Fuel starved, so won't start

[wikkid]

I am finally back to some work to get my '84 started. It is soooo close.
New battery, new plugs, and good spark.
No air leaks found at all. AFM looks great - nice and smooth, no prob's with the internal mechanism.
New fuel pump with new pre-and post-filters; new gas.
I am getting gas delivery to the cold start injector and to the injector rail.

So, what I get is strong cranking with no fie-up at all, except after I crank for a bit and leave it for a minute or two, when I crank again it starts to fire up like a bit of residual gas in there being burned), but then no more: back to just cranking when key turned with no combustion.

I would have thought it would get enough gas fron the cold-start injector to start the car, and then, if the injectors are clogged, it would soon stall out. But I don't even get that much.

This could be mechanical, like clogged injectors, or it could be electronic, like the ECU and/or sensors not getting the right signals to the fuel system for it to do its thing.

Anyone have any thoughts?

In any case, after I go through a more thorough troubleshhoting of the other injection components, I will probably go to these guys: http://www.okinjectors.com/ for an overhaul of the injectors. They are the same company that provides Csaba with the silicone vacuum hose kits, and their service and prices seem reasonable.

[So Cal Mark]

before you start buying parts, why not check for injector pulse?

[rlux4]

Mark's right. It's easy to do, the best way is to buy or get a loaner noid light, like Autozone does, pull a connector on an injector, plug in the noid light and see if it pulses when you crank the engine. Let us know if it doesn't and we can help you diagnose why.
Ron

[wikkid]

Thanks, guys. I will do, next time I am back in the same locale as the car (away a lot); and I'll report back.
-Chris
funny - I thought I had posted a reply to Mark earlier, but it didn't post... anyway, I aqm doing diagnostics first in general - no desire to rush out and buy parts if not needed : - )

[rrrrob]

Timing?

[124JOE]

ya it sounds like a bad timing belt skiped a tooth.

on a flat surfce put the car in 4th and roll untill the timing marks line up with the lowest mark
look at the back of the cams there should be two holes one at 2oclock"drivers side"&one at 10oclock"pass side"
then open your cap if you have one."if you dont you wont be set right on the cam gears"
the rotor should be pointing at #4 as the haynes manual says.

[wikkid]

Update:
Put a noid light on injector 1 lead, cranked, and get this:

The car started up and ran! For the very first time since I got it!

This did not last long. It stalled out after 20-30 seconds, and would not re-start.
The noid light was solid on, no flashing (neither during short run time nor during cranking).

When it ran, the engine sounded very smooth, good, clean rev's.

So I have found no air leaks; I have good spark, but a set of original injectors that have been sitting in the car for years with no action. I have new gas, and a new fuel pump with pre- and post fuel filters set up. Good fuel pressure at the regulator. Fuel squirts out of the cold start injector when I test that.

I have run down the battery with a lot of cranking by now. I need to charge it back up fully. Also, it cranked well when I started this process, but I know it was not fully charged, even when I started the testing, so it's really low now, with all this cranking. But 2 things come to mind, other than the battery charge:
1. Why would the noid light not blink?
2. I'm betting the injectors really need a going over to clean them out. The car doesn't seem to get the gas it needs to start and stay running. One symptom of this is that I can crank it for a bit, then let it sit for a minute and when I try cranking again, it's as if there's just enough gas that has made its way into the chamber to get a little bit of firing started, then nothing more.

Ideas on the noid light issue, and thoughts on the injectors? OR any other issues?

By the way, I pulled the ignition control module and had it tested at autozone - it tested good, all 4 or 5 times they ran it (cold, and as they ran it, it warmed up and still passed).

[rlux4]

If your injector is getting constant power (actually constant ground, as they get constant power and the ECU completes the ground to activate the injector) and if this were happening on all four injectors your car would rev to beyond red line. You should check to see if the other injectors are getting a pulsing signal. If they aren't pulsing correctly you most likely have a bad ECU. The little bit of firing you have after sitting a minute could be coming from one or more injectors leaking, the pressure stays in the fuel supply line.
Ron

[wikkid]

Thanks, Ron. I agree about the probable leaking allowing some brief firing.
I'm going to check the other 3 injector leads, with the re-charged battery, when I am back down with the car next week. I wish the other 3 connectors were as easy to reach as #1!

Thanks for your help. I'll let you know how it looks.