IT jetta no start...help

[jetta87]

im building an IT jetta, hooked up harness and wht not. and all it does is crank. checked timing marks at crank with intermediate shaft and that is ok. cam mark is ok. double check mark on distributor. and that is ok. found i had hooked up fuel lines backwards goin to the fuel dist on top of air box. dumb move and other stuff. what is the chance that i blew up the dpr or the fuel regulater? still only cranks. and cold start valve has good spray and the thermo switch by the head is working to spec. also have good spark on all plugs as i found my pliers had a hole in the rubber. dumb again for not checking. this wil help a tone. been fighting this for a while now and want to go drive the car

[Dave Zaslow]

Is this an A1 or A2 Jetta?

[Lael Cleland]

CIS? not diggi right? Start with the simple stuff first. air leaks, I have seen new non-bosch rotors bad.. do you get lots of sparks or few? Make sure the spark can jump 1/2inch + could be a coil..... computer grounds ok? Those had a TSB on the battery ground location back in the day, instead of grounding at the trans mount bracket, they moved it to the top engine/tranny bolt..assuming its an 87 jetta...

[jetta87]

this is an A2 85 cis-e or atleast i think its e. I have good spark. and my grounds are good. i will double check the grounds since anything can happen. computer grounds should be ok since i never messed with the computer or the engine wiring harness. only removed what i need to per rules.

[Flyinglizard]

See if it lights with a fuel prime. If not, retime the cam belt to dist, verifying the cam is on time with the rotor to # 1 cyl.
If it fires but wont run, check fuel pressure and that the fuel pump runs ,key on. Wear glasses if you dont have a guage, crack the cold start injector. It should piss about 10 ft at 80psi. If it just drips out, find the fuel pump relay and jump the contact.
They are the 3/8in wide blades on the relay. ( the only ones in the fuse box, usually on the top row of relays) Might say "#53" on it, might not.)
Sorry missed the fuel sprayline.
Make sure to use the "O" mark on the flywheel, not the timing "block". It should make some noise off of the cold starter. MM

[jetta87]

on the timing note. i timed the motor both ways...cam belt to dist and dist to cam belt. i will check for the o mark on the fly wheel. why does that matter though? and im sure the relay is good but will double check tht and its spot #2 on fuse block for the relay

[Campbell]

After a rebuild -- basics basics. You need air, fuel and spark. Check for a strong spark as mentioned, double check your timing belt marks. Pull your injectors out and stick them in a can, turn on your fuel pump (should have its own on/off switch, if not you need to wire it up as a stand alone), pick up the fuel distributor and push on the air plate - watch the injectors and check for all injectors to open at the same time and have a good spray. If all that is okay, have someone try to start it while you "clock" the distributor (loosen the lock down bolt and move it one way or the other to see if you can get the engine to hit). It is common for the distributor to need "clocking" and/or often, there is not enough gas to start from the cold start valve/not enough air lifting the plate to open the injectors when trying to start.

It will start.. sometimes it is a challenge to get things going after an overhaul!! good luck

[jetta87]

cold start valve sparys good. i believe its not getting enough fuel. and me and my dad tried clocking the dist when cranking and that didnt do anything. when we did that i double checked fuel line and had backwards. switch made small diff. poss fuel reg and dpr?

[Sandro]

you try putting the injectors into a cup and pulling up on the fuel distributor air plate?

Bentley has instructions, or check the fuel pressure with a pressure gauge.

[Lael Cleland]

Jump the fuel pump, have some one crank it and lift up manually on the air door, If it pops and bangs and tries to start, its air fuel mix is out of whack....Keep the throttle wide open when doing this... You can use a long 3mm to pull it open also...
I have never seen or heard of a fuel psr reg failing.... CIS basic doesn't have one...
Maybe look at fuel lines to make sure they didn't get crushed by jack stands...
If the return line is pinched, the air door wont open, the system is backwards to EFI... I have seen broken wires to the potentiometer(sp?) cause this...
Is it flooded?

