[MaddMartigan]

You have a welder, so hit all the nutserts with enough to make them part of the chassis electrically.

Stainless rusts everything else that's not the same stainless, so that could easily be it.

I changed the screw/bolt to a steel one with washers to ensure more contact. No luck/no start.

I also verified that the fuel pump runs while I'm trying to start the car. I also have verified fuel pressure.

 

[Zep5.0]

How do the plugs look after a failed start attempt? If you have fuel and pulse at the injector, you should have wet plugs, no? And forgive my ignorance here- is there any way to bypass the computer and run the distributor as of it's not controlled?

This is why I'm contemplating carb or Fitech on my 347. You're all way more knowledgeable than I am and this is a tough one. Hope you get it going soon!

 

[dDUBb]

Did you ever unplug your PCM ?? Just be sure that none of the pins were bend during installation. I have had this happen on one occasion that prevented the car from starting. Considering all other things, you have fuel pulse / spark .. cant see why it wouldn't start at this point if you haven't messed with the timing / distributor. Engine block is grounded ?? .. scratching my head here, these problems are much easier to diagnose when I can get my hands on the car with a volt meter and electrical diagram.

 

[MaddMartigan]

Did you ever unplug your PCM ?? Just be sure that none of the pins were bend during installation. I have had this happen on one occasion that prevented the car from starting. Considering all other things, you have fuel pulse / spark .. cant see why it wouldn't start at this point if you haven't messed with the timing / distributor. Engine block is grounded ?? .. scratching my head here, these problems are much easier to diagnose when I can get my hands on the car with a volt meter and electrical diagram.

Yeah, I've swapped the PCM out and I don't have any bent pins.

I've got a grounding strap between the timing cover and frame rail. I guess I can add more grounds.

 

[MaddMartigan]

FWIW, when I relocated my stock battery to the passenger's footwell, I found I needed to run some extra ground cables to insure the car would start effectively during hot start conditions.

At one point, the only way I could start the car was to hook up the plug in this thing and hit it with extra juice when the car got hot.
https://www.sears.com/diehard-200a-wheeled-battery-charger-engine-starter-ca/p-02871331000P



The solution was to run a dedicated 4ga power line to the starter from the killswitch (to make sure it got as much current as it wanted) AND a dedicated 4ga ground line back to the battery negative terminal (shorter run than you have). I then beefed up the ground from the battery to the body of the car.

I suspect you might have an issue with the ground from the starter to the battery.
Everything else (well, maybe the radiator fans, but thats a secondary item to getting the car started), is probably much lower current draw.
-g

Right now I'm running 1/0ga wire from the starter solenoid under the hood to the battery in the trunk. I'm also running 1/0ga wire from the starter solenoid to the starter. I'm also running 1/0ga wire to the alternator. In the trunk I'm running 2ga wire to the chassis for ground. It's only about 24in. long so I figure that's enough. I have a ground strap connected to the timing cover and the frame rail. I also ran a piece of 2ga ground cable from that same point to the ground side of the fuse box under the hood.

I guess I should also run that 2ga ground cable to my common ground point under the dash since that might be an issue.

 

[Zep5.0]

Your timing cover aluminum? What type of bolt?

 

[MaddMartigan]

Your timing cover aluminum? What type of bolt?

Yeah, stock covers are aluminum and I'm using an ARP bolt that's chromoly steel.

 

[S4gunn]

Right now I'm running 1/0ga wire from the starter solenoid under the hood to the battery in the trunk. I'm also running 1/0ga wire from the starter solenoid to the starter. I'm also running 1/0ga wire to the alternator. In the trunk I'm running 2ga wire to the chassis for ground. It's only about 24in. long so I figure that's enough. I have a ground strap connected to the timing cover and the frame rail. I also ran a piece of 2ga ground cable from that same point to the ground side of the fuse box under the hood.

I guess I should also run that 2ga ground cable to my common ground point under the dash since that might be an issue.

