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Re: [T3] Newbie--Car Won't Start


I didn't include all the details for sake of length, but as regards the
replacing of the parts that I have, only two were really on a hunch: the
coil and SP wires.  The coil was provided by my friend's (the previous
owner) mechanic for free, and I still have the other one (I have tested
both and get an orange spark with a whitish/bluish spark at the end, i.e.
on the ground).  Both of these replacements were before I had started
looking at John Muir's book (also provided by my friend) and I did them
since they were recommended by my friend who had done light repairs on
the car over the course of his owning it.  Anyhow, the EFP I replaced
only after having narrowed it down and then concluding it was dead based
on a test another friend's fiance, who is a mechanic, recommended: he
said to, simply, unplug the lil boy and connect it to the car battery
directly with alligator clips and wires, or whatever, and that I could
even try a 9V bat--I tried both, and both caused the EFP to do nothing. 
Then when I had mentioned the problem I was having at Autozone the guy
said it could be my starter and that I should take it out and have them
test it, in the process of removing it part of plastic housing around the
positive post on the solenoid broke off when I was unscrewing the
connection, so I replaced it with the warranty my friend had from the
last time he had replaced it.
 
I have to apologize since I didn't specify that I have an AT not an MT,
so her foot slipped off the accelerator since I don't have a clutch. 
With my car you need to press on the accelerator all the way when you
start it and then keep it at a low hum while it warms up...although I
have a feeling that this isn't exactly normal and is a symptom of
something I need to get fixed, am I right on this?
 
I'm living in Henderson, Nevada and the car is in Las Vegas (the two
cities are touching and are close enough so that few know exactly where
one begins and ends).  
 
The mechanic I mentioned above who told me how to test the EFP (same
thing that Leon suggested) should be coming down to look at the car with
me tomorrow, and if he can't help me figure it out then I will go through
with everything in Muir on the engine not starting and what was
recommended here.  Today I tested the EFP I just bought with a 9V (I
wasn't in the mood to lug the battery out of the car, what can I say? 
I'm kinda burned out since its fun to work on the car, but frankly, only
when I see some sort of progress/results=\  ) and I saw spark and it
whirred for a brief moment only the first time I tried it--I took the
power off the EFP and back on 3 or 4 times.  Is that a good sign or does
that mean that EFP has almost had it as well?
 
After I get it started I'm going to do a complete tune up and get all the
little knicks worked out (such as adjusted and bleeding the brakes--the
pedal goes half way down before the brakes catch; fix the accelerator
pump and/or heat riser since it accelerates at a crawl after a complete
stop....does an AT EFI engine of my sort have an accelerator pump and
heat riser?  If so, where?  There are probably other things that I don't
recall right off that need to be fixed/adjusted).
 
Some other little questions, some related to this and others to when I do
the tune up: would a dead EFP cause my engine to make any sort of an
unusual noise?  Do my brakes (I believe I have disc, but I have to check)
require organic brake fluid?  Muir mentioned looking for organic, but
everyone I've talked to didn't even know that such a thing existed, but
when I looked it up on-line I got the impression that synthetic could
ruin certain brake systems.  Would fuel injector cleaner be harmful for
my car because of how hot it burns, or is it alright to use it?  And if
it is alright, would it be okay to use it while also using leaded fuel
additives, or should I use one at a time?  I noticed I have a short in my
electrical system (a spark when I put the ground cable onto the battery)
and that it is from fuse 12, and I'm thinking it is the CD player since
whenever I reconnect the battery the CD player makes a little noise as it
would when turning on...is this a problem that I should fix, or is it
expected?  With the starter, there are two wires coming from the
direction of the battery, one which ends in an eyelet and was connected
to the positive post of the solenoid, and another which comes out of a
larger wire and is a push on connector that goes on to the relay...I'm
pretty positive that the eyelet one is the positive lead from the
battery...so what the hell is the other one?  Especially since the
instructions I found discussed a push on lead from the battery.
 
I think I should apologize for so many questions in one e-mail=)  But, I
figured why not ask now so I can know in advance.
 
I will keep you all updated on what we find tomorrow, or whenever he can
make it down.  Thanks for everyone!  And hopefully after all of this,
there won't be any more e-mails this long from myself.
 
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Valade

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