Still won't start...MFI questions

[cosmo]

Sill can't get the 2.2 to start, I've checked the following:
1. have good spark
2. good fuel pressure at the pump
I pulled a fuel line loose at the injector and had very little fuel, connected a hose into a jar and cranked engine....little or no fuel delivery!!! Pump was completely serviced by Gus so I would assume it's ok... so any ideas??? Is there a correct way to check fuel delivery?
Thanks in advance!
cosmo

[Eagledriver]

I was suprised at how long I had to crank my engine after the rebuild before it would start. I did lots of trouble shooting like you are doing. I think it just takes about a full minute of cranking to get all the fuel lines full and pressurized enough to open the injectors. Of course you don't want to crank it more than 15 seconds or so at a time.

-Andy

[dtw]

You have cracked the line at the injector, now crack the same line at the pump. If you've got strong flow there, then your line is blocked. Repeat testing on additional lines as necessary. If you have no flow at the pump either, pull the side cover from the pump and manually turn the pump. Inspect the plungers as you turn the pump, they should be actuating in time with the injector firing order. If they're not moving, you have to free them up or you're not going to get any gas. Try some penetrant or mystery oil. How long did the pump sit since you received it from PFI? Was it stored with preservation oil?

How is your spark timing? Did you set the baseline ignition timing correctly? How about pump injection timing? Have you checked your plug wire order?

A combination of two crossed plug wires and bad pump timing caused me to have a very hard-starting motor.

[Wayne 962]

Some of the diesel MFI pumps that I've worked on literally needed hours of manual priming. Not the same thing here (actually, that was a Porsche tractor), but that pump needs fuel to be in all chambers. Keep cranking at 30 second intervals and also verify that your pump supplying the MFI pump is working at the correct pressure.

-Wayne

[cosmo]

I did have some wetness at the pump and injector as a matter of fact I had a gas leak at the #1 line so there was some pressure there. I now have #4 line off at the pump and another line hooked up and run into a jar....after cranking on and off for a total of about 2 min's there is no fuel in the jar!!! and yes the line is open I checked it with air pressure. Fuel presure at the pump was good so thats not it. HELP

[dtw]

Check all the lines. If a few of them aren't flowing fuel, but others are, that makes a strong case for stuck plungers in the pump. See previous post.

Are you getting gas in the exhaust? Are some plugs wet?

[cosmo]

#1 plug wasn't wet but smelled of gas, pulled off the #4 line at the pump and the fitting on top of the pump was full of gas. I don't understand if there is gas there could the plunger be stuck?, if not why was I not getting gas through the line to my jar?? I'am lost
cosmo

[dtw]

I believe you'd get gas up there, but no pressure. That's why the gas would sit there. Also, I wasn't specific before and it is not obvious if you've never been inside the pump. The camshaft in the pump actuates a separate plunger for each fuel line/injector. So, while some plungers may be moving freely, others may be frozen. If 2 or 3 are frozen, that's likely enough to prevent the engine from starting, especially if the ignition timing hasn't yet been optimized.

Checking the plungers will probably require a bit of disassembly, if not removal of the pump, to do (hard to access the two side plates while the pump is installed). That's why I'd perform some of the diagnostics other members have mentioned, and check fuel delivery to all cylinders, before getting involved in any disassembly. If you have a buddy, you can crack fuel lines while the buddy cranks. Will just take a few minutes to verify delivery to all injectors.

How are the injectors? Doesn't sound like the issue on #4 but worth thinking about. Have they been serviced and spray-pattern checked lately?

[Grady Clay]

cosmo,

Step back and take a breath. CMA!

Bring us up to date on exactly what has been done since it last ran. I assume it’s the ‘71E.

You have spark. Is it at the right cylinder and the right time?
You said you have fuel pressure at the MFI pimp.
Do you have proper flow in the fuel circuit back to the fuel tank?

I think your MFI pump has a cold start enrichment solenoid. You can put power to it and make the rack full rich to purge the lines to the nozzles and measure flow.


Be careful to not go down some “slippery slope.”

Remember CMA means:

Check

Measure

Adjust

In that order.


Keep the reports coming.

Best,
Grady

[cosmo]

It's alive
It's alive

I called Gus and he releived my no fuel delivery fears, he explaind at cranking rpm there is only a slight discharge of fuel like 5 drops or so. Anyway I keep cranging and turnig the distrib. ever so slightly and wahoooo she fired and runs like new money!!!! `Ran her the full 30 min.'s and did the oil change, now maybe I'll take her for a spin.
Thanks to all
cosmo

[dtw]

Awesome. Enjoy!