b18ft non starting

[clio 480 turbo]

clio running a b18ft not starting, car is getting good fuel has a good spark no air leaks but wont run, i have check air flow sensor dizzy cap and rotar arm but new injectors, is there anything thing else i should try,

thanks mike

[clio 480 turbo]

help help help

[glasgowjim]

do a search this topic has been done to death recently there are tons of posts on this ,

for a start look up the posts of

r5b18ft

who had a similar problem .

I would help if I could but have never done one myself and am not interested in turbos.

[bkf_uk]

have you got a leak in the exhaust system and the lambda sensor connected? without a lambda the ecu has a hissy fit and sometimes refuses to behave. As for the exhaust, my 440t is in the process of having a new cat back system after the mid pipe and backbox fell apart. while the exhaust was leaking there wasnt enough back pressure and made starting it rather in tresting (had to rsort to a can of easy start a couple of times)

Other things to check are :-

1. is the cold start sensor working correctly, if it isnt it can make starting a real pain
2. Make sure the battery if fully charged, if the battery is getting low the ecu might not be reciving enough voltage to work.
3. Pull the injectors and injection rail and crank the engine with them injectors connected to ensure they are spraying!
4. Double check all wiring connectors, you might not of pushed one home enough.

If none of this helps put somemore info up and ill try to help0 as best as i can.

[clio 480 turbo]

thanks for the reply, but.....

battery is fully charged
injectors are spraying had them out and checked
no lamba sensor in the exhaust
all plugs connected
cold start sensor has been replaced

[bkf_uk]

i know this might sound stupid but it's the only thing i can think of. You have got the HT leads attached to the dizzy cap in the correct order? If the engine is getting fuel and you say it has a good spark it should run or atleast try! The rotor arm is in good condition i take it? also the little earth lead that attaches to one of the dizzy cap screws is on?

[clio 480 turbo]

its not the plug leads as the car was running mint for 2 weeks when it just would not start one morning

[bkf_uk]

suggest you try a new pair of ecus. also run a compresion test on the motor to make sure you havent got a duff engine.

But before doing that put a volt meter on the battery and crank the engine over, let me know what voltage the battery falls to. if the voltage goes under 11v the ecu wont work and it wont start! You nead a heafty battery for the turbos, ive got one with 540 starting amps and was supposed to be a HD version, it struggles to start the motor from cold!

Does the engine even try to fire? i.e you crank it over and it tries to start but just doesnt catch? Do you have an imobilser fitted, it might be faulty?

I just cant think of anything else, youve got fuel, you have a spark so you should have a bang!

[clio 480 turbo]

found the problem , the car will spark after one turn of the engine but a constant turn over of the engine the car loses the spark, i have tried a new coil , the coil is fine as it has a constant spark with a plug in the coil lead.
what else could it be i will be fitting new distributor cap and rotar arm tomorrow but have tried and old ones today but no joy are they common for failing.

[bkf_uk]

1. Check the resistance of the crank sensor is 160 - 280 ohms.
2. if the resistance is within spec remove the sensor and clean it.
3. if the above doesnt help replace the dist cap and rotor arm with new ones! (yes they do fail after a while, i always replce them when i do the plugs, as when i bought my volvo the dist cap was shagged, there was no carbon sprung bit left only the spring. also if camshaft oil seal is fooked then they leak oil into the cap and make a right mess!)
3.1. ENSURE THE EARTH ON DIST CAP IS CONNECTED!!!
4. if 3. hasnt helped replace all the ht leads with new or test them with a multi meter to ensure continuity, wiggle the lead a little when doing this to check for breaks in the wire.
5. if the above hasnt sorted it then most likely the ignition ecu is fooked!