my van wont start

[ghar21]

i just put in the same engine i took out (changed head gaskets) and it wont start. i think i have the spark plugs and vacuum lines in the correct places and it chuggs but will not turn over. whats the deal?

1981 a/c vanagon

[MarkWard]

Head gaskets on an 81? I usually delete those. Any way back to your problem. When you had the heads off, did you keep the rockers and pushrods in order? After reassembly did you readjust the valves. I have seen more than once where the pushrod is not seated in the center of the lifter, but catches on the edge. Assuming you have spark and fuel presure, I would suggest pulling the plugs and doing a compression test. If the compression is good and even, you can start with troubleshooting the fuel and ignition system. Are the injectors clicking while you crank? Do you have spark? It is easy when you've had the engine out, to miss an electrical connector. Start with the basics. Troubleshooting the ignition system is basic. Here is a link to a fuel injection manual to give you an idea how it works. http://bama.ua.edu/~darren/boschindex.html

[ghar21]

ok disregard the first post. after some checking this is what i have.

* when i turn the key the engine cranks, and i here the fuel pump come on
* I checked the coil (got spark)
* I checked the plugs(got spark)
* changed fuel filter
* followed bentley and pulled off one injector and turned the engine but no fuel is coming out.

* not sure if vacuum lines for fuel delivery are correct

my conclusion is this. either the vacuum lines are wrong or something between the fuel filter and injectors is corrupting the fuel system.

1981 a/c vanagon

sorry for being so blatantly vague earlier. any help is appreciated.

-George

[ghar21]

ok i checked the wire harness and according to Bentley i have no power the fuel sending unit. is there a way to go back and check the power or is the unit dead?

[Randy in Maine]

To get in the "game" you need to have :

26 psi in the fuel rail.
11 volts from the battery.


Keep in mind that a lot of the FI is powered up via the double relay that gets its power form the small terminal on the starter. Check the starter connection first.

Then the double relay. http://www.ratwell.com/technical/DoubleRelay.html

Check to see if you are really getting 12 volts to the fuel pump. If you have a fuel pressure gauge put it on the fuel pressure rail so that you can watch it. http://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?t=213

Make sure that the FI grounds are hooked up. On a bus they are under the air plenum just forward of the thermotime switch on the left side of the engine. Not sure on a vanagon. If you want to check the injectors to see if they are actually firing, remove the electrical harness from one of them and insert your 12 volt test tight. It should flicker when someone hoits the starter with the key.

The other thing that you have to have is some sort of signal from the temp sensor II. Clean, tighten, and test yours. http://www.ratwell.com/technical/TempSensorII.html

[tencentlife]

Don't overlook the injector series resistors.

[ghar21]

is there a way to test the ecu directly to see if it is indeed the problem?

thanks

-George