Carmy 97 2.2L Will Not Start

[Dragon M.]

After rebuilding the engine, I tried to start the engine. It would not fire at all and it would just turn. After many tries, I finally did something to make it fire by actually timing the cams correctly.

Now, it will fire 2 or 3 rounds and then stop, and the starter motor will just turn with no firing. Any subsequent tries will result in just a starter motor turning unless the spark plugs are pulled out and dried. I was told by someone that since we tried so many times before we fixed the error, that it was flooded.

Could it be flooded? And are there any other possible reasons it will not start?

[ASG14]

Recheck timing.......trust me. The 5SFE is a bitch when it comes to the timing, and so many people mess it up.

[Dragon M.]

Well, the timing is AS CLOSE as we can get it, and if we moved it a tooth, it would be off more than it already is. We checked it before we figured out the cam shaft. Right now, it's only a very small degrees off. Could that be that big of a deal?

[ASG14]

you lined the cams up to the notch and the crank at 0 degrees (per the plastic cover markings)?

[Dragon M.]

The timing I referred to in the last post was the timing belt.

I lined up the cams to the timing marks on the cams and not the assembly marks.

[hill8570]

Sounds like she's getting some spark, but maybe not enough to do a good burn. If you pull a plug and ground it, how's the spark look? Big and blue? Wimpy and yellow?

Have you done a compression test?

[Dragon M.]

The spark is big and blue.

Comperssion tests is as follows:

75, 85, 80, 80

Seems a bit low... but they are constant. These are new pistons and piston rings in the engine, so I dont think they'd be worn...
But I suppose that would be the problem. Any ideas on why the pressure is so low?

Edit; Pressure is at 90-95 with the EFI fuse removed, so no gasoline injection. Still, the problem persists. Any ideas?

[BamZipPow]

Are you sure you have the right timing belt? Was it assembled properly? Write down the list of how you assembled and timed it.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by Dragon M.

The spark is big and blue.

Comperssion tests is as follows:

75, 85, 80, 80

Seems a bit low... but they are constant. These are new pistons and piston rings in the engine, so I dont think they'd be worn...
But I suppose that would be the problem. Any ideas on why the pressure is so low?

Edit; Pressure is at 90-95 with the EFI fuse removed, so no gasoline injection. Still, the problem persists. Any ideas?

That's like 100 psi down from what I'd consider normal. Did you have the throttle wide open when you did the test?

Assuming you did the test correctly, and you're sure of the compression gauge, I'd really, really double-check that timing belt installation. Since that was the last thing touched, I'm voting for the valve timing being off.

If you want to check the rings before going back into the timing belt area, give a small squirt of oil in the cylinder before doing the compression check -- if the compression numbers come way, rings are the likely cause.