washed motor now no start

[desertdude]

Went ahead and shot myself in the foot yesterday. I know 3.9's are iffy about being washed but its only the third time I must have done this in three years.

I just used a hand held spray bottle and covered up the dizzy and fuse box and lightly sprayed the engine bay and rubbed it down and now it wont start. I checked the dizzy cap, dry as a bone am getting fuel and am getting a good spark from the coil. But just to be sure I plucked out the plug wires and cap from a mates disco and still won't start.

My cap and wires work in his car. I checked all the fuses and the ecu and fuel pump relays both working fine, still swapped and checked. No luck.

Its been drying now for a day with the hood open and there is a good wind and everything has dried up fine from what I can see. Opened and WD40'ed, wiped down and cleaned any and all connection with in reach from the top.

I have fuel pressure at the rail ( 6 month old pump )and I have spark at the coil but still the darn thing won't start.

I always knew it was a stupid idea to clean the engine but was a slow afternoon and I just wanted to be outdoors and fiddle with the car and ended up with this mess.

Now really at wits end at what to do next. Usually when something like this happens if you just let it dry it get alright but its been a 24hrs now and nothing.

Asked a mate to get me a set of new wires so maybe that would help not sure though as the wires don't look in great shape but were taken from a running car.

Anybody got a clue as what to do next ????

Thanks in advance

DD

[Tank]

Check your air filter is not wet, if it is the hot wire in the maf may be wet, also check the TPS and the wiring plug for the maf also check under plastic cap in dissy for moisture or condensation, blow out with compressed air, good luck, Regards Frank.

[desertdude]

Thanks mate, but the air filter is dry and so is the dizzy and all the leads. I just put in a set of new leads just to be sure and still nothing. Still giving a good solid spark and lots of fuel. In fact brighter bluer spark than my mates working disco which gives out only a orangish spark.

I already checked the MAF connector but haven't checked the maf itself. Still got my mates disco with me, so will swap out MAF's to see if that got anything to do with it.

Thanks for the reply though

Cheers

[bee utey]

Check the ignition sense wire, its a small white/black stripe wire at the ignition coil, negative side. That and its associated resistor need to be clean and tightly connected to run. Its the way the ECU senses engine turning.

[desertdude]

Ages ago I'd sprayed this stuff on the coil

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/04/693.jpg

Its turned into a hard sealed plastic coating on it. So every thing is hard and solid ( and hopefully water proof ) in its place. I don't understand much on how all the coil electrics works. But taking off the coil wire from the dizzy cap and arcing it on the engine gives a good pulsing spark.

I'm think that means its fine and dandy. Crossed checked Rave and thats what it also says if you got a good spark from the coil wire that means the problem lies on the HT distribution side.

I even put a old spark plug on number one wire and it also arcs a spark on ground so there is spark there aswell.

Fuel in the rail and plus petrol smell while cranking so I've got fuel aswell. Have floored it while cranking to stop it flooding. Sometimes the motor catches ever so slightly as if wanting to come to life and then goes back to just "hollow" cranking.

I'm at wits end as to what it could be I checked, rechecked and then rechecked some more everything I could think off.

Fuel and ECU relays, each and every fuse. Swapped MAF's, swapped dizzy cap, new leads, fuel, battery. Its been drying for a day and half now with the hood open and still nothing.

This is turning out to be one of my most challenging and longest fixes ever and all done in by a few squirts of water from a hand held sprayer ! Usually one gets to know what is shot but just diagnosing this is as what is actually wrong is turning out to be a nightmare in its self !

[bee utey]

Take all the spark plugs out, dry them on a gas burner. Put them back in, warm to hot. Use some start-ya-barstud to get it spinning.

Oh and that wire I posted about below is important. Not because it causes spark, but because it transfers information to the ECU. No connect no injection.

[desertdude]

Thanks mate. Its all dark now so will wait till morrow and that will also hopefully give it more drying time

[desertdude]

I did the rave test 6 in the Lucas constant ignition section under electricals. Which say take the cap off and put the coil lead close to it and crank. There should be no spark and if there is spark that means that the rotor has a earth fault.

I did this and it does seem to spark every now and then, so could it be the rotor, but I was thinking all the rotor does is distribute the spark from the coil to the requires plug wire so it should kinda arc right ? Or am I wrong in this.

BTW I cleaned and rechecked all the coil connectors and still nothing.

Also now the other problem is how to get the rotor off and I live around 60kms from the nearest landy parts store and today is the weekend here. Is there anyway to remove this other than breaking it ?

[desertdude]

Well apprently its a load of crock. My buddys disco does the same. The coil wire sparks on the rotor too, so thats not it.

For a second I was happy, atleast I knew what was wrong with it !

[bee utey]

Also now the other problem is how to get the rotor off and I live around 60kms from the nearest landy parts store and today is the weekend here. Is there anyway to remove this other than breaking it ?

3 screwdrivers. One to hold down the mechanism visible through the hole in the clear plastic cover. 2 others to gently rock the rotor button until it pops off. Do be gentle or you'll rip the advance cam off it's mountings. You should put 1 drop of oil under the rotor button every 10 000km anyway. (lubes the mechanical advance.)

You should get a regular spark from the ignition lead to the engine block or dissy body etc. The test for rotor button failure is to compare this spark with the one through the rotor button. If you get a strong spark to the rotor button it means the insulation to the dissy shaft is burnt through. Common enough.

[desertdude]

You should get a regular spark from the ignition lead to the engine block or dissy body etc. The test for rotor button failure is to compare this spark with the one through the rotor button. If you get a strong spark to the rotor button it means the insulation to the dissy shaft is burnt through. Common enough.

Could you explain this a little bit more please. By the rotor button you mean the center point in the dizzy cap or the rotor itself.

I am getting a weakish spark on the rotor with the coil lead but this also happens on the other disco aswell.

Update : I ripped out the entire coil and ignition module and planted it into the disco and it works just fine. Starts on the fly while the other disco's coil and module doesn't work in mine.

I put back the parts back into the respective cars and its the same my car still won't start and my mates does. Only thing I did not swap was the suppresor thingy.

Parts swapped so far. Dizzy cap, relays, coil, ignition module, ignition leads, battery and before I got the new set even the wires. My mates disco was running a little rough on idle but after putting in my wires its is now running fine ! All my parts in his car work fine but his know working bits don't in mine.

Problem is I am still stuck at square one. Have spark and fuel still motor won't run. Although today for a second it did feel like it wanted to come alive but then went back to its hollow cranking. Left the battery disconnected for a few minutes just to see if it made any difference.

HELP ! :(

[desertdude]

Conviced a friend to make the long journey to my place on his day off, who is a mechanic and has worked on landies a bit, but it has been some time since he touched a 14CUX. Anyways we started fiddling about. First there was spark then there was no spark then there was weak spark. So he jumpered the positive side of the coil with a long wire to the battery and the lights in the dash came on as if the switch was on. Then I cranked it, nothing happened.

Tried this a couple a times nothing happened then checked at the leads, no to weak spark. The jumped the coil again and cranked it again at it came to life !!!! https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/04/648.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/04/648.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/04/649.jpg

YEAAAH !!!!!

Let it run for a while to evapourate if there was any moisture left then switched if off tidied up the mess a bit neatly secured all the wires and then started again and it went right up again ! https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/04/650.jpg

So niether he nor I know what was actually wrong ? But all I know is it works now. Basically jump started the coil. Maybe there was some moisture in the connection from the battery to the coil who knows ?

Thanks everyone for their input and time.

Cheers