3.2 ATX Will not run after engine install

[NSR818]

Hello,

Happy Holidays! I have a problem on my 1995 3.2 ATX. The car will not run during start up. I recently changed the Torque Converter so I dropped the motor. The car ran with a little bit of a misfire before I dropped the motor. I did the front and top 60k while the engine is out of the car. I've checked all of the wiring connections. I'm getting spark and fuel to to the combustion chamber. Firing order on the wires are good. I also get random engine diagnosis without conducting the paperclip trick. Could it be a bad ECU? Any inputs will help.

Thank you.

 

[TimboSHO]

Did you get the timing belt on right? There are different marks for the 3.0 and the 3.2, make sure you got it right. Make sure the crank position sensor is gapped correctly. I doubt it's a bad part, it's just something that isn't hooked up or installed properly.

If you are getting spark and fuel, it's probably a timing issue....

 

[rubydist]

sounds like a ground issue to me. iirc, there is some ground issue that will cause the check engine light to flash, but I don't recall the details just now. I would carefully check all the grounds.

And I would also double-check the gap on the crank sensor - it is way easier to get that wrong than right, and if wrong its only a matter of time until the crank sensor is dead and you are stranded on the side of the road.

 

[NSR818]

The SHO runs now.....timing was corrected and right plug wiring orientation (dont use chiltons manual for spark plug wiring orientation!)

 

[NSR818]

the white sho rolled out today...took it for a test drive....while at idle/warming up...it has a knocking/ticking sound at the bottom end.....the car is running on 100octane because previous owner put racing fuel in it...could it be just engine knock from wrong octane rating or bad rod bearing symptoms? the knocking goes away once rpm goes up..

 

[TimboSHO]

Glad you got it running! Those pesky #5 and #6 wires are a common problem to switch. I would put 87 octane in it and see if the knocking goes away. Don't run it too long like that though. How full is the tank of 100 octane?

 

[SHOdded]

Sounds like the prev owner may have been trying to cover up the knock. Keeping a set of rod bearings on hand would be cheap insurance. But at the very least, the engine does not seem to be getting adequate lubrication. How does the engine oil look?

 

[rubydist]

1. Engines do not knock due to having too high of octane fuel, that is not the cause.
2. Engines with spark knock do not knock at the bottom end, they knock up top.

Therefore, 3. I would strongly recommend new rod bearings at once, before it spins a bearing and needs serious work.

 

[NSR818]

Engine oil looked good when i drained it. I have disconnected the serpentine belt and ran the car to see if the noise will go away....the noise lessened but the its still present on the bottom end of the engine.....when i took the car for a test drive the oil light flickered...i believe the rod bearings are going out now...i am doing the rod bearings as soon as the parts come in. Not driving this car till the rod bearings are replaced. Ill keep you guys posted.