Help! Engine problem

Buggy83

Buggy83

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
19
Hello everybodies!
please excuse me for my bad english, I use a translate tool...
My problem is that the motor don't want to start ( C4 1989 L98 ).
Symptoms: noise rockers, very poorly tuned vehicle, EGR control solenoid not in place and their hoses in the air ... On the road, immediately after a traffic light and turn right on a 90 ° crossing, the car stalls and can not restart. As if I had more lighting and strong smell of gasoline albeit stressing the engine starts to cough, but not enough to start and stop when stopping the starter.
Then I disassembled the rocker boxes and the rocker of the admission of the cylinder 5 was rotated 90 ° out of its housing, nut completely loose. The rod was also skewed but appeared not to be damaged. I say cool, I found the fault, especially since all were poorly resolved.
So I make the settings as indicated in the Shop Manual (TDC of the finger on 1 and then setting 8 culbus TDC setting 6 and the other 8).
I back everything and ... nothing! At least no better, the problem is always the same. The engine sputtered with emphasis but not enough to start.
I have made a little movie when I try to start the engine:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GYcHX6l8u4[/ame]
Some ideas???
Thanks
 
Well, it looks like there is no oil - is that just the video or is it really bone-dry ???
You should have oil going to all rockers.

Here's what it should look like when you prime the oil pump:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8GW2sYIbNU[/ame]
 
Last edited:
I assume you have check the oil level, and if you have no/lo pressure, you have that sort of sound, as the fuel pressure is almost non existent....you have a oil pressure switch in the fuel pump +12 line, if no oil pressure, no close switch, it's jumped out by the ignition...maybe you check your fuel pump relay...

I too don't like that dry look to the oiling on the rockers, but if engine is tired, maybe about normal, tired pump needs RPM to keep volume up, cranking just don't get it....

:gurney:
 
First thing to check, do you have fuel pressure? needs to be around 43 w/ no intake vac and about 36 with.

You can buy a handheld fuel pressure meter (tpis has a nice one)

Gee, the oil pressure switch simply backs up the fp relay, the relay energizes the pump to start the engine. He should be able to hear the pump prime for a few secs after turning the key in the on pos. If not, something is wrong with the pump most likely. The press sender only needs some 3-5 psi or so to close
 
Hi!
Woaw, thank you for the great video!
I don't know about oil pressure because when I try to crank engine I don't see it, I'll try to have a better look...
And I think that when trying to start oil has not enought pressure to go on the rockers...
About fuel I have some because it strongly smell when I try. I'll try to see the pressure too...
Oil level, strange, there is too much!!! has the garagiste put too much oil or something else goes inside??? For now I don't know...
I'll come back, thank you
 
It can take a long time for the oil to get there if you're cranking and the engine isn't running

you may smell fuel, but if the pressure is too low the injectors will spray large droplets that are next to impossible to combust, flooding the car and eventually it may fire on the vapors.
 
Buggy83 said:
Hi!
Woaw, thank you for the great video!
I don't know about oil pressure because when I try to crank engine I don't see it, I'll try to have a better look...
And I think that when trying to start oil has not enought pressure to go on the rockers...
About fuel I have some because it strongly smell when I try. I'll try to see the pressure too...
Oil level, strange, there is too much!!! has the garagiste put too much oil or something else goes inside??? For now I don't know...
I'll come back, thank you
Click to expand...

That bothers me.....check your coolant level, and see if any oil in there with it....

is the oil clean looking or look like a chocolate shake?? if that choc shake look you got a blown gasket, or worse....

:flash:
 
I agree, check the color of the oil - there might be water in there which is maybe why you see high level.... might be condensation if you ran the engine numerous times for only 2-3 minutes. The water in the oil boils off after the engine reaches operating temp and the oil is hotter than 212F.
 
It is not water inside oil but fuel!!! On the gauge, the oil smell very strongly fuel and since I try to crank engine I have used a lot of fuel... The engine seems to be harder to turn...
Now I put the battery to load, next week a friend will come with the necessary to take cylinders pressure...
Wait and see...
thx
 
I hope you were not flooding the cylinders with fuel - it's washing the oil from the cylinder walls and then it drains into the oil pan... to be safe: change the oil ... just get some cheap dino oil for $10 and use that until you figured out what the problem with the engine is.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
It can take a long time for the oil to get there if you're cranking and the engine isn't running

you may smell fuel, but if the pressure is too low the injectors will spray large droplets that are next to impossible to combust, flooding the car and eventually it may fire on the vapors.
Click to expand...

