replaced tons of parts, car still won't start

[Tsi_User]

sorry for the long post but I feel that it will help if I explain everything in detail.

In mid july my car would have trouble starting. It woulr start up, stutter with really erratic idle and then die. I was getting clicking sounds from the ISC.

I was told it might be the ECU. I had someone replace the caps on my ECU and the car would start. Idle really erratically again and then die. It would start up probably one out of every 8 times i tried. I thought maybe I fried the board on my ECU, so I got another one from a 90 and the car would work for about 30 seconds at 1500 rpms while stuttering then then would die. It sounded better, but still didn't work.

I thought it might be the ISC so I got another one, put it in and the car wouldn't start at all. It soundede like it was turning over but it wouldn't start up.

I thought the battery might be the problem, got the battery checked and charged and had the exact same outcome, the car would turn over but wouldn't start.

I thought the spark plugs/wires were bad, replaced them with some NGK plugs and wires and the exact same thing happened

Then I was told that it might be the MPI relay so I have another one on the way. I took the cap off my current MPI relay and it looks perfect. I'm really stumped here guys and my car has been down for almost 4 months now. If you have any ideas please help!!

 

[jce132]

Sounds like the same problem I had with a 1.8L, however I think it was fuel related, as tromping on the gas on startup would usually get the car running. Check out your fuel pump and your injectors, they could be the source of your problem.

 

[Tsi_User]

yeah i think i've gotten it narrowed down to either the MPI relay, fuel pump or injectors. How do I check the fuel pump and injectors? Thanks for the advice

 

[jce132]

For the fuel pump they sell these fuel pressure gauges you hook to your fuel pump, it'll measure what kind of flow it's pushing. You can't really do a whole lot with the injectors, just unplug them and check continuity across the terminals. A chilton's manual will have all the values you need listed.

 

[Tsi_User]

I was afraid i'd have to buy something to test 'em oh well. I guess I'll take a look at them first and see if there's any visible damage to them and then buy the electronics to test them.

 

[Tsi_User]

alright here's an update:

my friend from class who's into cars came and took a look at it. We checked the fuel injectors, they were all spraying just fine with no problem. So the problem has nothing to do with fuel delivery

I think the only problems it could be are either the spark plug wires aren't wired correctly or I blew a HG somehow and it isn't showing any signs. I checked the oil though and it didn't have any coolant in it so I'm really stumped here.

I know I saw a diagram of how to run the wires from the cylinders to the coil but I can't seem to find it anymore. Does anyone have the diagram? Thanks in advance

 

[Tsi_User]

can anyone help me with this?

 

[SiNiST3R]

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[Meh987]

The engine needs 3 basic things to run: fuel, spark, and compression.

You already said you were getting fuel, so check for spark next. If you have spark, check to make sure you have compression.

 

[Tsi_User]

that's what I was afraid of :thumbdown I guess on my next day off I'll try to find a place that sells one or rents them out