Before running the wire, you could also use some jumper cables just to test things out. Grab on the block with one side, attach it to the negative on the battery at the other and see what happens.
-g

 

[MaddMartigan]

PROGRESS!!!!


I swapped the fuel injectors during the week but just didn't have time to work on the car to put it back together and test it out.

I've got more work to do but the car will almost run. I have to hold the throttle wide open and it's doing some popping and cracking a bit but it's almost there. I have some research to do.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Hmm the opposite should be happening with the throttle wide open, it should put the PCM in clear flood mode shutting off the injectors to prevent the engine from starting.

 

[MaddMartigan]

Hmm the opposite should be happening with the throttle wide open, it should put the PCM in clear flood mode shutting off the injectors to prevent the engine from starting.

OBD-I

I'm not sure why it's doing this so I'm open to any ideas.

 

[MaddMartigan]

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!

So, when putting everything back together I forgot to plug in the TPS and IAC.

The car starts and runs. Now I have to fix timing since I f***ed with it so much. The car is running at a low idle with a lot of pops and cracks but it runs.

Thanks everyone for your patience. It appears that it was indeed the fuel injectors.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Yes!!!!!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Congratulations!

 

[Grog6]

:znanner:

I hope you're out terrorizing the neighbors today. :grin2:

We've got beautiful weather today, hope it made it over there.

So, it was the injectors, you reckon?

 

[MaddMartigan]

:znanner:

I hope you're out terrorizing the neighbors today. :grin2:

We've got beautiful weather today, hope it made it over there.

So, it was the injectors, you reckon?

Well, I'm building seat brackets and it's Easter Sunday so I guess I have to spend time with the family.

The seat brackets are made and painted, they just need to dry. The car runs but it's backfiring so I have a significant timing issue. I also f****ed up the lower distributor cap a couple of days ago so I have a new one coming tomorrow. I still have a lot of work left to do before I get it outside the garage but a running car is huge.

 

[Grog6]

Something silly I just thought of, but you did a Substantial rewire of the engine bay...

Are you positive the injectors are the correct wires in the right spot?




I screwed up with my engine harness on the Red cougar PI swap, and had the left bank on the right, and vice versa.

A noid light and a timing light showed that problem; it wasn't firing the cylinder that had just had fuel squirted into it.

(It's still not running, but soon, I hope. Needs radiator and transmission cooler plumbing.)

Crazy, but it was easy to do, lol.

Not so easy to fix, as I had carefully trimmed and wrapped the wires.

 

[MaddMartigan]

Something silly I just thought of, but you did a Substantial rewire of the engine bay...

Are you positive the injectors are the correct wires in the right spot?




I screwed up with my engine harness on the Red cougar PI swap, and had the left bank on the right, and vice versa.

A noid light and a timing light showed that problem; it wasn't firing the cylinder that had just had fuel squirted into it.

(It's still not running, but soon, I hope. Needs radiator and transmission cooler plumbing.)

Crazy, but it was easy to do, lol.

Not so easy to fix, as I had carefully trimmed and wrapped the wires.

I am 99.99% sure about the injector wiring. When I rebuilt the harness I didn't mess much with those but I went through the wiring and labeled all of those.

I've messed with the timing a lot so I definitely need to make sure that I've got it correct.

 

[Zep5.0]

Awesome news! Once you get it timed and all ready to go would be awesome to hear it run, since I'm going to run a fairly similar setup. Nice work staying calm through all the diagnostics!

 

[Grog6]

A major rework job like this is always full of problems.

Kudos to MM for doing all this awesome work.


I did want to ask, tho; Why did they remove all the brackets and all you had to replace; was it Racecar, or different hood, etc? (hood support brackets weigh, what, 10 ounces, total? )

Your front end resto is way better than original, and should be stiffer than stock, but why did they remove it?

If I'm being nosy, I'm sorry; but you had to do a lot of work there that made me wonder "why?"

If you don't want to get into it I understand.


I can't wait to see pix of it on the track.