We have spark, fuel, and runable compression but it wont start. HELP!

[Thor06]

First off, sorry if my train of thought crashes and burns. Its been one long ass day.

Ok, so anyway, I'm sure some of you know Mikes car is a POS. It died slowly one day and wont come back. At first we thought the compression was low, but at ~130 all the way across, it should run. We then checked the fuel pump, sill works. Fuel filter was pretty f-ing nasty so we changed that. Mike forgot to tighten the fuel line securely to the filter and when we cranked it over, fuel ran out the bottom, so its getting to the fuel filter ok atleast. So then we check the ignition system. 2 plugs we gapped ok, the other two we fixed. Still nothing. We tested each plug/wire by taking the plugs out and letting them touch the exhaust manifold and turning the car over. Every plug/wire made spark. Also, we could smell gas coming from the spark plug holes (couldnt really tell which ones). Now we are straight up confused. What the hell else could be wrong? Maybe the ECU took a shit? Connections with the fuel injectors? Could the injectors only partially work? When we turn it over, it sounds like one cylinder is firing, but none others. Please guys, I have no idea what else to check. I think when I get my DSM (in 3 days ) we will take the ECU and injectors out and put them in his car to see if they work. Obviously, I want my shit, but we could use it for a diagnostic tool. Please guys, any input at all will be very much appreciated. Thanks.

[sganc4life_4]

So does the car start or not, because at first you say it wont, then its running on 1 cylinder?

I would take off the injectors and clean em, check your egr, that might have taken a crap on you, or possibly the CAS, but I doubt it.

Good luck

[EDMUND65]

what kinda car?

[ez1286]

Your ecu won't work in mikes car, i'm not sure why but the 90's don't work in the 91's. I'd think ecu though, maybe try to find one somewhere else.

[kjewer1]

The 90 and 91 ECUs have one function swapped around, and IIRC it's a pretty important one like MAS or something. VFAQ has that info. Has the base timing been checked? Cam timing? A friend dropped a washer in my tbelt during a HG swap on my EVO and it skipped like 45 degrees at the crank. No valves bent, but it still wouldnt run. The CAS is driven off the intake cam, so ignition timing was so bollixed it wouldnt start. It could also explain the low compression (valves opening/closing at the wrong times). I think you guys already looked into cam timing, but if not I would do that next since the big three (spark/fuel/compression) seem to be there.

[Thor06]

No, it doesnt run, it just sounds like one cylinder is firing but the other ones arent.

Its the black 91 TSI AWD in my sig.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. I never thought to check the timing since we didnt take the belt off, but I'm almost willing to put my money on that. I think he had the timing belt cover off for some reason or another and I bet something fell in there. Just to double check, the CAS is the cam angle sensor on the opposite side of the cam gears right?

So are 90 ECU's kinda on their own? Do they have EPROM's for them? That sucks, Mike and I are going to buy a parts car that has an EPROM but its a 92.

[kjewer1]

Yes, 1g cas is on passenger end of intake cam. The 90 ECUs are the oddballs, but can be interchanged with 91-94s by swapping two pins shown in vfaq. SOme 90 ECUs are EPROMs. I keep an EPROM ecu in 90, 91-94, and 95 varieties since I know I'll always own some kind of DSM...