2.0L motor stops working after 2 mls

[MARCANNEKE]

Hi there,

After a long winter service on my 914 ( i changed the seals and oil leaks), i put the engine under the car.
at first clic the engine runs well, and I dit some short trials. all OK.
When departing for a longer ride the engine suddenly stops on acceleration. impossible to restart altough I have ignition and gas. the startermotor keeps turning but no one home.
No way to revive my proud and joy.
Any idea on what went wrong? it is a standard D-jetronic with every part working before overhaul this winter.
Thanks for Your reply.

Marc
Zele Belgium

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

If the car stops running, you have lost one of three things:
- Spark
- Fuel
- Compression

You say you have ignition (spark) and gas (fuel). Are you sure you have them when the car is in its failed state? Have you actually checked, or have you just assumed?

To check spark, grab an extra spark plug. Tape it with the outer electrode or the threaded part touching a ground. Crank the starter and watch for sparks.

For fuel, you can sniff at the tailpipe after cranking the starter for a while. If it smells of fuel, then you're getting fuel into the motor. For a more certain test, remove the injectors from one side of the motor and put them into jars while still hooked up to the fuel lines and the electrical plugs. Have an assistant crank the starter and watch for the fuel.

A loss of compression is the least likely problem to occur suddenly, but you can rule that out by performing a compression test.

Once you know you have all three of those, the only variables left are when the spark happens and the amount of fuel going into the motor. Both of which are not likely to change suddenly without other symptoms.

One other thing to check is that all of the wires and hoses in the engine bay are securely connected. If the CHT sensor gets unplugged, it will suddenly make the mixture too rich to run. There may be other things that can cause significant problems if they get unplugged, so double check. Don't forget the common grounding point at the top-rear of the engine on one of the crankcase through bolts.

--DD

[MARCANNEKE]

Dave,

Thanks for Your reply. After many hours of testing and verifying it seemed that the cable from te coil to the distributor had a default. I replaced this cable, and my beauty started from the first click!!!

Greetz,

Marc
Zele
Belgium

[Garold Spire]

Mine does the same thing. I'll replace the coil to distributor cable tomorrow and let you know what happens.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Please don't just replace wires! Make sure that the wire has a fault before you replace it. Otherwise you may find yourself spending hundreds or thousands on parts, only to have the same problem you started out with.

--DD