HO conversion DONE......car won't start. Scott?

[Danny_Boy]

Man sorry to hear about your starting issue I know if i just finished an entire HO swap i would be rearing to take her for a boot and see what she's got !! I would be so pissed if i wer in your situation right now.

Best of luck with this issue,it does seem to be fuel related.

[Freshmeat]

ok heres an update. I turned the key to ON and pushed in the fuel pressure relief on the rail and nothing came out at all. So could it be the fuel filter? It has been sitting for the majority of 3 and 1/2 months and even though I added fuel stabilizer it might've clogged it. Anything else that would cause no fuel in the rail at all?

You hooked up the computer, right?

Turn the key to ON and LISTEN CLOSELY for the fuel pump. If you hear it turn on, check your fuel gauge and make sure you have gas ( :evil: ). If you have fuel, try changing the filter. If you don't hear the pump turn on, look toward the front of the driver's side fender. There should be two black relays. Pull them and clean them THOROUGHLY. One is your fuel pump relay. I can't remember which is it, though. Clean it and try again.

Did you try this?

[Blaze86Vic]

Just because no one has specificaly mentioned it I will in the slight chance it might be....you do know that HO has a different firing order than LOPO?

HO is 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8

[88grandmarq]

Most likely you have the engine timed incorrectly, probably 180 degees off (engine timed on the exhaust stroke, instead of the compression stroke). pull the passenger valve cover, rotate the engine until both valves are on #1 cylinder are closed and the timing marks are lined up, the rotor on the distributor should be pointing at #1 position on the cap.

Yes- but make sure they're both closed after the intake valve opens. They'll both be closed twice, but you need to watch for them to be closed after the intake valve opens. Then, make sure the piston is at TDC and check the rotor as he said.

Yeah, I should have elaborated....with the valve cover off, rotate the engine until the #1 intake valve opens then closes, this will be TDC on the compression stroke. As the valve closes the timing marks on the balancer should align with the pointer. at this point the distributor rotor should point to the #1 position on the cap.

Also, as Blaze mentioned... you changed to the HO firing order on the distributor cap, right?

[89LincolnTWNcar]

Yes yes and yes. The fuel pump works fine, and I did do the HO firing order and checked it twice ok so WHERE on the balancer marks will it line up once the piston is in the right place, TDC or 10 Degrees BTDC????

[Chevyguy]

Yes yes and yes. The fuel pump works fine, and I did do the HO firing order and checked it twice ok so WHERE on the balancer marks will it line up once the piston is in the right place, TDC or 10 Degrees BTDC????

Make sure you are using the right mark

My stock 90 Mustang 5.0 had a big notch 180° (crank degrees) from the real TDC mark. That is smaller and has degrees marked 10ATCD to 20? BTDC

I screwed this up last time I tried to check the timing.

Another problem is a spun balancer, the outer ring is moved away from the real TDC

You can use a piston stop to find the real TDC and verify compression stroke via sticking your finger in the spark plug hole, crank teh motor when you get a puff, that's the compression stroke and you are close to TDC

Setting the cap to #1 at 10° BTDC will get you closest to where you need to be.

Also can watch the #1 valves, Exhaust opens, starts to close, intake opens starts to close when it fully closes you are on the compression stroke, then find TDC with the piston stop.

[Mercracer]

WHERE on the balancer marks will it line up once the piston is in the right place, TDC or 10 Degrees BTDC????

The timing mark will be at TDC when the piston is at TDC. The rotor will be aligned with the #1 plug wire when the pointer is at 10 Degrees BTDC.

[gadget73]

And you did verify that you do indeed have spark from the coil wire to ground when cranking the engine correct?


Inertia switch in the trunk isn't popped is it? Its mounted on the driver's side trunk hinge. There is a button on the top. If you can push it in, and it clicks, then it was popped. Sometimes bumping it with stuff can trigger it.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

So by putting a finger over the spark plug hole and feeling the air come out, that means its on the compression stroke and then all I have to do is line up the hamonic balancer with TDC? So I don't have to take off my upper intake and valve cover?

[Freshmeat]

Correct, Sir. I looked into my spark plug hole with a flashlight to know when it was at TDC on mine. Oh... yours is IN the car, so I guess that's not an option.
Good luck.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

whats not an option?? I can look into the spark plug hole with the engine in

[Freshmeat]

Oh, okay. Good, then.

[88grandmarq]

So by putting a finger over the spark plug hole and feeling the air come out, that means its on the compression stroke and then all I have to do is line up the hamonic balancer with TDC? So I don't have to take off my upper intake and valve cover?

Do you understand how a 4 stroke engine works? the piston comes to the top 2 times, one for compression, one for exhaust. pulling the valve cover and watching the valve movement is the most accurate and easiest way to do it.

[p71towny]

Yeah, but the other is on power stroke and it will suck your finger in.

[88grandmarq]

Yeah, but the other is on power stroke and it will suck your finger in.

Since we are talking about making sure the timing is set correctly, we are only concerned with the piston coming to the top during the compression stroke.
However, the piston will make pressure on BOTH compression and exhaust stroke, this why you need to have the valve cover off to watch the valve movement, so you can see which stroke you're on.