checking out an 86 mk3 tomorrow

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by oregonjoe

Electronic Speed Control?

Looked under the hood on mine and fount a 2-wire like your photo. It's T pattern and goes to the Spark Coil. The other end goes to the wire harness.

no doesnt look like a T. just has two slots.

so i tried the engine again. turns over fine. car keeps revving but no fire. my dad says it might be my timing?

[cvbikeguy]

do you think i need to adjust the timing now? the car just keeps backfiring with no start

[oregonjoe]

Again - this is fhere spark plug removal is helpful. With plugs removed yo can get a timming light on the #1 wire and crank engine to set distrub to get close enough to fire up.

With mine - I just set distrib half way and was close enoungh to get going.

It is very important to get distrub back in right so timming in not off - assuming timming belt was all lined up correct.

If you don't want to remove plugs - you can try cranking while rotating distrib slightly plus or minus. One way cranking will go easier - other way harder.

With plugs removed you can check compression to see is valve timming is OK and also check for wet cylinders for fuel injectors.

Any vacuum ports not connected will also hard start or not idle.

Even though its EFI, open the throttle a bit while starting to bypass the idle control if it not connected correctly.

If it backfires its getting fuel and spark - so timming is going to be important.

I always put a light on my crank before trying to start as a miss timed enginge can lead to bad things that undo all the hard work.

[oregonjoe]

When putting the distrib back in - be sure the center of the rotor blade is lined up on the #1 spark wire terminal when crank is TDC on fire stroke (remember its TDC twice, once on fire and once on exhaust so be sure you got the right one.)

You can put the distrub cap to locate the #1 terminal and then mark the mark the housing with a perm marker so you can remove the cap to see the rotor . Be sure to rotate crank severl rev by hand to be sur the rotor always goes back to #1 terminal when at TDC on crank.

This will get close enough to start.

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by oregonjoe

When putting the distrib back in - be sure the center of the rotor blade is lined up on the #1 spark wire terminal when crank is TDC on fire stroke (remember its TDC twice, once on fire and once on exhaust so be sure you got the right one.)

You can put the distrub cap to locate the #1 terminal and then mark the mark the housing with a perm marker so you can remove the cap to see the rotor . Be sure to rotate crank severl rev by hand to be sur the rotor always goes back to #1 terminal when at TDC on crank.

This will get close enough to start.

holy sh*t. ok im sure this is the prolem. i didnt read any of this when putting the car back together.

[cvbikeguy]

last time i listen to a guy with a tsi

[cre]

Originally Posted by cvbikeguy

last time i listen to a guy with a tsi

Dumbass.

[cre]

As long as it's all zero'd out you should land pretty close to 0* of advance with the distributor bolted in the center of it's range. Unless you're off a tooth or more on a gear there's no room in the adjustment slide to be off more than 15*... I really don't see the point in this.

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by cre

As long as it's all zero'd out you should land pretty close to 0* of advance with the distributor bolted in the center of it's range. Unless you're off a tooth or more on a gear there's no room in the adjustment slide to be off more than 15*... I really don't see the point in this.

so all i need to do is set everything to 0.

the cams are already lined up with the crank. but for the dist. this hash mark has to be pointing up also?

[cvbikeguy]

Originally Posted by oregonjoe

Again - this is fhere spark plug removal is helpful. With plugs removed yo can get a timming light on the #1 wire and crank engine to set distrub to get close enough to fire up.

With mine - I just set distrib half way and was close enoungh to get going.

It is very important to get distrub back in right so timming in not off - assuming timming belt was all lined up correct.

If you don't want to remove plugs - you can try cranking while rotating distrib slightly plus or minus. One way cranking will go easier - other way harder.

With plugs removed you can check compression to see is valve timming is OK and also check for wet cylinders for fuel injectors.

Any vacuum ports not connected will also hard start or not idle.

Even though its EFI, open the throttle a bit while starting to bypass the idle control if it not connected correctly.

If it backfires its getting fuel and spark - so timming is going to be important.

I always put a light on my crank before trying to start as a miss timed enginge can lead to bad things that undo all the hard work.

put a light on your crank? also i was going through the TSRM and noticed i didnt align the grooves in the distributer with the cam or what not? i was told i could just shove in the distributer because it didnt need a specific placement