I am trying to finish a head gasket job on my sisters 93 da special edition auto. The car ran before I tore it down but not well. I ripped the whole engine apart, got the head resurfaced, installed a new gasket, and put it all back together.
From the start I was really worried about setting the timing again. I have the cam gears set with the “up” perfectly up, the side notches pointing to one another, and the crank pulley set to tdc. I turned the engine over manually a couple times and tightened the tensioner. I reinstalled the valve cover, plugs, ect and tried starting it. It turns over but does not fire. I’m getting spark and fuel. I need help trying to troubleshoot what is wrong with it. I will take any advice or suggestions, but I also have some direct questions.
When I manually turn the engine over, it is kind of hard. It seems like I have to use too much force. Also, throughout the turn of the crank pulled, it gets harder and easier in certain places. In turn the timing belt has different tensions dependent on where the crank pulley is in its turn. Is my belt too loose/tight? Could my ps, alt, or crank belts be too tight?
My manual says to tighten the cam bearing caps to 7 ft/lbs of torque. I worked from the center and worked my way out. 7 ft/lbs seems like nothing, but it almost feels like the cams are too tight. Did I tighten those caps correctly?
Do I have to do anything special to re prime my fuel system considering I had to disconnect my fuel lines?
My cams point up with every other turn of the crank pulley. Is that how its supposed to be?
My distributor can’t be installed the wrong way. Right? I know you can adjust the timing, but that can’t keep the car from starting. Right?
Try doing a valve adjustment. Any time you remove the head and cams, you wanna make sure that they are set properly. Double check that end then retry, hopefully it solves your problem.
[QUOTE=blue92gs;2238781]I am trying to finish a head gasket job on my sisters 93 da special edition auto. The car ran before I tore it down but not well. I ripped the whole engine apart, got the head resurfaced, installed a new gasket, and put it all back together.
From the start I was really worried about setting the timing again. I have the cam gears set with the “up” perfectly up, the side notches pointing to one another, and the crank pulley set to tdc. I turned the engine over manually a couple times and tightened the tensioner. I reinstalled the valve cover, plugs, ect and tried starting it. It turns over but does not fire. I’m getting spark and fuel. I need help trying to troubleshoot what is wrong with it. I will take any advice or suggestions, but I also have some direct questions.
When I manually turn the engine over, it is kind of hard. It seems like I have to use too much force. Also, throughout the turn of the crank pulled, it gets harder and easier in certain places. In turn the timing belt has different tensions dependent on where the crank pulley is in its turn. Is my belt too loose/tight? Could my ps, alt, or crank belts be too tight?
My manual says to tighten the cam bearing caps to 7 ft/lbs of torque. I worked from the center and worked my way out. 7 ft/lbs seems like nothing, but it almost feels like the cams are too tight. Did I tighten those caps correctly?
Do I have to do anything special to re prime my fuel system considering I had to disconnect my fuel lines?
My cams point up with every other turn of the crank pulley. Is that how its supposed to be?
My distributor can’t be installed the wrong way. Right? I know you can adjust the timing, but that can’t keep the car from starting. Right?
WHY WON’T THIS CAR START!
Please help!
Here are some pics for your enjoyment.
Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]
I recently did a head gasket replacement for my 92 gsr a couple of months ago and mine start up fine. Please double check if your cams align “Up” correctly when the crank is at tdc. The pointer on the crank should line up to the white marking on the crank pulley. Also check to see if your timing belt tension is not too tight. This is how I tight my tension. First I would make sure the tension is not tight when the cams gear and the cranks are aligned at tdc. Turn the crank pulley about three to four teeth of the cams counter clockwise. Now tight the timing belt tensioner. Then turn the the cranks three or four revolution to make sure the timing belt is not too loose or too tight. Then you will need to do the valve adjustment for all the valves. I recommend remove the spark plugs while doing the valve adjustment I found out it’s a lot easier. As for your distributor it will only go one way. I hope this help. Good luck.
Seeing all those pictures reminded me of how much work i did on mine! well anyway as for your no starting issue, you need to prime your fuel since you disconnected your lines by just KOEO a few times. But you have tried starting it more than once so that might not be the issue. Always remember the simple stuff like fuel and spark! Make sure the firing order is correct 1-3-4-2. Cylinder #1 on the right (if your in front of the engine). Hope it helps.
valve lash being off might sound like shit once started but woulnt lead to a no start issues… I have to agree with aznlover. pull that VC and make sure those marks are all lined up and double check that ignition firing order.
