coolant and heater hose replacement

[JamesG]

After replacing all of the heater and coolant hoses on my 1990 eagle talon tsi awd.. I filled it up with antifeeze after making sure all hoses were properly fastened. After I finished installing them I attempted to start the car and all it would do was crank the engine, it wouldnt turn over. I checked all wire connections to make sure I didnt disturb them. I couldnt find any issue, but it still wont start.. I would like to fix it myself because I know it is something I am just simply over looking. Please if anyone can help with any information it would be greatly appreciated

also the car had no issues starting or running before I replaced the hoses. I only replaced them because they were worn and a few seemed to be lightly leaking..

 

[herms99gst]

Thats crazy. Id just look at all the areas where you were working and make sure you didnt disturb anything....like your cam angle sensor

 

[stars]

Go back and double check your wires around that t-stat area. Just make sure there plugged in, wiggle them if you have too. You may have air trapped inside the t-stat housing causing the ect not to register, so car goes into "fail safe" and car does not "run" it only "cranks over". You may also had disturbed a sensor that was getting ready to fail. I think they cost about $15.00 (ect), never hurts to make sure all air is "bleed" out of the system, most important step first as you now have to check the connectors so do a good "visual" inspection as your "topping off" the the system with coolant. (I will rock the car as I'm filling or try to bounce it, helps burp the air out you may find). This cooling system is the worst for trapping air so you may have to squeeze the upper hose as you top off with coolant. You may have disconnected something so go back and retrace your steps when you did the hoses. TGo back and try to "crank over" car and repeat the "topping off of coolant" in between cranks. If all fails then you need a scanner to see what sensor is not reading. Will have to take it to a shop or someone with a scan tool to guide you along further if your out of options. Don't forget to check fuses, I know they maybe o.k. but pays to rule out what it isn't pretty quick with a test light.

 

[TSi Kid]

I would be money you either disconnected your cas accidently, or you messed up one of the wires going to it.

 

[JamesG]

Go back and double check your wires around that t-stat area. Just make sure there plugged in, wiggle them if you have too. You may have air trapped inside the t-stat housing causing the ect not to register, so car goes into "fail safe" and car does not "run" it only "cranks over". You may also had disturbed a sensor that was getting ready to fail. I think they cost about $15.00 (ect), never hurts to make sure all air is "bleed" out of the system, most important step first as you now have to check the connectors so do a good "visual" inspection as your "topping off" the the system with coolant. (I will rock the car as I'm filling or try to bounce it, helps burp the air out you may find). This cooling system is the worst for trapping air so you may have to squeeze the upper hose as you top off with coolant. You may have disconnected something so go back and retrace your steps when you did the hoses. TGo back and try to "crank over" car and repeat the "topping off of coolant" in between cranks. If all fails then you need a scanner to see what sensor is not reading. Will have to take it to a shop or someone with a scan tool to guide you along further if your out of options. Don't forget to check fuses, I know they maybe o.k. but pays to rule out what it isn't pretty quick with a test light.

I have burped the system and checked all sensors and connections. The only issue I have seen is that the o2 sensor isnt connected right. I definately dont think that has anything to do with it starting. Ive checked all fuses under the hood and there arent any that have been blown. I know the car has started every time even in -20 weather. It has always ran like a champ, it ran before I switched out the hoses. So i dont understand whats going on. I dont want to take it in because I know its something simple. Has anyone had this same type of problem in the past. All it does is crank over, I can smell gas and I have check any vaccum leaks that could be possible..

 

[knochgoon24]

Start with the basics.

-Check for spark
-Check for fuel

 

[stars]

Spark, Fuel and Mechanical. if all those check out then it's electrical. Maybe O2 sensor who knows, maybe ecu, cas, bad wire connector end?. If it's an electrical problem then your choices are limited if you don't have the wiring diagrams or scan tool at your disposal. That's why the use of a scan tool at this point will come in handy for you.

You may have fuel soaked the plugs, take them out see if they are wet, good time to double check spark then. Usually parts which have solid state circuit circuitry involved are responsible for most "intermittent symptoms and/or dies all at once giving no symptoms at all, what so ever". You smell fuel so that means it's flowing and your not out of fuel, that's good too. You may have to see about fuel pressure readings too. So many variables you have to check off the "not it" list if you want to do the work yourself. Correctly attach that O2 sensor if you can, that's maybe why your smelling fuel, usually means "rich mixture" and to verify is to pull your plugs out and see if they are "wet" and smell like gasoline?

 

[bryanwheat]

I would pull back the loom on the coolant temp sensor plug. IT is very common for the wire to break because they get hard and brittle.

 

[doayamaha]

the only thing i can think of that would make it crank no fire would be cas.

possibly ignition coil or transistor but you weren't in that area but wouldn't hurt to check.

 

[bryanwheat]

the only thing i can think of that would make it crank no fire would be cas.

possibly ignition coil or transistor but you weren't in that area but wouldn't hurt to check.

Or coolant temp sensor being that it is right around where he was working.

 

[doayamaha]

yeah, i could have fouled them that bad, he never said if it even tried to fire. it won't spray any fuel without the cas. if it kept trying to fire but never did then i would say yes.

