right then, first i have to admit to being a bit of a dick! i bought the above car unseen. i love these cars and i was hoping that it would be better than my current 200T.

the car has no history and has been standing for at least a year. i went to collect it, hoping that a reported idle problem was just condensation in the fuel tank etc.

amazingly the car started almost first turn, having not been started for a year! it idled nicely for about 15 minutes, when it was thoroughly warm i gave it a few heavy prods on the gas pedal. i also disconnected the temporary battery i had started it with. within about a minute the engine started dying, it gasped a few more turns then died slowly.

nothing i could do since then would start it. i checked the plugs and although the plugs were very black they were still sparking. i unscrewed all the injection nuts where they enter the block and petrol leaked out of all the threads.

the engine sounded like it was going to fire but just couldn't quite catch. it came closest when the gas pedal was pushed to the floor.

i have only two thoughts, one is that the plugs might need replacing, or that when i blipped the throttle i blew a gasket. i have no idea how to check for this latter scenario.

so any thoughts on how to get this baby running so i can rescue what is otherwise a sound car would be very much appreciated. the car is an auto so i can't tow it and give it a good bump.

thanking you in advance for your help. please be assured that it is always well recieved.

regards

justin

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W123 200T 1982
Porsche 911 sc 1982
Honda C90 Cub 1995

what did the fuel smell like? is the fuel pump running? how's the alternator output? may not be enough to charge a tired battery and keep the car running. or, has the battery sulfated? you've got spark, but is it enough? how 'bout the fuel pressure? volume? it's a k-jet, so what's the control pressure? questions, questions, questions. let us know, please. thanks, chuck.

thanks for the reply,

i put about 15 litres of new fuel into it, any old fuel would have been used up in the fifteen minute idle.

fuel pressure....i tried to take off the two fuel lines that go into the injector, but one of them started spraying so much fuel that i figured pressure was good! i don't think anything came out of the other one, and a local 'mechanic' said that was a return line, i took his word for it. is that right?

certainly fuel is getting to the block, and because the car idled for so long i presume also into the cylinders, as for the actual pressure unless that changed while we were working on it, i don't think that is the problem.

alternator output wasn't measured but even with the car connected to a running/revving engine it wouldn't start, so i don't think that is the issue either. the red charging light only came on as the engine died, as you would expect in a normal working car.

i don't know what a sulfated battery is, but it sounds horrible. i tried jumping the car with the terminals removed from the old battery but this made no difference at all. actually the old battery did seem to be holding a small amount of charge. but for most of the time i had installed a fully working/charged battery while we were working on the car.

so that's where i am at the mo, perhaps a compression test might reveal something.

any more thoughts please share them.

thanks in advance

justin

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W123 200T 1982
Porsche 911 sc 1982
Honda C90 Cub 1995

I do not know if this could be your problem but this past Sunday it happened to my brother-in-law with his wife's car. The car was running fine and then all of a suden it would not start. It would give all the signs and sounds that it wanted to start when you turned the key but just would not catch on. He called me I went to where he had the car. Did all the usual checks and so forth - and could still not start the car. I asked if the car had an alarm system. His wife, who bought the car used before they got married said no - absolutely not! Anyway, after a little while I gave up adn we had it towed into the shop.

What was the problem after all of this? Well, it seems that the previous owner did have an alarm on the car but before selling it only had part of the alarm removed - do not ask ne why or how? But, it was hidden well beneath the dash. Anyway, the half part of the previous alarm was causing a short and would not allow the car to start.

Therefore, have you chaecked to see if there is any original or aftermarket alarm fully or partially installed in the vehicle? I ask this especially since you say it would not start after you totally disconected the battery. Could you have activated the alarm by doing this? Many aftermarket alarms have systems that when activated do not allow the car to start. At elast the ones that they sell here in Central America. And lots of times, many people have hidden kill switches installed which if not depresed before or during start up the car does not start.

Just a thought..................

Iggy

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Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

2006 - Suzuki Gran Vitara (2.0 L fully equipped) Like this car so far except for trying to put on the seatbelt.
1988 - 190e - 2.3L - 172K miles (It now belongs to the exwife)
1999 - Chevy Blazer LS Fully Equiped - killed it June 2006
2001 - Honda Civic EX - 68K miles (sold June 2004)
1963 - 220S - Dual Carb 6 cyl. (sold)
1994 - Yamaha WaveRaider (fun to ride)