grab-bert]

Hey guys, sorry i've been AWOL, i just today had time to pull the injectors. First of all, thanks for all your responses! To answer your questions, yes i have tried pulling the fuse and holding the gas pedal during startup, and no results.

To my knowledge, no one has messed with the fuel system.

A couple of the injectors seemed to be missing pieces, compared to their counterparts. I will post pictures tomorrow. It was damn near impossible to pull the whole rail, is there something i'm missing? is there some trick to pulling the rail out in its entirety? I have another question as well-

My friend was telling me that even if at least two injectors were stuck, the engine would still try to start and would still explode on the other cylinders that weren't flooded. Is there credence to this? Or would 1 or many stuck injectors be enough to make the engine not fire?

[grab-bert]

Hey fellas, i realize this is a very old thread now, but I'm here to revive it, if that's ok.

After 6 months of inactivity, the car has started! the problem was a melted resistor/condenser as part of the ignition system. The car starts reliably, idles consistently (no surging), but the compression is low (~115-130), and the throttle seems to hesitate. It also sounds super weak.

I have driven it around the block a few times. The car doesn't die ever, it accelerates consistently.

The timing is fine, there is fuel, no vacuum leaks (that i can see or hear), there's white spark.

There is an overheating issue, but i attributed that to being low on coolant since I haven't properly flushed the system since i removed the water pump, i've only added more water to the system.

Does anyone know how I might be able to return the car to its normal self from here on out? I've read that all I need to do is drive it until all the crap from sitting for 6 months clears up, but is there any credence to this theory?

[SoundEfx]

Glad you found the fix.

When you say water, you mean distilled water right? The last thing you want is rust to develop in your cooling system.

[grab-bert]

Oh yeah. I just put water because i had no coolant on hand, gonna get it flushed as soon as it's running properly. If it ends up taking a while longer I'll empty the system and fill it again.

[grab-bert]

Here's a video i made of the problem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arLAa3H_A28