Car runs good now, explanation and crappy video inside. Woot!

Duke
Check your MAF/MAP sensor (whichever the car has). If it's not reading intake airflow, it won't run right if at all.
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I can unplug the MAF completely and the car will run just fine, I've done it before. It's not like some cars that die if you pull it off. Either way it "should" still start and just die if the sensor is bad.

CAMAROBOY69
As soon as I read the problem I was going to say water or ice in the fuel tank from the weather but it looks like you already figured that out. Since its been very cold lately.
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That's a lot of friggen water, I let the fuel pump run 3 times to make sure everything got out, AND I put in that Heet stuff. Seems like someone just dumped in a bucket of water overnight or something.

Also, does fuel make that "oily" look on wet ground too? The rainbow colored stuff. I see a lot of it around my car and I'm wondering if I might have a bigger problem or if that's just the fuel that ran out when I took out the filter.

And another thing. My radiator hoses are filled with antifreeze to the point where it feels somewhat like a bubble when I squish the hoses, and the top hose to engine connection seems to have leaked a little. Dried green stuff around it. Could cranking the engine over and over cause this?


Thanks for all the help so far guys, I really need this.
 
This happens a lot in the winter when people leave their gas tanks half empty or close to empty. It develops condensation from the weather getting cold then warm. So the best advice is to keep your gas tank as full as possible in the winter to avoid this from happening again.
Yes fuel makes the rainbow effect on the ground so if you have a hole in your tank, water could be getting in that way too.
 
CAMAROBOY69
This happens a lot in the winter when people leave their gas tanks half empty or close to empty. It develops condensation from the weather getting cold then warm. So the best advice is to keep your gas tank as full as possible in the winter to avoid this from happening again.
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If this is true then it's definitely the reason. I haven't had the tank full since before Christmas. I've been putting in 5-10 dollars at a time.

Even now it's almost full but not completely. Stupid pre-pay.

Anyways, I've blown out the fuel filter again and ran the pump a few times again. Charging the battery now, wish me luck guys.
 
Ok, I know this is a double post, but maybe someone has something to add to this, and I need this a lot.

I noticed while attemping to start the engine, after I would stop cranking, the engine would fire a bit more times.

I don't know if it was catching and attemping to start, but it would be cranking without any sign of starting, then start to catch once I let off the ignition.

Checking my manual, it says "ignition timing is in need of adjustment".

I don't have a timing light, nor do I know where to get one. Is there any other "not by the book" ways of doing this?
 
I would not mess with your timing. Since you already stated you had water and ice in the line there is a good chance all your plugs are fouled from the water. Try pulling a couple plugs and see if they are dry and still new looking. Take a few out and clean them. If it starts after that then your plugs were just wet.
You could also bypass the gas tank like you did last time and use some new fresh gas to see if it will stay running. If it stays running with the gas tank bypassed then you probably still have water in the tank.
 
CAMAROBOY69
I would not mess with your timing. Since you already stated you had water and ice in the line there is a good chance all your plugs are fouled from the water. Try pulling a couple plugs and see if they are dry and still new looking. Take a few out and clean them. If it starts after that then your plugs were just wet.
You could also bypass the gas tank like you did last time and use some new fresh gas to see if it will stay running. If it stays running with the gas tank bypassed then you probably still have water in the tank.
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I'm almost sure I got all the water out of my tank. I've ran the fuel pump a total of 5 times so far without being hooked up to anything and let it drain out, I've cleared out the fuel filter 2 times, and I put Heet into the tank to get the water out.

I was just reading up on timing and it said if the timing is advanced, the ignition will happen before the piston reached the top of it's travel, and basically stop the piston from moving up.

I'm getting exactly that, it cranks cranks and then I get a massive jolt and it stops, then slowly starts back up again.
I'm just wondering how the timing could have gotten messed up without anyone touching it, or of the CPS and the other stuff inside the distributor is just not functioning correcting ( I don't know if it can "kind of" break, as in still gives a spark but not at the right time) and the distributor just needs to be replaced.
 