 

[JamesG]

Spark, Fuel and Mechanical. if all those check out then it's electrical. Maybe O2 sensor who knows, maybe ecu, cas, bad wire connector end?. If it's an electrical problem then your choices are limited if you don't have the wiring diagrams or scan tool at your disposal. That's why the use of a scan tool at this point will come in handy for you.

You may have fuel soaked the plugs, take them out see if they are wet, good time to double check spark then. Usually parts which have solid state circuit circuitry involved are responsible for most "intermittent symptoms and/or dies all at once giving no symptoms at all, what so ever". You smell fuel so that means it's flowing and your not out of fuel, that's good too. You may have to see about fuel pressure readings too. So many variables you have to check off the "not it" list if you want to do the work yourself. Correctly attach that O2 sensor if you can, that's maybe why your smelling fuel, usually means "rich mixture" and to verify is to pull your plugs out and see if they are "wet" and smell like gasoline?

So I went over the car once again reburping the system allowing a little more coolant to be added. I checked the sparkplugs, they seemed to be fine but I replaced them anyway. I then correctly attatched the o2 sensor while gong over all connections looking for any disturbances, they all checked out fine a seemed to have a good connection. Im sure the ecu isnt the issue, the stock boost gauge still returns to zero while switching the car to the on position. I dont see how it could be the cas I was no where near it to actually disturb it. I simply replaced the heater and coolant hosing, before doing this the car started up with no issues. After going through the car again and figuring thats all I could tell could possibly be wrong I went and turned over the engine once again, all it did was crank, but much stronger as if it really wanted to start. I feel somethin so little I may be over looking or it could possibly just be some sensor/relay not allowing the car to fire. I went through all of the fuses and relays, they didnt look like they had any issues. I dont have a scaner to go over my car and I am atleast ten miles away from the closest shop. Is there anything you guys can think of that could keep the car from firing?

 

[stars]

Do this while someone is cranking over the engine get something flammable like carburetor cleaner (preferably) or WD-40, spray it into the throttle body intake and see if will run, then. Do not use something like starting fluid but if that's all you have then use just a little bit of that stuff (very flammable, just 1 squirt needed). You just want to check and see if it will "fire off". That's the easiest way to determine if your fuel pump may be going bad. If it's wanting to almost start then with something flammable going down into the intake it will "run" until the fuel source is used up. Try that trick then post back.

 

[CrawlinZX14]

bad ground. Check the ground from your intake to the firewall. I removed a ground before and didnt even think about it, tried to fire it, nothing. Replaced the ground, and it was golden. Check em all out and I think u will find your problem

 

[JamesG]

Do this while someone is cranking over the engine get something flammable like carburetor cleaner (preferably) or WD-40, spray it into the throttle body intake and see if will run, then. Do not use something like starting fluid but if that's all you have then use just a little bit of that stuff (very flammable, just 1 squirt needed). You just want to check and see if it will "fire off". That's the easiest way to determine if your fuel pump may be going bad. If it's wanting to almost start then with something flammable going down into the intake it will "run" until the fuel source is used up. Try that trick then post back.

Geezus, talk about a save.. Thanks to your post I went out side and sprayed some carburetor cleaner in the intake and it fired up then died. I did this a few more times and it finally kept running. I am not sure I had gas in the car but for some reason it acted like it was empty.. Its been pretty cold around here and it sat for about a week.. But problem solved thanks to your clever thinking

By the way, thanks to everyone who submitted possible diagnoses.. Everything helped me realize what was good and bad on the car, it all helped!

 

[doayamaha]

glad you got i going again very strange however that it just started to run after a couple shots of carb cleaner.

 

[JamesG]

glad you got i going again very strange however that it just started to run after a couple shots of carb cleaner.

Thanks, I was also very pleaed to see these results pan out. I actually had the gas light come on and drove about ten or fifteen miles with it on thinking I would just fill it up the next day. It had no signs of there being no fuel in the tank. I have done this plenty times before and had no issues, but It did sit for about a week until I could get new downpipe nuts. I think the cold weather we had might have caused the gas to become dense and possibly become even lower than it had previously been. We went from about 40 degrees to close to zero within that time. I couldnt believe it either, but I am glad that little trick was all i needed

 

[stars]

Sweet, because I was out of tricks up my sleeve if that did not work, you would had to have taken it to a shop. I almost thought about mentioning the fuel quantity in tank but figured you had plenty but, I assumed rather than ask you, sorry I missed that should have asked that question first, but thought it would be a "stupid" one to post, which is what I like to ask sometimes. So, easy fix with some fresh gas, not that much money spent there. Now you've saved a few hundred dollars by doing it yourself, so you can you send me a $50 bill and call it even....... Please close this post out as "Solved" so that others may run across it and hopefully solve a problem such as you had, it happens so don't be embarassed. But, you learned some troubleshooting along the way so consider that "valuable knowledge". Now, you will be able to solve any problem that comes your way and if you don't you always know where you can find some help. Good old flammable liquid comes in handy when you least expect it but, does a very good job at troubleshooting. Handy to have around at all times. And they say you can't fix a car a 1,000 miles away......

P.S. That's why it's called an "internal combustion engine" every heard that term? You supply any type of fuel source to that type of of engine and that is the result (internally com bust). When he used the liquid, he just substituted as he was playing the role of the fuel pump, supplying the amount of fuel he needed. Old trick I learned from back in the day.............