Why Wont She Start?!?!

[jonnie8881]

I've got a 95 gt with the following mods
-ported E7 heads with comp cam dual springs, manley valves and a 5 angle valve job with blueprinted stem
-ported gt40 intake matched to the heads which is a fel pro 1250 gasket
-24lb ford racing injectors
-bbk CAI
-MSD ignition coil, dizzy cap and wires(not that those make much of a difference)
-70mm TB
------with all these the car ran ok with only occasional starting problems where I would have to remove the SPOUT to get it to start and it would occasionally just stall under acceleration and have occasional surges----
-I installed BBK longtubes and an offroad X-pipe and now it wont start at all

I have the BAMA 4 bank eliminator chip and after 2 weeks of BAMA do god knows what with it, it's back with the reflash for the exhaust and such; that made no difference...still wont start. now when I first installed the new exhaust, the car fired right up with no problems(even with the O2's unplugged b/c I didn't have extensions yet but now I do).

I can't for the life of me figure out what is the problem!!!! i'm leaning towards it being a bad dizzy but im not positive and want to get some other's opinions before I go and spend $300+ on a new one...any help or insight is greatly appreciated...

 

[jonnie8881]

also, with the tuner in on the day that I installed the exhaust, the gauges jumped around as It ran for maybe 7-10 seconds before stalling, it did this about 3/4 times before I took the tuner out and then it ran long enough to get halfway home....then I had to have a friend help me baby it back to life with them turning it over as I moved the distributor around and it BARELY started at 13degrees and wouldn't even come close to starting at 12.5-13.5....picky car...

 

[jrichker]

Dump the codes: Codes may be present even if the Check Engine Light (CEL) isn't on.

Dumping the computer diagnostic codes on 86-95 Mustangs

Revised 26-July-2011. Added need to make sure the clutch is pressed when dumping codes.

Codes may be present even if the check engine light hasn’t come on, so be sure to check for them.

Here's the way to dump the computer codes with only a jumper wire or paper clip and the check engine light, or test light or voltmeter. I’ve used it for years, and it works great. You watch the flashing test lamp or Check Engine Light and count the flashes.

Post the codes you get and I will post 86-93 model 5.0 Mustang specific code definitions and fixes. I do not have a complete listing for 94-95 model 5.0 Mustangs at this time.

Be sure to turn off the A/C, and put the transmission in neutral when dumping the codes. On a manual transmission car, be sure to press the clutch to the floor.
Fail to do this and you will generate a code 67 and not be able to dump the Engine Running codes.

If your car is an 86-88 stang, you'll have to use the test lamp or voltmeter method. There is no functional check engine light on the 86-88's except possibly the Cali Mass Air cars.

The STI has a gray connector shell and a white/red wire. It comes from the same bundle of wires as the self test connector.

89 through 95 cars have a working Check Engine light. Watch it instead of using a test lamp.

The STI has a gray connector shell and a white/red wire. It comes from the same bundle of wires as the self test connector.


WARNING!!! There is a single dark brown connector with a black/orange wire. It is the 12 volt power to the under the hood light. Do not jumper it to the computer test connector. If you do, you will damage the computer.

What to expect:
You should get a code 11 (two single flashes in succession). This says that the computer's internal workings are OK, and that the wiring to put the computer into diagnostic mode is good. No code 11 and you have some wiring problems. This is crucial: the same wire that provides the ground to dump the codes provides signal ground for the TPS, EGR, ACT and Map/Baro sensors. If it fails, you will have poor performance, economy and driveablity problems

Some codes have different answers if the engine is running from the answers that it has when the engine isn't running. It helps a lot to know if you had the engine running when you ran the test.

Dumping the Engine Running codes: The procedure is the same, you start the engine with the test jumper in place. Be sure the A/C is off, and clutch (if present) is pressed to the floor, and the transmission is in neutral. You'll get an 11, then a 4 and the engine will speed up to do the EGR test. After the engine speed decreases back to idle, it will dump the engine running codes.

Trouble codes are either 2 digit or 3 digit, there are no cars that use both 2 digit codes and 3 digit codes.