If there was that much moisture in your tank then you should at least look inside the cap to make sure its not also full of moisture. Or rusty.
 
CAMAROBOY69
If there was that much moisture in your tank then you should at least look inside the cap to make sure its not also full of moisture. Or rusty.
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I don't know if there was that much moisture in the tank, I just did it that much to make sure I got everything out.

Which cap are you talking about though? Distributor cap? It's clean and dry.
 
Distributor Cap. Check inside that for moisture or rust. You said you were getting spark but it might not be enough to send spark to every cylinder. Since you have already found water in the gas tank you know thats a major part of the problem. Keep flushing it and cleaning everything out until all that water is gone. You mentioned a few posts back (post #19) that after you did this you got it running.
You really need to make sure ALL the water is out of the tank. Even if that means draining the entire tank. Make sure the dist cap doesnt have water and make sure the spark plugs dont have water on them.
 
CAMAROBOY69
Distributor Cap. Check inside that for moisture or rust. You said you were getting spark but it might not be enough to send spark to every cylinder. Since you have already found water in the gas tank you know thats a major part of the problem. Keep flushing it and cleaning everything out until all that water is gone. You mentioned a few posts back (post #19) that after you did this you got it running.
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Yep the distributor cap is clean and dry inside.

I guess I'll just go keep flushing the gas out some more.
 
Now this may not be as helpful as some of the other suggestions, but A while back when we got a lot of rain here, I ran though a "larger" puddle for my car, and as soon as I shut it off it didnt want to start again, I put heet in it and it started barley, but didnt really run, so I also put a couple of fans directly on the engine to get any water off it and dry. So after about a half day of that it started really roughly but kept running. So perhaps a fan or two wouldn't hurt.
 
That: sounds like my little glitch with the now parked vehicle in my avatar. I had been basically mudding to get my crews to work. months later, I decided "what the hey", since the battery was allready crap, to blast some of the mud off the engine (i even had mud on the underside the hood!) it didn't work right after that...untill we went to go move it earlier in 07. we bummed the battery out of a parked 82 camaro...and it fired right up without the hesetation or stalling it had when it was parked 2 years earlier. it still needs a cam, so it's staying parked.

you'll have to go over your tank itself as well. I have a distinct feeling your gonna find a pinhole leak somewhere.

also...hoses being squishy, etc is NOT a good sign.
i found out the hard way you've GOT to go at least replace plugs, hoses, wires, lights, and usually the tires and ALL fluids. I've had too many used cars :P
 
Sniffs
That: sounds like my little glitch with the now parked vehicle in my avatar. I had been basically mudding to get my crews to work. months later, I decided "what the hey", since the battery was allready crap, to blast some of the mud off the engine (i even had mud on the underside the hood!) it didn't work right after that...untill we went to go move it earlier in 07. we bummed the battery out of a parked 82 camaro...and it fired right up without the hesetation or stalling it had when it was parked 2 years earlier. it still needs a cam, so it's staying parked.

you'll have to go over your tank itself as well. I have a distinct feeling your gonna find a pinhole leak somewhere.

also...hoses being squishy, etc is NOT a good sign.
i found out the hard way you've GOT to go at least replace plugs, hoses, wires, lights, and usually the tires and ALL fluids. I've had too many used cars :P
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Well the problem he's having isn't related to a vehicle sitting too long, it's a more sudden problem caused most likely by water alone. PB how was it running on the way home the first day it happened after you got it started?
 
land sea air
Well the problem he's having isn't related to a vehicle sitting too long, it's a more sudden problem caused most likely by water alone. PB how was it running on the way home the first day it happened after you got it started?
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It ran perfectly.

Well, we found out the problem, the timing belt jumped a tooth.

I hope that's all that's wrong with it.

Who knows how I got it running yesterday and drove it around though.
 
Perfect Balance
It ran perfectly.

Well, we found out the problem, the timing belt jumped a tooth.

