Starting problems...

[caniborrow50cnts]

well, in a string of bad luck, I am now to the point where my talon won't start. First of all, dont buy wal-mart's douglas tires. I had a blowout after 19,000 miles cause the tread was totally gone. When the tire blew, i lost control since i was turning when it happened. I hit a curb and bent one of my rims. I went ahead and bought a new set of rims and tires and thats when i noticed my strut was bent. A day later, my CV joint snaps. It broke at the boot where those three pegs are. While I was slowing down, those pegs kept pounding a hole in the side of my transmission. After 10 hours of working on it, i was able to replace the tranny and CV joint. When everything is back together, I went to start it and it just turns but doesnt start. My timing belt is still intact. I replaced the spark plugs and wires. Each plug is producing a powerful spark. I HAVE GAS IN THE TANK (and people for some reason mention that to me first). The battery is fully charged. Anyone got any clues? For your info though, its a 1992 Eagle Talon, 2.0L, automatic non-turbo. Please any help is appreciated.

[89Turbo944]

You said you replaced the tranny and it wont start. Is it possible that the ECU dosent see that the tranny is in park and there for will not start.

Do you hear any kind of noise when trying to start. Like do you hear the fuel pump priming, or a clicking of the starter?

Ya and never buy any automotive products from Wal Mart, unless it is an air freshiner.

[caniborrow50cnts]

Well, i checked the fuel pressure, and the fuel reaches the fuel rail. The starter is working fine, the car is acting like it has no gas though. I tried adjusting the timing, but no luck there. I dont know about the fuel injectors though. If fuel is reaching the fuel rail, how do i know it is going through the injectors? Could the timing have anything to do with this? Also, i know it must be know where park is since I can disconnect the park/neutral switch on the tranny and it wont allow me to even try and start.

[89Turbo944]

yes, timing could cause your car to not start. If it is off enough. you can check an see if the fuel injectoers are getting fuel to the cylinder by pulling the plugs after cranking and smelling them. If they smell like gas then you are getting fuel.

If your timing is off then the spark plug will not fire at the right time. Which wont ignite the air fuel mixture. Also you may want to try checking your ignition system. And check all the fuses.

Man you have no luck, hope you get it running

[caniborrow50cnts]

Each plug smells like gas. I can only tell you that 1 and 4 are firing at the same time, and 2 and 3 are firing at the same time but 1 and 4 are opposite 2 and 3, just like they are supposed to be. The only other thing i can think of is 1 and 4 are firing when 2 and 3 are supposed to be and vice versa. I think its time to seek professional help.

[89Turbo944]

Well firing order for a 4 cylinder is 1-3-4-2.

So, 1 and 4 ahould be at the top of the cylinder at the same time, as would 2 and 3.

Now if 2 and 3 are firing when 1 and 4 are suposta it sounds like you are 180degrees out on your timing. But did you touch your timing?

Try cranking the motor and pull of a spark plug lead and see if you have spark.

I was also thinking that your ignition modual may be faulty.

But it is quite difficult to tell from where im sitting.

So the 3 things you need for combustion are fuel spark and air at appropriate time. You must not be getting these at the right time.

If you have checked to see if there is spark then you should be able to ignite the fuel. But if your timing is off then this will not happen.

Hope this helps.

[caniborrow50cnts]

I didnt mess with the timing, but i dont know if I messed it up chaning out that transmission. It worked fine before then, I didnt try cranking again till after the tranny and starter were both bolted in place...however, I did have to spin the engine with the harmonic balancer to bolt down the torque converter. could that have messed it up?

After being shocked a couple times just now, I can honestly say each plug is sparking while in the engine block. When I think about it...I have air, gas, and a spark in each cylinder, all at time same time, the only reason I can think of for it not turning over is improper timing. I tried to advance and retard it but I think it is much farther off than I can adjust.

[89Turbo944]

Well if you are getting all the elements to create combustion you should have combustion. I think that eather the ECU does not see a proper signal from the CAS or it is 180 out.

