I suspect bad injectors, but am open to other possibilities

psychopathicdude · #1 10-21-2004, 02:10 AM

I recently came into possession of an 87 pulsar that had previously been serving as a lawn ornament in my friends back yard for the last 9 years....as one might suspect, it didn't spring right to life at the first turn of the key. Actually they couldn't find the key, and I had to have one made. Also, they didn't have a battery in it, I had to get one. But anyway, after all that, no life.....plenty of cranking, but no life. Replaced the plugs, 'cause they were sooty and black. Checked each for fire, and they're all good. Lo and behold, I discover the fuel pump was inoperative. Upon replacing it, I expectantly turned the key again, and was disappointed but not surprised when it still failed to start. Having eliminated most other possibilities, I suspect it has to be that the fuel injectors either aren't getting a signal to open, or aren't responding to that signal. How do I go about testing them? They look like a pain to get at.....being tucked inside the intake manifold and all, so i'm reluctant to go to all the trouble of replacing them if they are not the cause. Also, was the CA16DE motor used in any other Nissan model? 'cause I can't seem to find a service manual for the 87 pulsar.

miverson332 · #2 11-18-2004, 01:36 AM

Go to Ebay and look for a service manual. They have about 12 billion for 99 cents. Have you checked your plugs to see if they smell like fuel? If I were you I would spray some Carb Cleaner in it and see if you can brake up whatever is blocking the jets. If the car has been sitting for a while, it probably has some pretty stanky gas. I would have drained the gas tank before ever attempting to turn it over. You may have introduced your engine to NP (Nigerian Pee). That would not be good at all. After that, assume that it has been sitting for a reason. If you have fuel and spark, tare into the head. Your gonna want to replace the head gasket any way. Line up the notches to 12 o'clock before putting the timing chain back on, and make sure your head is not warped if your gasket is blown. Put it back together, and fire it up. At least you will know the engine is ok. Hope this helps.

psychopathicdude · #3 12-15-2004, 03:28 AM

Update...
I checked the fuel injectors, and they are good. Each one opened and sprayed some fuel when I triggered them manually with 12v from the battery. Manually triggering the injectors, the engine almost started. Guess I can't act quite as quickly as the ECU (imagine that). I did manage to find some schematic diagrams for the car and although they were a rather poor copy, I could make out what I needed to. Armed with these and a Chilton's manual from the local library, I was able to check the EFI Relay, injector resistor, and injectors for proper voltage, function, and impedance. The one weak link seems to be the harness. There is no continuity between the injector harness and the ECU. I have checked all the harness connectors I am aware of underneath the dashboard and elsewhere, so without pulling out the entire harness and scouring it for open faults, I believe my best strategy is to fabricate a new harness (at least temporarily) between the fuel injectors and the ECU. If this solves the problem, I will attempt to procure a new wiring harness for the Engine, as it seems to have been "tampered" with in a few places, and also somewhat weathered in others. I am hoping that this will at least get the engine to run. Even if it runs badly, I will at least be able to take it to a shop without getting hosed for towing. And I'd like to know that it WILL run before having anyone else take a look at it. Don't feel like paying 60 bucks to find out: "Well sir, your car's a piece of crap.....do you want to scrap it out?"
If anyone has any additional insight or tips, I gladly welcome them.
Wish me luck.

mnpulsar · #4 01-10-2005, 12:38 PM

One thing to look for in your search is for ALL the grounds coming out of the ECU. I had one in the engine compartment that was loose and interfered with the fuel pump / engine running smoothly. Look on EBAY for a Factory Service Manual (FSM) they are much more thourough and complete and make finding these issues much easier.

psychopathicdude · #5 05-04-2005, 02:04 PM

Well, it wasn't a ground, it was a fusible link that checked out for voltage, but i guess it was screwed up to the point that it wasn't holding current. Cause once I bypassed it with a new fuse, the engine started! Now I just need to replace the Idle Air thingie and run new wires for injectors 1 & 4....right now they're piggybacking off injectors 2 & 3. What nissan intended as a sequential system is right now operating as a double-gang system.

Demon_Crest · #6 05-10-2005, 01:28 PM

I still can't figure out why i'm idling at such a high rpm. i think there might be something simple wrong with it, but i just dont know.

Any help on this????

Demon_Crest · #7 05-10-2005, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by miverson332

Go to Ebay and look for a service manual. They have about 12 billion for 99 cents. Have you checked your plugs to see if they smell like fuel? If I were you I would spray some Carb Cleaner in it and see if you can brake up whatever is blocking the jets. If the car has been sitting for a while, it probably has some pretty stanky gas. I would have drained the gas tank before ever attempting to turn it over. You may have introduced your engine to NP (Nigerian Pee). That would not be good at all. After that, assume that it has been sitting for a reason. If you have fuel and spark, tare into the head. Your gonna want to replace the head gasket any way. Line up the notches to 12 o'clock before putting the timing chain back on, and make sure your head is not warped if your gasket is blown. Put it back together, and fire it up. At least you will know the engine is ok. Hope this helps.

Would you happen to know where to buy either a bigger engine than the E16I or where to buy a good reman kit on the internet?

"The Helpless Wonder"

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