85 carrera won't start - help

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I have had a great summer driving my 85 carrera around, no troubles until yesterday. I just got in from a drive and shut the car down. Then I remembered I wanted to check the oil level. So I started it back up. As I proceeded to reverse up my driveway so I could check the oil on level ground, I stalled it, or so I thought. I tried to start it and it ran for a couple of seconds then quit. I haven't been able to get it going since.

My mechanic mentioned it may be the DME relay, so I went and got a new one and installed, it still won't start.

Any help? This car has ran perfect all summer.

Thanks.

[jester911]

Need more info. Does it turn over? Need to narrow it down to fuel or electric related. Do you here the fuel pump if you turn the ignition on? Spark at coil?

[midlife]

Check if you have power to the fuel pump. The only time I have had trouble with my 3.2, was with a loose conection to the fuel pump.

With our other 2 Motronic cars, no starts were:
Poor connects to the reference sensor on the 951 that caused intermittent no start. This one took a while to find. The PO had been taking it to shops for years without finding it.

Intermittent no start or stall on the 944 caused by faulty DME. (Actual DME, not the relay).

There are few common problems and you can find good help on this site with a search.

Here are a couple:
DME Failure Modes
HELP! '84 3.2 Carrera DEAD!

Good Luck

[greglepore]

The DME relay controls power to the fuel pump. In the crank position it allows the pump to run at all times, in the run position it only enerigzes the pump when the DME tells it that it senses engine revolutions (via the speed sensor on the flywheel). You can bypass the relay and determine whether the pump itself will run (do a search here). If the pump is operational when the relay is bypassed only, then you have either a bad relay, sensor or DME. If you have fuel but no spark, then the suspects are sensor(s), coil, cap/rotor or DME.

I'd rule out the fuel pump first.

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Thanks Guys,

It turns over fine. I have ruled out electrical as there is a spark at the coil and plug. When I turn the key I do not here anything coming from the fuel pump. Is there a fuse I should check first before messin wih it?

[ruf-porsche]

If you have spark at coil and plugs then its a fuel problem. Try skirting starter fluid into the airbox with the air filter. If it starts and run and die then it is definitely a fuel delivery problem.

[jester911]

Might need DME relay. Like greglepore, it controls the fuel pump.

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Already changed and no difference

[jester911]

Well narrowing it down then. Verify fuel pump working or not.

[rick-l]

Check to be sure this is correct for your 85 but in my 88 a jumper from fuse 3 to 6 in the trunk (front) would cause the fuel pump to rum (you can hear it) and hear fuel flowing in back.

[JoeyJoeJoe]

checking fuse/manual

[Hugh R]

On my 84, it just quit running, no signal to the DME. A lot of money later it was determined that it was an internally shorted fuel injector. Very rare/odd failure.