I just completed my 3.0 rebuild and went to start it for the first time. It was cranking no problem but would not fire. Then I smelled the gas. It was leaking out of the ne exhaust at all the clamped joints. I disconnected the fuel line at the filter, pulled the plugs, cranked the motor to dispell the fuel and sprayed some WD-40 in the plug holes. Any ideas? The injectors were tested and cleaned professionally. No leakes along the fuel rail or lines.

 

distributor 180 degrees out?
valves not adjusted properly?

 

Distributor is good. A shop did the heads so the valves shoul be ok.

 

Like Abe suggested, look at the valves and make sure they set the right shims. I had someone else do my heads/valves and they did not grind the valve stems to account for the reseating difference. Thus my shims were WAY OFF and had the same symptoms as you describe. Maybe do a compression check on several cylinders just to double check?

 

Do you actually have spark?

I buttoned up a LC 80 yesterday (my buddy's) after a head gasket replacement. He was eager to hear it running so we tried to fire it up before we had put the belt on the alternator. Without the alternator giving voltage, the computer refused to fire the plugs. Stuck the belts on, and it cranked right up.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but check other stupid things first. Good luck.

 

You DO have the VAFM attached & plugged in, right?!?

 

Yes, all the belts are on and the vafm is on and plugged in. After some more troubleshooting last night, I seem to be getting fuel in the cylinders when the key is in the on position, but before actually cranking. A bad injector maybe, or a bad cold start injector? Like I said in my first post, the injectors were cleaned and flowmatched so I dont think it is an injector. I guess I can check the fuel pressure reg. also.

 

MAKE SURE you did not hook the fuel tank return line to a vacuum port on the side of the intake near the cold start injector. I, in haste, did that and the vacuum sucked quarts of fuel into the engine and all the intake parts filled with fuel. Sounds like you have done the same. It, instead plugs into the charcoal filter on the passenger fender. That engine has way too many opportunities to screw something up.

Good luck with that motor...

 

Thanks for the input seairescue. I will double check all my lines when I get home today. What did you do to clean it out? Crank the motor with the plugs out and dist disconnected?

 

That's as good as any, but may (probably) ruin your O2 sensor (may be too late anyway). Just don't crank it too long as the fuel will have washed away the protective oil layer on the cylinder walls/pistons.

 

Thanks TNRabbit. I already thought of that and pulled the plugs and gave each cylinder a couple of shots of WD-40. I then hand cranked the motor to coat the cylinder walls.

 

 

Well, I figured out the problem and Seairescue was correct, I swapped a fuel line with on of the powere steering vent tubes. Any ideas on the possible problems I might have caused or any way to avoid some problems due to this?