1983 944 NA No start Help

[mmaru]

Hello everyone, new to the scene of repairing cars, and enjoy learning and working on them. I got 1983 944 NA to learn, and repair, and am faced with a no-start scenario and would like some guidance.

The condition of the car that I got it in was pretty rough but I jumped it and got it to crank, and it had compression. It wasn't getting any power to the fuel pump, so I read online and as directed I jumped the DME relay and got power. I replaced the fuel pump and the relay and everything works soundly, and I am getting fuel to the injectors. I checked for spark and I get spark as well. At this point, I thought I was going to get the car to start, but no luck.

It started when it was sprayed with starting fluid but then died out. So I decided to check if the injectors were getting current and they were. But both of the prongs were 12v. and would not pulse when cranked. This leads me to belive there is a grounding issue in the DME ? Am I correct in assuming this ? Are there other things I should be looking into. I am going to replace the fuel pressure regulator, and see if that is going to change anything but in the meantime I am hoping someone here could guide me in the right direction.

Ive read online that the speed and reference sensors go bad and prevent the car from starting in this kind of scenario. But I am having trouble understanding how that would prevent my car from starting and idleing if it started on the starter fluid and had fuel w/ pressure in the rail.

Please keep in mind I am very ignorant and do not know much and would much appreciate any guidance and help!

Thank you,
Matthew

[9FF]

Basically you need fuel, air and spark for the car to fire, but you need them at the right time for it to run. The sensors and DME are what provide the timing for it to run properly. This will help you diagnose the issue.

Btw don’t jumper your car again. The DME’s in these cars can suffer a blown power circuit in the DME if you jumper, especially if the DME ground on the engine is not clean and tight.

[TheSecondChris]

You know you have fuel at the rail and power to the injectors, but do you know that they're opening? Maybe you could pull the rail and place the injectors into small containers and see if you get any spray when you crank.

[Rasta Monsta]

If it fires on starting fluid it needs an injector service, especially if it's been sitting.

[ERAU944]

I have just serviced two sets of 944 injectors last month, one needed cleaning and the other didn't. Send the my way and I'll be happy to have a look!