As said above, it might take a while to see oil at the rockers. Your engine is not starting for some other reason, it is not caused by oil problems. Low fuel pressure might be one, clogged injectors, valve timing, etc.
 
Car is hard or wont start! Starts and dies and BAD fuel smell! Oil has raw fuel! Sounds to me like there is 1 or more injectors stuck open creating a direct fuel dump into the Cyl. Like was mentioned above, find and fix the problem before you go cranking on it much more do to cyl wash.

First thing I would do is ohm the injectors and see if any are way off. At minimum pull the plugs and see what cyl it is dumping the fuel into.

Just my 2 cents!
 
As mentioned by TT, BB and SCCA, pull the plugs and take a fuel pressure reading, also check the injectors for the right size (by color). Check the valve timing while the covers are off. You can also crudely check for working injectors with a stethescope.
From your description when running rough, it should at least be puking black smoke out the tailpipes.

As far as the oil...
I bought a 77 a few years ago, ran very well with no noises, but with any new to me car, I like to make sure everything is set correctly and I pulled the covers to adjust the valves.
To my surprise there was absolutelu NO oil going to the rockers for at least the first 5 or 10 minutes, until the engine warmed up. The oil looked brand new.
The only thing I could think of was that it might be straight 50 weight.
Changed the oil to 15w50 and started it again cold, and got oil to the rockers immediately after starup.
If the oil smells like gas change it.
 
I proceed very slowly, because of my work and because I am alone. Today I have changed my engine oil. There were about more than 12 liters then, I think, a mixed of 4 or 5 oil liters and about 7 or 8 fuel liters but it seem I miss about 30 liters in my tank then strangely 22 liters diseaper, perhaps, in the exhaust in all the times I tried to start (crank) engine... ???
For now I always wait for a friend with the necessary to take pressure of cylinders...
 
Last edited:
You sed that you turned the crank to TDC of cilynder #1..... but, sorry if I say that, are you sure that you are there?
The mark in the balancer is aligned with the tab even when you are on cilynder #6.

If you don't check that, the easier way to do it is to verify that the rockers of cilynder #6 are balancing (moving in opposite direction).

Hope this help..... my English is even worst then your! ;-)
 
Yes yes, I'm sure, because in the same time I put the engine mark on the "0" and the finger of the lighner pointing on the #1 wire plug spark.
Then can adjust valves exhaust #1,3,4,8 and intake 1,2,5,7.
And after another 360° turn, the finger was on the #6 wire and adjust exhaust #2,5,6,7 and intake 3,4,6,8.
Thanks
 
Last edited:
no matter, don't worry, even thanks for your post.
I continue to search, next step when I'll have a little free time I'll try to unplug the injectors and try to crank to see how much fuel fall, and try to do a movie to have a better vue of that...
 
Yeahhh! Something new...
I have a little touch more the nuts of the rockers.
I look as I said the injectors and they seem to be ok, you can have a look on the new video, I find my engine turn a little slowly...
After I put the injectors in place (and with new oil in the engine) I tried to crank it and... it do, but I turned off because no belt and a lot of parts missing.
There were a bang (explosed sound), some smoke from the hole of the EGR pipe, but a lot of smoke from de left side of the engine (exhaust???).
I stop for today...
What do you think about this video?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uij_J2GpTtE[/ame]
In 3 parts: 2 to see injectors and 1 with little engine start...
Thanks
 
What on earth are you doing? trying to start the car with the plenum open? If it fires and runs it will go full rpm and possibly suck something in 9like that rag) and you will have killed the engine. Do not start it again before you have it all together or pull the distributor wire.

That smoke, could be gas combusting in the exhaust.

Why is the engine so slow to crank and what's the screeching sound? Did you wash down the walls enough for the rings to drag that much that it's audible You will have a open shot to the cyl. with the upper plenum off so it might be audible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top