88 GE Injectors not firing

J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
Ok...I've exhausted all my ability to search and test. I think i've tested everything or replaced it...I've searched several different ways and found others that have similar problems, but did not see any solutions...their threads just seem to die....here goes...

It's a 1988 GE, all stock. I got the shell with no engine or tranny and bought a known working engine and tranny. I had to swap the wiring harness as the engine came with an 89 harness and my shell is an 88. I had to swap the distributor plugs and the injector plugs as the engine is a CA spec engine and the injectors are a bit different. I put in a brand new battery that cranks the engine just fine. It ignites and seems to start to run, then just dies. The fuel pump is pumping correctly, it seems that the cold start injector is doing it's job. I have checked the injector relay and it tested good. Tested continuity to the injectors, and that's fine. I've tested the power to the injectors with the ignition switch on and I get 12 volts on one terminal, then I get 10.5 volts on the other..I got a noid light and it did not show any definitive answers. I seemed to get a single pulse of the light on #3 and #5, but nothing on the others, and this only happened one of the 4 or 5 times i tried it...this is not right. I've swapped out the ECU and same thing. I swapped out the fuel pump relay, same thing. I've swapped out the MAF sensor, same results.....tested each item i pulled and tested the ones I swapped in, they are all good components....I'm stumped....anyone have a clue what to check next or what is going on?
 
Last edited:
J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
Timing is dead on and no codes....I don't think its a fuel issue...it fires right up each time i try to start, but it won't stay started, it dies right away. Cold start injector is supplying enough for it to fire. I have checked for fuel in the rail and for the fuel pump running.
 
jdmfreak

jdmfreak

PACNW
Oct 8, 2010
2,232
0
0
north clark co. WA.
What injectors are you running? The n/a injectors and the turbo injectors have the same clips why did you have to swap them out?
I guess I am not familiar with the ca spec engines but I did not think they had different injectors
Are you sure they are correct impedance?
 
J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
engine had an 89 harness on it when I got the engine and I got the ECU as well. Both were marked and I looked up the numbers and they came back CA...the harness and the engine had the extra connector for the EGR temp sensor. The Dizzy connector was different on my 88 harness so I swapped the connectors between the harnesses. PO had just done a tune up with new cap, rotor and wires. Was running perfectly before it was pulled. If I read it right, the CA injectors are a couple pounds more than the normal NA injectors. The injectors are not yellow, they are a bit green.
 
supranewbie

supranewbie

Member
Mar 23, 2011
377
0
16
46°47.0'N 120°09.0'W
jkendall86;1966715 said:
Timing is dead on and no codes....I don't think its a fuel issue...it fires right up each time i try to start, but it won't stay started, it dies right away. Cold start injector is supplying enough for it to fire. I have checked for fuel in the rail and for the fuel pump running.
Click to expand...

So are you saying that there was fuel in the rail when you checked? And the pump is running?
 
J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
Engine was running in previous car...no issues present. I did not remove the dizzy, just placed it in my car. I put engine at TDC and confirmed that cyl 1 was at its highest point, took off the cap and confirmed it pointing to number 1. Checked the crank pully markings so that they were at zero.
 
J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
I have not put a gauge on the rail to see pressure, but you can hear it rushing through, it presureizes the line pretty well cause fuel sprays out when the rail is opened. It fires almost every time when the key is turned on and the rpm's move up to about 2000 then drop down immediately. If i bump the ignition several times, it runs longer, i'm assuming becasue of the amount of fuel being sprayed in from the CSI.
 
J

jkendall86

Member
Apr 10, 2005
155
3
18
69
Salem, Oregon
OK....Im going to close this thread....found the issue.... In the beginning when I swapped the harnesses, I needed to replace the clip on the distributor. I followed the TEWD on the order of the pins in the new harness...I looked at the pictures and followed the colors....I did not read that the order was different than was shown on the pictures....I had two wires backwards and had put them all in the opposite order. My perspective was wrong. Thanks to all who chimed in and gave advice. As soon as I put the wires in the correct order, it fired right up....no issues...fuel and spark are good. Thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom