Resolved Cranks but still doesn’t start. Ran through the checklist and still doesn’t start.

[reddy351]

That's not nice
Start over, you missed something, 180* out of timing or something, that thing should run

Lol. I'm sorry. That was frustration talking.
I have literally moved the distributor all over the place.

Sounds like you have the big three and it should start
Do a fuel quality test and make sure the gas is volatile as hell and will blow up a BBQ if used as lighter fluid
Did that checklist have a noid light test
I would perform that noid test on more than one injector
I would also manually fire a few injectors to verify the fuel pressure drops as I did so
Playing with my buddies MSD the other day on his 69 Camaro, I showed him how to rough time one
Set your motor to 10 BTDC on the crank, turn the key on and rotste the distributor back and forth making it spark a few times
Determine where you think the spark occurred and lock the distributor down right there
Maybe try that
We all have checklists, one of mine is a good visual inspection
Looks like yours has never ran before? it is so clean reddy351?
You get 2 spark testers on the car for the next try, one at a plug and one on the coil wire

I agree. Damn EEC-IV system.
The car was driving with the 2.3T in February. The gas is still really good. (Sh*t's got some KICK!)
I did the noid test on the 5 injectors I could reach without removing the upper intake.
Use a 9v battery to do "fire" the injector?
It has never ran before.
I did move the spark tester from the coil to the spark plug. Are you saying to do both at the same time?

 

[reddy351]

Did you ever get a code [11] or [111]?

No. No Code 11. The EGR stuff is not installed and the port on the manifold is blocked. I will never have a Code 11, unfortunately.

The last time I pulled codes, it was on a sub-50 degree day and I got: 21, 22, 31, 67, 81, 82, 85 and 84.

The 21 and 22 are sensors out of range because of the cold and not testing with a warmed-up engine.
The 67 is because the Neutral Pressure Switch (clutch pedal) circuit is not connected. Once running, I can remedy that.
The rest are because of the EGR system being disabled. I'm told that these codes will simply disable those functions in the computer and are otherwise inconsequential.

 

[reddy351]

The wiring looks a bit of a mess here but, this is what I’m working on.



And this is the car it’s in.

 

[limp]

Merkur XR4ti.... I had one for over 10 years as my beater car... Stock 4 cylinder 5 speed..
These are problem cars from new... They have to be constantly worked on, played with, and they still can give you fits...
Now I understand all of the problems you are having.......

 

[manicmechanic007]

Nice shoehorn job
What processor is in the XR4TI
What wiring harness?

 

[manicmechanic007]

12 volts for the manual injector test
I use a spare injector connector and some test leads with alligator clips for the battery
I wire in a trunk release switch
That way, I push the momentary spring loaded trunk switch and the injector fires
I monitor the fuel pressure as I do that

 

[manicmechanic007]

Your XR4TI's processor wiring harness is going to be different than the cobra processor harness
You are going to need to re wire the 60 pin connector?

 

[AeroCoupe]

He swapped it in the a Painkess harness.

 

[reddy351]

Merkur XR4ti.... I had one for over 10 years as my beater car... Stock 4 cylinder 5 speed..
These are problem cars from new... They have to be constantly worked on, played with, and they still can give you fits...
Now I understand all of the problems you are having.......

That’s completely untrue.

Nice shoehorn job
What processor is in the XR4TI
What wiring harness?

It’s an A9L from an 89-93 Foxbody. The harness is an aftermarket one from Painless. It looks like it belongs there, doesn’t it?

 

[manicmechanic007]

Well, if it doesn't work... Does it belong there?
Use the cobra harness or you need to turn to Spock for a mind meld
I am sure it can be done but how much time are you willing to spend on it?
Might be better to start with a Mustang harness
The Merkur is a German Ford and the schematics get fouled in translation

 

[reddy351]

Well, if it doesn't work... Does it belong there?
Use the cobra harness or you need to turn to Spock for a mind meld
I am sure it can be done but how much time are you willing to spend on it?
Might be better to start with a Mustang harness
The Merkur is a German Ford and the schematics get fouled in translation

I don’t understand what you’re suggesting. The harness that I’m using is a brand new harness made for engine swapping the 5.0 Ford into any chassis. All I need to provide is 12v switched, 12v constant, 12v run and grounds. Those all exist for the harness, as it sits. There is nothing beyond that that is Ford of Europe.

I do have the EVTM for the car that was written in English by English as the first language writers. No issues with “translation”, whatsoever.

I’m not sure that a 30+ year old harness is going to make this any better.

 

[manicmechanic007]

What I am saying is I have heard of trouble with aftermarket harnesses that they say are plug and play
They are not IMO

 

[manicmechanic007]

You need the PCED for both cars or the schematics out of them
The library has AllData that will have them so you do not need to lay out big money for the PCEDs
The EVTM for the Merkur is sure a start

 

[manicmechanic007]

What I am saying about the translation
When the book you have says it is an Orange with Pink hash wire for instance
You get down there and there is Green with Red and Blue with Yellow, no Orange with pink
That is the error on a few circuits you may find
It was rampant on Non NAAO Fords, Probes and the Merkurs IMO

 

[manicmechanic007]

What year are both?

 

[manicmechanic007]

Well, there are 30 year old Ford harnesses all over running around
I see no problem with a 30 year old Ford harness
IMO they are made of better wire than anything new
That said your new one shoulkd be made to work
You just might need my breakout box and about a hundred years of diagnosis time (going through all 60 pins of data one by one)
Seriously though, I would backprobe every wire on that processor and make damn sure the wires are going where they need to go and the resistance or voltage specs are spot on. That could take a while and a breakout box would sure be nice on this one. I use mine very seldomly

 

[Mcmahst]

Ok, back to your car. Have you tried using starter fluid? If you get it to fire with that, it would help focus on the problem.

 

[reddy351]

Ok, back to your car. Have you tried using starter fluid? If you get it to fire with that, it would help focus on the problem.

I did try that. Won’t start, even with starting fluid.

 

[General karthief]

Looking for codes will do little but confuse the issue(s), if you have spark, the injectors are injecting and the engine pumps air it will at least try to start, I would suggest, no matter how frustrating it my be, start over with the timing, take a stick, small screw driver and feel through the spark plug hole, find TDC on the compression stroke, check pointer is pointing, you know all this, I had to do this a few times once to get it right, just dyslexic that day or something usually it's just a drop in and go thing, all pre-marked.
If things are not happening at the right time (or close at least) it won't run and if this is a new engine you'll wash the cylinders and rings won't set.
JMO and not based on any actual mechanical training, well, only the 'Schol of Hard Nocks'

 

[reddy351]

Looking for codes will do little but confuse the issue(s), if you have spark, the injectors are injecting and the engine pumps air it will at least try to start, I would suggest, no matter how frustrating it my be, start over with the timing, take a stick, small screw driver and feel through the spark plug hole, find TDC on the compression stroke, check pointer is pointing, you know all this, I had to do this a few times once to get it right, just dyslexic that day or something usually it's just a drop in and go thing, all pre-marked.
If things are not happening at the right time (or close at least) it won't run and if this is a new engine you'll wash the cylinders and rings won't set.
JMO and not based on any actual mechanical training, well, only the 'Schol of Hard Nocks'

I’ve built a few of these in the past and this problem has got me wondering if I set the cam in the right spot when I put the timing chain on. I’m also wondering about the firing order and that maybe someone swapped this to a non-HO cam at some point. (It sure acts like it.)

Believe me, I’m digging deep into the “what-ifs” on this one. I’ve never had one give me SO much trouble.