I hope that's all that's wrong with it.

Who knows how I got it running yesterday and drove it around though.
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so one problem basically drove you to find another completely unrelated problem. I would seriously recommend getting your tank drained and cleaned, and possibly checked for leaks. good to know you figured it out though 👍
 
land sea air
so one problem basically drove you to find another completely unrelated problem. I would seriously recommend getting your tank drained and cleaned, and possibly checked for leaks. good to know you figured it out though 👍
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I think the first problem was the water in the tank, when we got that fixed (yesterday) the car ran. Then today, as I hadn't gotten it all out completely, all the cranking and stuff make the (quite loose) belt jump a tooth, and now, since I finally got the water out of the tank out, I have to fix that.

Or so I hope, if I change the belt and it still doesn't run, that will suck, really bad.


Although the belt is due anyways, nearing the 90k mark.
 
land sea air
Well the problem he's having isn't related to a vehicle sitting too long, it's a more sudden problem caused most likely by water alone. PB how was it running on the way home the first day it happened after you got it started?
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it wasn't sitting when it conked out the first time. i was driving to work, and it wouldn't go over about 5 mph, except downhill. never did figure it out the whole way

PB: figures. notice how it's always something that breaks off mechanically, then screws up everything else even AFTER you go for the main problem?
 
Sniffs
it wasn't sitting when it conked out the first time. i was driving to work, and it wouldn't go over about 5 mph, except downhill. never did figure it out the whole way

PB: figures. notice how it's always something that breaks off mechanically, then screws up everything else even AFTER you go for the main problem?
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Yep, other stuff always gets screwed up.

My luck has ran out though, we can't get the crankshaft bolt off (bending the breaker bar) and one of the spokes on the cam gear snapped off after we attempted to use it to stop the crank from spinning. We figured the belt would rip if anything, but no, the freaking gear had to break.
 
Perfect Balance


Yep, other stuff always gets screwed up.

My luck has ran out though, we can't get the crankshaft bolt off (bending the breaker bar) and one of the spokes on the cam gear snapped off after we attempted to use it to stop the crank from spinning. We figured the belt would rip if anything, but no, the freaking gear had to break.
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so new camshaft then?
 
Man. You sure are having a nightmare of problems this past week or so.
 
ferrari_chris
Man. You sure are having a nightmare of problems this past week or so.
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As long as the car starts when we finish all of this, I'll be perfectly fine with it.


If it still doesn't work, I'm gonna blow something up.


Or something.
 
If all else fails:

GreenPetrolCanTH.jpg


+

match2e.jpg


+

istockphoto_2860278_insurance_policy.jpg


=
crv_fire_200.jpg


Then:

adamWhiteBGgallery.jpg


👍
 
I do believe that will get you arrested
 
Being arrested is not even the worst thing.

The worst thing is that you end up with a Mitsubishi.
 
And you only get arrested if you get caught.

Don't get caught.
 
I finished the timing belt today, and put everything back together. I drained about 1 liter of gas, to check if there was water in there. It appears fine, no water ended up on the bottom or anything, but its still not starting. I don't know what to do next. I can't afford taking it to a shop.
 
Is it timed properly? Your ECU could still be retarding your timing way off. They tend to do this with a faulty oxygen sensor or similar.

Try spraying some ether into the combustion chambers and cranking it over. See if it fires.
 
ferrari_chris
Is it timed properly? Your ECU could still be retarding your timing way off. They tend to do this with a faulty oxygen sensor or similar.

Try spraying some ether into the combustion chambers and cranking it over. See if it fires.
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I just checked my plugs, I've got a bit of a new problem.

The plugs make a spark, but not when cranking.

I ground the plug and tell my sister to crank the engine, and it sparks a bit, then while the engine is cranking, it doesn't spark.


Weird scenario, I have no idea what could do that.



EDIT: In fact, it doesn't fire while starting, then when I release, the plug fires off about 10 times in half a second or so.


I can't find anything on this, nor what could cause it.
 
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