[urq] No start woes

[Buchholz, Steven]

... for urq troubleshooting info get copies of the IST documents ...

I always subscribe to the "if it used to work before, check the last thing
you changed" philosophy.  Make sure that the ECU is fully plugged into the
wiring harness before doing anything else.  Are you getting any signs that
the ECU is operating at all?  Can you hear the OXS Freq Valve buzzing when
the key is on?  Have you checked the duty cycle?  Next *triple check* to
make sure that you are not getting spark.  I hook my timing light up to the
secondary lead from the coil to the dizzy cap and look for it to flash while
I crank the engine.  If indeed you are getting no spark, probably the first
thing I would check is the alignment of the crank and cam and the
distributor.  When the crank is at TDC there is a mark on the distributor
housing that is supposed to line up with the rotor (it may be 180deg out
depending upon the crank/cam relationship, so you may have to spin the
engine back around to TDC to get it to match).  If this adjustment is out it
will gate off the reference pin signal from the flywheel and you get no
spark.  You might also want to check and reseat the connector to the Hall
Sender on the dizzy.  Another one I've heard reported is a problem with the
ignition key module where you lose the +12 when the key is switched to the
start position ... 

If you find that you are getting spark then you will want to check for fuel.
I reread you message again and saw that you were doing some messing around
the back of the engine (heater hoses and temp sender for the coolant gauge
on the IC) ... you might want to go over the intake tract for leaks.  There
is a hose that "Y's" off the line that goes to the throttle body from the
intercooler which goes to a bunch of vacuum plumbing which lives back in the
area where the heater hoses run.  Could you have forgotten to reinstall some
of that stuff?  (like the valve that gives more idle air bypass when the A/C
is turned on?)  Another common source of intake tract leaks is the hose that
goes from the "igloo" on the airflow sensor to the turbo inlet.  
	
Steve B.
San Jose, Kaleefohnia (USA)
> 
> The patient is an early '82 with the original WX/MAC-02 combination.
> 
> For all of the other little issues this car had when it came to me,
> starting wasn't one of them.  Granted, with the Abt cam, it didn't
> want to idle real well until it was warmed up, but it always started
> and caught without any issues.
> 
> The car has been off the road for a couple of weeks for non-engine
> related issues (rear brakes, heater core & hoses, swap stock boost
> gauge for CGT coolant temp gauge).
> 
> Since I reinstalled the ECU (glovebox came out for heater core swap),
> the car is refusing to start.  Near as I can tell, there's no spark at
> the plugs.
> 
> There's plenty of voltage at the coil and ECU, all grounds are clean
> and checked, and there's plenty of fuel being delivered.
> 
> This one's frustrating the hell out of me since I didn't work on
> anything related to engine management and I'm not exactly finding an
> abundance of troubleshooting info for the WX engine.