For the last month or so I was helping my buddy rebuild his b18 after he spun a few bearings. We got it all together and dropped it back in the car, but when it came time to start it we were dissapointed when we just heard the engine cranking and not starting. I've rebuilt/swapped alot of engines in the past so I pretty much expected some problems at this point.

From there I double checked the mechanical timing thinking we might have jumped a tooth or two with the belt during cranking, but the marks were still dead on.

After that I took a timing light to the harmonic balancer (after jumping the service plug) and noticed the timing was way off. Keep in mind the motor isn't running at this point so the light was blinking intermittently, nonetheless, it was enough (in the dark) to line up the red mark with the indicator on the timing cover.

{A peculiar situation was that the distributer was nearly bottomed out advanced to line up the ignition mark.}

When that yielded no results we double checked the plugs.They were all getting a very bright snapping spark.

I then hooked up a compression tester to see if there might be a problem with the valve seats or piston rings (all of wich are brand new). The readings from cilinders 1-4 were: 180, 178, 172, 180. Given a 25psi dievience threshold and a service limit near 130 along with the fact that the engine is cold (like 18 degrees lol) and the rings haven't yet been seated these numbers are fine.

Earlier today I turned to the fuel supply. The injectors were reused, but still work fine. When I removed the plugs to do the compression test they all distinctly smelled like gas wich means all injectors are firing. The fuel filter is brand new.

{A peculiar situation was that gas merely dribbled out of the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter when it was loosened even when the key is in the auxillary position and when it is cycled} I had expected gas to spray out with much more force than that. Tomorrow I will test fuel pressure and post the results.

At this point we became desperate and I began to slowly turn the distributer while my buddy cranked the engine to see if I coud find a "sweet spot" using the old school method (with the service port jumped). Doing this we've managed to get the engine to stammer over a few revolutions, but it never ran for more than a half of a second. I eventually gave up and moved it back to the recommended position using the marks i've made earlier.

There are no fuses blown and both the main and fuel relays are clicking on and off. There are presently no DTC's stored.

We've also cleaned all existing factory ground connections and have added three more. One to the exhaust manifold, one to the valve cover and one to the thermostat housing.

So everything's there. Spark, fuel, compression, timing (ignition and mechanicall) New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/fuel filter. There must be something vehicle specific i must have overlooked so I decided to post my problem in this forum in hope that one of you guys or girls can chime in with some suggestions. I've tried to be as discriptive as possible to avoid confusion as to what has already been replaced/checked, but if you have any additional questions don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks in advance.

 

Distributor could be engaged 180 degrees out of time (this is possible if the coupler is worn and/or you force it). When you TDC1 the engine check that the rotor points to wire #1. I think the firing order would be 1-3-4-2 like a D series. Preset the timing to the center and leave it. Being a little off on spark timing generally won't prevent starting. I think when the starter is engaged, the ECU retards it a lot, even with the test jumper in. Make sure the sparks are strong and steady.

Check that the sensors are plugged in right. Actually verify the wire colors because some of the plugs are the same and can be plugged into the wrong thing.

And check fuel pressure for sure, also you can disconnect the return hose and check for good flow out of the regulator.

 

Thanks for your quick response and awesome suggestions mk378!

The distributer coupler only fit in one way. I thought it might have been 180 off, but when I tried to turn it it wouldn't slide into the slots in the cam.

The firing order is 1342, but i've never thought to remove the cap to see the rotor position. Come to think of it; a misaligned rotor would cause the distributer to be nearly bottomed out to get the correct timing. I'll check that later tonight.

The sparks are very strong and steady.

I'll go through the harness agian tonight with the back of my Haynes. I labeled everything on the way off, but something might have been switched down the line. This car also had an automatic to manual conversion in the past so i'll give special attention to the trans.

I've just returned the compression tester and rented out a fuel pressure tester. (Maybe I should finally start buying these things. LOL) I plan on checking the fuel system tonight.

Thanks agian.