Your 86-88 5.0 won't have a working Check Engine Light, so you'll need a test light.
See AutoZone Part Number: 25886 , $10

Alternate methods:
For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see Actron® for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Wal-Mart.

Or for a nicer scanner see www.midwayautosupply.com/Equus-Digital-Ford-Code-Reader/dp/B000EW0KHW Equus - Digital Ford Code Reader (3145It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $22-$36.

 

[jonnie8881]

so you're saying to clear any possible engine fault codes? I do that by running a jumper from the CEL test pin or the "check engine tan wire" to the negative on the battery because my self test pin doesn't work. then I turn the key to on and right as the CEL begins to flash, I remove the jumper and that clears any engine codes...is that what you're suggesting? just to clear any codes?

 

[jonnie8881]

correction; I jump the signal return pin to the negative battery terminal

 

[jonnie8881]

Just installed new dizzy, no change

 

[toyman]

Just for giggles how about cleaning the MAF sensor. First remove the sensor and liberally spray the element with MAF or chlorinated brake cleaner. Probably the most overlooked maintenance item that causes a multitude of problems.

 

[madspeed]

Ditch the tuner and try to start. What maf do you have? Is it calibrated for those 24# injectors?

 

[jonnie8881]

Ok. So as usual with this car it was something stupid. The positive lead for the ignition coil had just barely come out so it wasn't making contact with the coil but you couldn't tell it was out. So she fired right up and is running now but even with the tune it seems like she's running rich and the CEL is on after about 5 minutes of driving and when I shut the car off and start it again it resets. The only code I got on KOEO was 511(EEC processor ROM fail) KOER was 511 and 173(HEGO indicates always rich) also thecylinder balance test passed. I have a bit of white smoke coming from the exhaust but I'm assuming that just the new exhaust but it does smell like a lot of gas. I have new O2 sensors going in tomorrow and I dont know if it just needs to relearn conditions or not to get the constant rich mixture sorted out or if it's the tune. Also the air filter and MAF have been cleaned as well as new plugs and wires

 

[toyman]

White smoke (not vapor) is usually coolant. Over rich is black smoke. Blue smoke is excessive oil. Is the air filter a K&N requiring a charge kit. If it is, you may have a film of oil on the MAF sensor even though you just cleaned it if the filter was over oiled. All engine sensors require near perfect grounds to function as intended. Pay particular attention to the battery to engine and engine to chassis grounds. Remove them and clean the surfaces and ensure there is no corrosion in the cables by peeling back about 1" of the cable sheathing.

 

[jonnie8881]

This seems more like vapor and I checked my coolant and it doesn't look to have any oil in it. I'll do a cylinder pressure test soon. Around 90PSI is typical, right? I'll re clean my MAF and see if that helps. I have new O2 sensors on which helped but only for about 30 minutes before he code came back. Is it possible that because it's an off-road exhaust that there are flames coming through the headers and literally burning the O2 sensors?

 

[jonnie8881]

Ok. Cylinder pressure test for the entire passenger side and the first 2 on the driver's side all read 140 with one of them at 135. The plugs made it very clear that it's running rich though. And I used contact cleaner on the MAF but got a case of the butterfingers and dropped the sensor right on the leads...so I'll be ordering the BBK MAF for 24 lb injectors as soon as I get the money. Anyone need the entire top end and injectors for a 94/95 gt or want to buy a 67 coupe?! Haha

 

[Txman78620]

Did you install a MAF calibrated for 24lb injectors? If not that is your problem. The ECU is tuned for 19lb injectors with the stock MAF. If you change either or you need to have the car tuned. You are pig rich because you have bigger injectors and the ecu think they are 19's.

 

[jonnie8881]

in the original post I mention that I have the bama 4 bank eliminator. the guys at bama just don't want to listen as to what the car needs so I keep having to send it back and forth to try and get this tuned right. I got it started and running well, I just think I may have a problem with the head gasket or something. I have 140psi on the compression test as stated before and it hold 125psi on a leak down test perfect, but somehow i'm getting coolant in cylinder 5. just replaced the lower intake gasket thinking that might be it but i'm not sure.