Have you washed the engine bay latley cause many owners have problems with their CAS right after washing their engine bay. This is because the rubber gaskets on the CAS housing can dry up over time, and allow water (or steam) inside the sensor. Once water gets in to the sensor it is usually wrecked. Without the CAS, the ECU does not know when to fire the injectors or plugs, and the engine can not run. For this reason most people cover the CAS prior to washing the engine, and take steps to keep steam out like "drive until dry" or opening the hood.

[89Turbo944]

Also you may want to check the fuses in the passanger side small relay box. It will have a fuse for the ignition and MPI. If one of these is blown then the car wont start. Also check your fuel pressure solinoid. It raises the fuel pressure during cold starts.

Other than that i dont know what to tell you without actualy looking at the car. I hope all this helped, and continue to post on it untill it is fixed, im curious to see what it is that is causing all thie trouble.

[caniborrow50cnts]

no, havent washed the engine
I see on other threads people suggest they should reset the CAS and ECU if possible. How can this be done properly and should it fix the problem? If it is reset though, how will the CAS know when the piston is at TDC?

[89Turbo944]

To reset the ecu all you need to do is pull the fuse. The CAS senses the Camshaft angle, and i think it is keyed into the cmashaft so it will only go in one way.

Removing your MPI fuse will reset the ECU and erase any fault codes. Then try to crank it over.

Im not sure how to reset the CAS but this may also reset it. It shouldent cause a problem if you do this.

Maby your ECu is saying that your new tranny is not in park because when you removed the old one from the car it set a fault code. IF you remove the MPI fuse then it will reset the ECU and then it should start. And make sure that it is fully in "P" when starting

Good luck.

[caniborrow50cnts]

I can honestly say, I dont know where the MPI fuse is. I know of 3 places for the fuses...under dash on driver side, engine compartment passenger side, and a/c relays on driver side. Is there something i'm missing because I don't see anything labeled MPI or ignition. We are still talking about a 92 talon/eclipse/laser which are all the generally the same. Aren't we?

[89Turbo944]

Well the fuse should be the same but it is for a 2g eclipse.

It should be next to the strut tower on the passanger side. Near the larger fuse box. It is a small box. With only 4 relays in it. One is for the multi point injection (MPI) pull it and wait a min and then put it back in and try to start it.

If you dont have this just pull a bunch of fuses and then replace them. Your bound to pull the right one eventually.

There are 3 boxesin the engine bay, one is a very small one. It should be there. I have a diagram of the engine bay. This should reset your ECU and it will hopefully let you restart your car.

[kjewer1]

If you are getting spark, then we know you connected (and they work) the CAS, ignitor, coilpack, etc. If the CAS was missing, the ECU wont bother to fire the plugs or injctors at all. If you moved that CAS though, the timing will be off. You can use a timing light to check timing while the motor is cranking. On a 2g at least the ECU doesnt touch timing, so it will crank at base timing, or 5 degrees. If its not at 5, it will have to be off by a good bit though to be the problem. If its within a few degrees look into other problems.

Aside from checking/resetting base timing, all I can suggest is make sure you reconnected everything. Especially around the battery/fusebox. There should be the heavy wire to the starter, and some smaller things. The MPI fuse should be right on the battery, it wont hurt to try that suggestion, though I Cant think of any codes that will prevent starting.

The key to remember is that parts you didnt go near arent going to randomly break. Example, after changing your plugs the car wont start. Its not going to be the fuel pump. Etc. Dont over complicate things, look in the areas you were working, especially around wiring.

[caniborrow50cnts]

Originally Posted by 95 GSXracer

The key to remember is that parts you didnt go near arent going to randomly break. Example, after changing your plugs the car wont start. Its not going to be the fuel pump. Etc. Dont over complicate things, look in the areas you were working, especially around wiring.

Hmm, interesting thought since my transmission went out and I just found out my valves are bent. At least I found out why my car wouldn't start.

I have one question though that I want everyone to answer honestly...
How much does the average valve job cost on a 4 cylinder, 2 liter engine?
I will tell you my redicilous quote after a couple of days.