1973 450SL starts on Cold Valve Squirt then stalls

[rowdie]

Originally Posted by mespe

SUCCESS

And......................?????????????

[meltedpanda]

what was it??

[mespe]

After I noticed the plug wires messed up, I pulled all of them from the distributor cap, and reconnected them one at a time, correctly.

what was it? I have no idea. Could have been trigger points and when I adjusted them it still wouldn't start because of the wiring.

could be the PO had trigger point issues and thought to replace the wires and plugs, and couldn't get the car to start. From there it went to a mechanic (who I bought it from and told me the owner said something about a vacuum leak)

The first youtube shows how the car "ran" for the few seconds it did. I guess from now on the first thing I check on a no run condition is the routing of the spark plug wires. It's easy to do and might have saved me pulling the distributor a few times.

some things I learned, or feel I should share.

Always have the distributor at TDC when pulling the trigger points

Always check the connections of the spark plug wires and ensure they are properly connected. You never know who touched the vehicle before.

When removing the distributor have the engine at TDC, and the two cams pointing up on the number one cylinder (can be viewed from the oil cap) At this point the rotor notch points to a line in the ridge of the cap, so there is no question about igntion timing.

Put a little bright colored paint on the TDC mark, makes it easier to see.

[RadioTek]

So it was one of those "You can't assume ANYTHING" situations.

Let this be a lesson to all.

You can't really be blamed, as the culprit was what I call an IPO ; Idiot Prevoous Owner.

Its just one of those things that is so basic that no one ever thnks to check it, except when they replace the wires or mess around with them.

But the car sounds fairly good. Get the timing on spec, and take it out for an italian tune up, just for fun. Although the fun may be discovering what else you need to work on. With an IPO, you never know what else they f***ed up.

Good work
Scott

[meltedpanda]

I knew it had to be spark, related , and good deal on keeping after it
DJET's are really not that complicted a system, but it is imperative to ensure each piece is working and to do one system at a time

[mespe]

This was a good primer, I have a 1973 450SE with a no start condition as well, hopefully it'll take a lot less time figuring her out.

[mespe]

Originally Posted by RadioTek

But the car sounds fairly good. Get the timing on spec, and take it out for an italian tune up, just for fun.

And what is a good timing for this car? the vacuum advance has been disconnected, Already took the car for a spin, runs really good, I mean really good, punching it, she gets down and rockets ahead.

After a few minutes of idling, she started surging, I replaced some rock hard rubber vacuum lines, cleaned out the AAV and the surging stopped, boy that was easy,,,,

[meltedpanda]

About 28 deg BTDC with vac line disconnected and plugged at 3000RPM

[cushjbc]

mespe,

In one of your latest posts you refer to previous owner as PO - this could also stand for present owner; I am guilty of ignition wire crossing after a timing chain job (and I labeled them with tape!). Imagine a very rough running engine after your rookie timing chain effort. I'm really glad you found the problem. Have fun with the rest of the tune up. D-Jet is fun to work on.

[mespe]

here's a couple pics,,,

[marcski]

Hello all - can someone tell me which way to turn the ECU thumbcrew to "lean" it out ??

Thanks.

[RadioTek]

Remember: the screw on the ECU only controls the mixture at IDLE. Over the rest of the throttle range, the ECU controls the mixture with inputs from MAP sensor, IAT sensor, and CLT sensor, as well as Throttle Position Sensor.

Scott

[meltedpanda]

turn CW for rich, CCW for lean

[Graham]

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

turn CW for rich, CCW for lean

Sometimes when I am upside down looking up or doing the adjustment blind, I have trouble knowing which way is which

Unless you want to experience hot start problems, it is best to have the idle mixture on rich side. As Scott said - the ECU screw only controls idle mixture. What that means, is that the throttle is completely closed and you have not touched the pedal. As soon as the pedal moves, the ECU switches over to control from the MPS with additional inputs from the temperature sensors and TPS.

To adjust the mixture, especially MPS, you really need a CO (or more modern) exhaust analyser.

[meltedpanda]

Hey Graham, good to see you are still posting. Correct on the sniffer if you can find one!
I have a habit on actually taking a watch and holding it up to the dial ( or other item ) to see the way it should turn