Is there a warm up regulator next to the oil filter housing??????? If there is its cis basic... cis-e has more to go wrong.....

[Campbell]

Check your plugs after you try to start it.. if they are dry, you aren't getting enought fuel. Manually lift the air plate to get fuel while trying to start, if you flood it pull the plugs, dry them and leave them out to dry the cylinders and then try again, good luck

[Tim Dugan]

gonna mention this since it happened to me when i did my motor make sure the cam pully is on the right way. And by that my cam pully has marks on both sides and will go on both ways but there about 90 degers out. just saying :shrug:

[Joe Camilleri]

Make sure that you have the plug wires in the right order. Don't ask me how I know this.

[jetta87]

plug wires are in right position. removed #4 fuel injector and no fuel is coming out. removed injector from the fuel line and still no fuel coming out. maybe the transfer pump in tank? fuel line were never crushed. the jack or jack stand have never touched these. and how would the air/fuel mix be wrong. that screw has never been touched since 1985 cause the car has been in the family since then. and know better not to touch it. but i will have someone crank and pull up on the air plate with magnet

[Dave Zaslow]

Well if the cold start valve is "spraying good" and the #4 injector supply is flowing nothing it probably is in the fuel distributor. Pull the other injectors to see if the results are the same. How about pulling the supply to the fuel filter to see if you have flow there; seeing if the flow after the filter is the same; or actually hooking up a fuel pressure guage? If the pintle in the fuel distributor is knackered, you are probably SOL.

[jetta87]

if it is in the dist...i am not sol because i have spare parts for the entire fuel system, i had another 85 that i stripped of usable parts

[Campbell]

As mentioned before, be sure your fuel pump is turned on (again should have its own direct power supply), pull the injectors and put them on a can or jar and just push up on the air plate from the bottom (simply pick the distributor up off the box and reach under) - if the pump is running and fuel doesn't flow: fuel pressure or distributor problem. I imagine it will be okay. If it is, put the injectors back in, have someone turn it over and reach under and push the plate to get gas going and it should start if the ignition dist is anywhere near correct.be sure someone also presses on the gas so it getsa air too!

[jetta87]

so im back to finish this topic. its been a while. everything that all of you sugested was ok and working accordingly. check for compression. found no compression. when i assemble the bottom end i triple checked before puting the pistons on and making sure all the rings were in proper place. so after comp check i found all of my shop air was goin out the exhaust 100%. removed the head and found my exhaust valves were not closing. calle dthe machine shop. explained to them. found out that the wrong valve guides were installed wrong. #1 i put thes guides in i college when i didnt know anything and was starting this project. #2 they showed me two diff lengths of guides. i clearlty had the wrong ones installed. the appologized for not catching this adn put in the correct valve guides. so now the car should start. that was the whole problem from the begining along with broken intank fuel pump

[Lael Cleland]

Well look at it this way, you know what an engine with no compression sounds like now. Life is a learning experience!

[CRallo]

Thanks for the update!!!! All who read this thread from now on will thank you! :p

Reminds of my Suzuki when I stretched the intake valves...

[jetta87]

back again for an update. finally had time to put back together since i have been busy with my house and what not. car runs like a champ. moved the dit a tiny bit and fired right up. what are you guys doing for timeing and how are you setting timing. i know you can time with witha light off the fly wheel. but i dont really know anything after that. any help would be great. and what exhaust are you running. i have a tt header and that it for now. and remeber this is a 1.8 8v. bored 20 over ,port/polish head. bigger valves,balanced and printed.

[Tim Dugan]

:023:we time are cars at 34 degrees befor TDC at 4000 RPMS. I run a 1.8 as well in ITB. Not sure if im speaking out of line or not but port and polish i think is ok but bigger valves :shrug: might wanna look at the gcr for more info if your runnig in ITB. If im wrong sorry in advanced

[shwah]

If it is an ITB build the only things you can do on the head are resurface, match the ports to the gasket without touching anything beyond 1" from the gasket surface, and whatever is detailed in the Bentley.

[angel653922]

Those had a TSB on the battery ground location back in the day