my 100 is DOA, clues please?

[mikeacs]

Storming like crazy this morning, get in the LC to drop my kid off for school, stopped at a light and it died, spins over but wont fire. Timing belt was done at 100K, so it may be a moisture issue as I did go through a few puddles, but nothing that should bother a cruiser.

Any ideas would be appreciated as it is currently sitting on the side of the road, I'm going to go try it one last time before I call the wrecker.

 

[WES1977]

DOA? Dead ON Arrival.

I wouldn't think a few puddles would be the problem. Do you have a service engine light? How do you verify that it has no fire? Did you take a spark plug out and look for a spark to metal?

 

[e9999]

wiggle and check the main fuses?

 

[mikeacs]

Well just got it to the house, had to be pulled by an Exterra, how humbling. Now it at least stumbles when spinning over, when before there was nothing, so it is probably firing, no check engine light. Now the battery is dead, so I'll have to charge it before further diagnostics. I have a feeling it may crank in a few hours. Air box is dry so no water got in through that way, and the puddles were nothing, only a few inches.

I was beginning to think fuel filter, but now that it has progress to an "almost crank", dunno...

 

[BMWSTOY]

Can not say for certain, but those are the signs on my previous owners receits for the Throttle Body. After severall of those types of service notes, the dealer replaced the Throttle body, Starter, and battery - then no more problems.
Sure hope its not all that for you.

 

[Campfire]

Well just got it to the house, had to be pulled by an Exterra, how humbling....

Hey, it could have been a Heep!

Now the battery is dead, so I'll have to charge it before further diagnostics. I have a feeling it may crank in a few hours. Air box is dry so no water got in through that way, and the puddles were nothing, only a few inches.

I was beginning to think fuel filter, but now that it has progress to an "almost crank", dunno...

Start with the basics...Spark, fuel, and compression. If your cranking it over, you can hear the resistance of compression. So listen for that, like if the timing belt let loose.
Fuel- can you hear the fuel pump hum or make noise in the tank if you take off the fuel filler cap and have someone cycle the key.
Spark- a little harder here, you'll have to remove a coil and stick a plug in it and then ground the electrode to the engine and have someone crank it over. But also check battery voltage after you've charged it and make sure you have 10.2-10.8 while cranking or the injectors might not be firing.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[mikeacs]

Hey, it could have been a Heep!

for real.....well it still wont start so i'm about to get a little deeper into it, at this point not sure if its fuel or spark, dont know if it is just coincidence that it was raining cats and dogs today, which tends to make me think something electrical got wet. I know its well over time to change the fuel filter, so i'll start there and then check for spark. Wish I would have bought a code scanner, can I tell if it has stored any codes withou ck/e light on? I have limited knowledge on late model stuff, the 100 has never had a stumble in 125k, but the SBCs in my rods are way easier to troubleshoot, no computers, no sensors.....

 

[EdsCruisin]

I recall somebody mentioning a windshield leak that let's water get at the computer behind the glove box. Worth looking into.....

 

[calbo]

Good luck! I hope it's nothing too serious or costly.

You have Chev engines in your Fords? Nice!

 

[moooooooo]

i know this will sound strange, but sometimes removing the petrol/gas cap and letting out the fumes can help if it is a fuel delivery issue.
i've seen this happen before and it's worth a try.
cheers
peter

 

[mikeacs]

well, it doesn't seem to be a spark issue, looks like decent fire at the first plug I pulled, onward to check the fuel system, starting at the fuel filter, once I find it.

is it near the fuel injectors?

 

[Poriomania]

for real.....well it still wont start so i'm about to get a little deeper into it, at this point not sure if its fuel or spark, dont know if it is just coincidence that it was raining cats and dogs today, which tends to make me think something electrical got wet. I know its well over time to change the fuel filter, so i'll start there and then check for spark. Wish I would have bought a code scanner, can I tell if it has stored any codes withou ck/e light on? I have limited knowledge on late model stuff, the 100 has never had a stumble in 125k, but the SBCs in my rods are way easier to troubleshoot, no computers, no sensors.....

I had something similar with my 80 once where the problem was that the plug wires were bad and water was making them short out. If it can dry out overnight and runs in the morning you can try using a spray bottle to get some water on the wires and see if it shorts out and quits.

 

[TMILL]

maybe the key crapped out???? w/out a good key it'll crank but not start.... i'm reaching.... but looking for cheap/easy?!?!

 

[mikeacs]

Well i'm pretty certain it is the fuel pump....relay tested good, so pulled the middle seat out to get access to the pump, I have voltage on the connector when the key is on, but not a sound from the pump, no hum, etc. Tried even directly jumpering 12V to the pump terminals and nothing, so I ohm-ed across the + and - pins on the connector and its showing open, when it should be almost a short. So now i'll have to order one online, none of the local parts houses have them in stock. So it'll be down a few more days at least. bummer, worst of it is its 30 degrees outside and neither of my old cars have heat so i'm stuck with her X5 this week.

 

[mikesurfs]

Hate to state the obvious but, clean your battery terminals. I've come across 3 dead vehicles that would click-click-click and not fire. Cleaned up the terminals and thay all came right to life...BTW, one was my boat.

Mike.

 

[moooooooo]

have you eliminated the vapour lock potential issue i mentioned earlier by removing the petrol/gas cap? I guess by the sounds of it you've already figured it out (fuel pump) but it cant hurt to try. It's a pity you USA guys don't have the auxilary tank with its own fuel pump - probably would have saved you a lot of hassles.
good luck with sorting this out
cheers
peter

edit: typos

 

[mikeacs]

have you eliminated the vapour lock potential issue i mentioned earlier by removing the petrol/gas cap? I guess by the sounds of it you've already figured it out (fuel pump) but it cant hurt to try. It's a pity you USA guys don't have the auxilary tank with its own fuel pump - probably would have saved you a lot of hassles.
good luck with sorting this out
cheers
peter

edit: typos

Yes, did try that, I also had a vehicle that once was "air bound" but no such luck this time.

 

[Campfire]

Well i'm pretty certain it is the fuel pump....relay tested good, so pulled the middle seat out to get access to the pump, I have voltage on the connector when the key is on, but not a sound from the pump, no hum, etc. Tried even directly jumpering 12V to the pump terminals and nothing, so I ohm-ed across the + and - pins on the connector and its showing open, when it should be almost a short. So now i'll have to order one online, none of the local parts houses have them in stock. So it'll be down a few more days at least. bummer, worst of it is its 30 degrees outside and neither of my old cars have heat so i'm stuck with her X5 this week.

Great job diagnosing it! Did you pull the fuel filter and see if there was any contamination coming out of the inlet side? Sometimes when the pump fails, they spit parts, brush particles, etc. into the filter. I recomend using air to blow out the line between the pump and the filter before you fire it off again.
Hope your on the road soon.

 

[cruiser99]

Isn'y the fuel pump a proportional closed loop system?

In other words, its running only when it senses a drop in fuel pressure and just enough to maintain the correct fuel pressue -- when the engine use "little" fuel it runs "slow" and when it uses "lots" of fuel it "runs" fast.

I would relive the fuel pressure and try again.

Just a thought.

 

[mikeacs]

That is probably true, and would explain what the other 3 leads on the connector are, but I did inject 12volts (and neg, of course) right at the pump + and - pins, so it should have turned on then. I hate waiting on parts..I'd like to know this is behind me.