Car Stalled And Won't Start, Turns Over, Has Spark And Fuel, Ideas?

[Rolls]

Got someone delivering a second hand cas to my door this morning for $50!

[GTScotT]

I have experienced your exact symptoms on 3 events. 2 of them were the head gasket, and the third was a snapped exhaust cam.

I highly recommend doing a comp test first, as if a cam snapped you will get a bung reading too and then take off the rocker covers.

Hope it works out OK. If your in Sydney/Bankstown local I can lend you a comp gauge if you need be.

[Rolls]

You know I never checked the coolant, should do that today when I head up there, snapped exhaust cam would surely cause piston and valve love though?

[bunno32gtr]

I am having the same problems at the moment mine made a small backfire and then started dieing but I was driving on the highway not even Gettin under boost got a second hand cas and still the same. the exhaust temp light came on after it stalled out aswell

[Rolls]

you put a consult cable on yours?

[GTScotT]

Chances of consult cable working is minimal... Unless your CAS is working but way off you wont get any reading from the consult. The fact you have spare and fuel verifies this.

Do the checks I mentioned. Checking coolant and oil for contamination only works SOME of the time when checking for a HG. You must comp test.

And yes, snapped cam = valve meets piston officially after years of anticipation and sexual frustration.

[Rolls]

Wouldnt piston and valve love make a horrible crunching sound and eventually seize? eg something I couldn't miss trying to turn it over 100x?

First thing I will do when I get back is check coolant and oil for signs of headgasket, then try new cas, if no go I will arrange to get a compression tester off a mate, thanks for the offer but I'm over in SA.

Appreciate all the suggestions everyone.

[zebra]

Pull all the plugs out and see if it cranks over

should spin quite easily with no plugs...if it doesnt something is well f**ked internally

[Simon-S14]

sounds to me very much like a timing related problem. usually when your timing is out it will backfire thro the intake. I would be pulling the cam gear cover off and putting the motor at TDC and checking the timing marks are all lined up.

failing that... your fuel pump could be f**ked.. might have enough pressure to prime but then dies off leaving you with bugger all rail pressure.

[bunno32gtr]

Consult cable? Sorry I'm a little green when it comes to the electrical side. I got a mate coming over tonight to check the voltages at all the different parts

[Rolls]

failing that... your fuel pump could be f**ked.. might have enough pressure to prime but then dies off leaving you with bugger all rail pressure.

I am actually thinking fuel reg, it makes weird noises when priming cold however we checked AFRs on 18psi for a long time on the dyno and they never once showed any signs of leaning, however is is possible that it went from fine to the diaphragm dying and having f**k all pressure. The weird backfires are making me think it is timing though.

So order Im going to do things:

Check for signs of head gasket

Try new cas

pull plugs and see if it spins really fast / compression test

replace fuel reg

somewhere in there I am going to get the consult on there, waiting for my mate to get back from interstate.

bunno32gtr a consult cable lets you talk to the ECU via a laptop and you can pull error codes and check the values of basically all sensors.

edit: really hope the battery still has some juice to turn over, cbf getting there and having to hail a random to come jump it.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Rolls

[bunno32gtr]

Oh k I'm with ya now. Yea I gonna check over it tonight but I starting to lean upwards fuel myself.

[GTScotT]

You have had something go pop and then the motor suddenly stopped. Even if it didnt go pop a sudden stop does not indicate something that would gradually die, IE fuel pump or reg.

Fact is you still have fuel and spark, start thinking more mechanical based.

And no piston and valve contact via a snapped cam would not result in crunch sounds. The cam may have snapped at a point it did not make contact OR it could have snapped and the 1 x piston to valve contact moment would have spun the cam back to a closed position like it did when it happened to me.

Experience at work ^

[Rolls]

Ok thanks for that, compression test will certainly show that up if it is what has happened, will try and organise to get one in the next day.

[The Dan]

Ok thanks for that, compression test will certainly show that up if it is what has happened, will try and organise to get one in the next day.

You need to make sure all the timing marks line up first. Stop cranking that engine over. If you have bent a valve, you risk snapping it, then the next rotation could drive the stem into the head. Backfires indicate a timing issue of some sort. As above, make sure those marks are aligned before proceeding......for the sake of knowing you aren't doing any further damage

[Rolls]

Ok so once I take the timing cover off how do I check they are aligned?

[Simon-S14]

bottom crank balancer mark needs to line up with the notch on the timing cover. this is TDC. pull number 1 spark plug out and use a blunt object down the bore on top of the piston to confirm this as you rotate the crank. the highest point is TDC.

then.. the two cam gears must line up with their corrosponding marks.. theres a dot on the cam and a line on the backing plate of the cover.

if they are out by even 1 tooth.. something is f**ked

[The Dan]

bottom crank balancer mark needs to line up with the notch on the timing cover. this is TDC. pull number 1 spark plug out and use a blunt object down the bore on top of the piston to confirm this as you rotate the crank. the highest point is TDC.

then.. the two cam gears must line up with their corrosponding marks.. theres a dot on the cam and a line on the backing plate of the cover.

if they are out by even 1 tooth.. something is f**ked

The engine will still start if it's one tooth only. He would be looking for 2 or more teeth out so it should stand out pretty clear.

But yeah, even if it's moved one, something has gone wrong

[Rolls]

I took a bit of a gamble and started it again with the new cas, no luck so shut it off. Won't attempt to turn it over until I've got the timing confirmed and done a compression test now.

Thanks for the advice simon and elite, can't be f**ked taking enough tools to take all the front shit off in my back pack so gonna tow it home and go from there.

Worst case and I have smashed everything inside, what's a bare 25 block and head worth these days ~$1k ?

[James_03]

How does it sound at the moment? Like when you crank it are you getting that up/down sound you get with decent compression?

I would have thought the comp would be in a pretty bad way not to atleast start and run rough, in which case the starting sound would be evidently different.

Fingers crossed the comp test comes up OK anyway.

Edited February 24, 2011 by James_03