'79 911 SC No Start

[Coach House 911]

On Monday I picked up my first 911. My Dad and I trailered it over 500+miles and when I was ready to take it off the trailer it would not start. It almost kicked over the first time, but then would not kick over again. Waited another 10 minutes, same thing and this has not changed all week. I come home from work hoping it will have fixed itself but no luck. Ran perfectly before putting it on the trailer.
Lots of Gas. Possibly fuel filter?
Any ideas? I am losing sleep.

[bourgeois911]

Check the relays located in the fuse panel in the trunk, make sure they're all seated. The fuel pump relay has been problematic in the past on my 79. There's a way to test the fuel pump to verify it's working by lifting the air flow sensor.

[bourgeois911]

A good description of above:
Remove the air cleaner and filter. Turn ignition to the ON position. Reach in and lift the air flow sensor plate. You should hear the fuel pump and injectors spraying and feel a little bit of downward resistance on the plate. If that does not happen, turn the ignition to the off position and start checking fuses and if you don't find a bad fuse check the red relay in the front trunk.

[T77911S]

kick over? i assume that means the starter was turning the motor over, but it just did not want to fire and not that the starter would just turn it over once or twice and stop.

the above is a good check for fuel. you could go one further and pop an injector out and visially check for fuel if you are still not sure.

next would be an ignition check. you can connect a timing light to one of the plugs wires and check or pull a wire and connect a plug and check for spark.

does it have a popoff valve and did it backfire?

if this is all good, could be the cold start valve. doing the fuel pump test above will dump some fuel intot he engine, try starting it right after doing that.

since your car ran, there is not much to keep your car from starting now, that is what is great about the pre 80 cis cars.
spark- cd unit, coil, distributor.
fuel- fuel pump or cold start valve.
and of course, air leaks

[jsmithcds]

First advise is don't panic...... If you are unframiliar with the car and how the CIS operates and fuel distribution you will be learning shortly. Take a deep breath and listen to the people on this board. They will get it running for you. If you can find someone in your area to help get you framiliar that would be your best bet. Let us know where in Canada you are. Odds are you have a fellow Pelican near you that would be willing to help out.

Good luck and enjoy your new car.

We will also require some pics man!

Justin

[Joe Bob]

Fuel pressure.....cold starts need pressure. Hit it with a shot of quick start, if it starts with that, it's a fuel issue. Of course filters could be an issue. Usually there are more than one.

I don't see if this is CIS, carbs or whatever....different fuel intake systems can have differing problems on cold start. I will assume stock CIS as it's a 79.

[ossiblue]

T77911S has outlined the easiest procedure, IMO--check fuel delivery, then spark. Report back what you find and you'll have the car running before you know it.

[Gunter]

Originally Posted by Coach House 911

On Monday I picked up my first 911. My Dad and I trailered it over 500+miles and when I was ready to take it off the trailer it would not start. It almost kicked over the first time, but then would not kick over again. Waited another 10 minutes, same thing and this has not changed all week. I come home from work hoping it will have fixed itself but no luck. Ran perfectly before putting it on the trailer.
Lots of Gas. Possibly fuel filter?
Any ideas? I am losing sleep.

Kicked over?
Meaning: The starter kept cranking the engine but it wouldn't fire?
Or the starter doesn't crank the engine?
Starter Solenoid just click?
Explain some more.

Remember that CIS starts without pumping the pedal.

I would first check the battery for correct Voltage; it may have drained or may be just old and kaput.

If the battery is good, check fuel supply like bourgois911 says:

Remove the air cleaner and filter. Turn ignition to the ON position. Reach in and lift the air flow sensor plate for a few seconds only. You should hear the fuel pump and injectors spraying (They'll squeal) and feel a little bit of downward resistance on the plate. If that does not happen, turn the ignition to the off position and start checking fuses and if you don't find a bad fuse check the red relay in the front trunk.

Let us know if the battery is really good and if you have fuel going to the injectors.