Waking the car up from a nap

[OverlandMan]

So if anyone has been following for the past year and a half, I've been slowly rebuilding and cleaning the entire fuel system in 5482. I believe I have literally touched every component in this system.

• Cleaned the fuel tank
• New fuel pump, boot, baffle screen, & rubber lines
• Fresh gas
• New DPI fuel line kit
• Cleaned injectors & flow tested
• New injector rubber seals
• New copper crush washers
• New fuel filter
• New fuel accumulator
• Fixed stuck plunger in fuel distributor
• New banjo bolts
• New injector clips

I also replaced these components in the engine compartment:

• Spark plugs
• Ignition wires
• Distributor cap & rotor

Up until Saturday, the car had not run since September 2013. A couple weeks back, I tried to crank it up but couldn't get it to run or even try. Turns out my old fuel pump died (thud sound when powering). I replaced that and jumped the RPM relay to prime the system for a few seconds. Now I can get it to run (It's alive!) for a few seconds and then it immediately dies. I can repeat the process for what seems indefinitely. The car will run for a few seconds, then die.

In pondering this a bit, my initial thoughts are maybe the RPM relay is failing and not keeping the fuel pump running? I should be able to jump it and test that theory. If that's not it, another thought I had was maybe the new DMCH intake hose in the tank is collapsing? I recall hearing members using a screen door spring to keep that line from collapsing.

I thought I'd see what you guys thought in addition to my two initial theories. It seems like a fuel delivery issue since I can get it to run for a few seconds every time I try to start it up. I would think oxygen and spark can be eliminated here. What say you guys?

[David T]

So if anyone has been following for the past year and a half, I've been slowly rebuilding and cleaning the entire fuel system in 5482. I believe I have literally touched every component in this system.

• Cleaned the fuel tank
• New fuel pump, boot, baffle screen, & rubber lines
• Fresh gas
• New DPI fuel line kit
• Cleaned injectors & flow tested
• New injector rubber seals
• New copper crush washers
• New fuel filter
• New fuel accumulator
• Fixed stuck plunger in fuel distributor
• New banjo bolts
• New injector clips

I also replaced these components in the engine compartment:

• Spark plugs
• Ignition wires
• Distributor cap & rotor

Up until Saturday, the car had not run since September 2013. A couple weeks back, I tried to crank it up but couldn't get it to run or even try. Turns out my old fuel pump died (thud sound when powering). I replaced that and jumped the RPM relay to prime the system for a few seconds. Now I can get it to run (It's alive!) for a few seconds and then it immediately dies. I can repeat the process for what seems indefinitely. The car will run for a few seconds, then die.

In pondering this a bit, my initial thoughts are maybe the RPM relay is failing and not keeping the fuel pump running? I should be able to jump it and test that theory. If that's not it, another thought I had was maybe the new DMCH intake hose in the tank is collapsing? I recall hearing members using a screen door spring to keep that line from collapsing.

I thought I'd see what you guys thought in addition to my two initial theories. It seems like a fuel delivery issue since I can get it to run for a few seconds every time I try to start it up. I would think oxygen and spark can be eliminated here. What say you guys?

Sounds like it is running on the cold start valve and when it shuts off the motor stops. Try holding the air sensor plate down a little when it starts to see if you can keep it running. You might need a slight adjustment to the mixture screw. To see if the RPM relay is the problem jump it out temporarily.

[OverlandMan]

Sounds like it is running on the cold start valve and when it shuts off the motor stops. Try holding the air sensor plate down a little when it starts to see if you can keep it running. You might need a slight adjustment to the mixture screw. To see if the RPM relay is the problem jump it out temporarily.

That's something I hadn't thought of and would make sense. I'll have to enlist a helper because I don't have enough time between the key turn and the motor quitting to get out and to the back of the car to accomplish. I test this out ASAP and post the results.

If it turns out I do have to hold the mixture plate down to keep it running, you're saying it would be a mixture screw adjustment in order to correct? Any further details on that would be great.

When I was flow testing the injectors, I had to press down on the plate in order to get them to spray, which is normal operation. How does this (the fuel dist, air plate, etc.) work at startup under normal conditions?

[DMCMW Dave]

That's something I hadn't thought of and would make sense. I'll have to enlist a helper because I don't have enough time between the key turn and the motor quitting to get out and to the back of the car to accomplish. I test this out ASAP and post the results.

If it turns out I do have to hold the mixture plate down to keep it running, you're saying it would be a mixture screw adjustment in order to correct? Any further details on that would be great.

When I was flow testing the injectors, I had to press down on the plate in order to get them to spray, which is normal operation. How does this (the fuel dist, air plate, etc.) work at startup under normal conditions?

You should set the CO so that nothing comes out of the injectors with the plate at rest, but they start flowing at the tiniest pressure. That should be within a half turn of where it should be.

[OverlandMan]

You should set the CO so that nothing comes out of the injectors with the plate at rest, but they start flowing at the tiniest pressure. That should be within a half turn of where it should be.

I think that's how it's set now. It ran well back in the day and I didn't make any changes.

So if Dave T's theory is that the cold start is starting the engine but then it dies... what would be causing that (assuming pressing down on the air plate does keep it running)?

[SS Spoiler]

Ballest resistors?

[DMC5180]

Did you wiggle the wire terminals on the ballast resistor? Pull them off and reconnect so they make a fresh scratch connection.

[Jonathan]

Nothing in those pics jumps out at me Jeff. One thing possibly could be the centre wire connection into the ignition coil isn't clipped down all the way. Not likely perhaps, but I don't see anything else.

[David T]

Nothing in those pics jumps out at me Jeff. One thing possibly could be the centre wire connection into the ignition coil isn't clipped down all the way. Not likely perhaps, but I don't see anything else.

Another quick way to see if it is fuel or ignition is to try squirting a little bit of Ether in and if that keeps it running, even a little bit longer, it tells you it is a fuel problem. For wiring diaphragms on the ignition circuit check out M:18:01, :02, :03 and :04 in the Workshop Manual. The place to start would be to make sure there is battery voltage on the white wire at the ballast resistor when the ignition key is on. M:18:04

[OverlandMan]

Talked to Dave @ DMCMW on the phone Tuesday evening. He recommended bypassing the ballast resistor (temporarily for testing purposes only) and jumping 12V straight from the (+) jump terminal to the (+) side of the coil, which I did. This didn't seem to change anything. He also mentioned reading through the resistor with a meter. As luck would have it, my 15 year old Blue-Point multi-meter died on me so I'm in the process of replacing that. No reading yet but that's where I am with it.

I did notice a fairly crispy looking white wire on the opposite side of the coil. I'll see about fixing that this weekend. That may be yielding a poor connection and causing some trouble. I haven't thoroughly investigated the connections on the ballast resistor yet but certainly will as well at the same time and correct as necessary.

I've been traveling the past couple of days but should have some time to work on it this weekend.

BTW - the folks @ DMCMW are fantastic!