[GeckoXL7]

Have you tested the fuel injector voltage and diagnostic port. Voltage?

[tonyevans]

No - Don't know how but I guess I will have to find out - As I said in the first post this is the first car with electronics of any sort I have ever owned.

[atari4x4]

tonyevans wrote:

Red - I am 69 years old and if I can not tell a good battery from a dud one by now I may as well go dump myself down one of the holes around here

Atari - Spray some CRC or start ya bastard down the intake pipe while cranking to see if it will fire. Wheres the best place - Before of after the flow meter?

are you getting an injector pulse? Huh? How would I know

should be able to spray it after the AFM, not 100% sure if spraying the AFM with WD40 etc is a good idea.

injector pulse, is the injectos being triggered to squirt fuel. you can usually hear them ticking when it's running but you don't have that luxury. you can test it with a noid light but i guess you don't have one of those handy.

easiest way to check would be when you've been cranking it for a bit, pull a spark plug & check to see if the plugs are wet with fuel.


are you sure you got all the wires joined back up after removing the alarm?

[tonyevans]

atari4x4 wrote:

tonyevans wrote:

Red - I am 69 years old and if I can not tell a good battery from a dud one by now I may as well go dump myself down one of the holes around here

Atari - Spray some CRC or start ya bastard down the intake pipe while cranking to see if it will fire. Wheres the best place - Before of after the flow meter?

are you getting an injector pulse? Huh? How would I know

should be able to spray it after the AFM, not 100% sure if spraying the AFM with WD40 etc is a good idea.

injector pulse, is the injectos being triggered to squirt fuel. you can usually hear them ticking when it's running but you don't have that luxury. you can test it with a noid light but i guess you don't have one of those handy. I have a couple of 12v test lights should work - Just had a little Google

easiest way to check would be when you've been cranking it for a bit, pull a spark plug & check to see if the plugs are wet with fuel.


are you sure you got all the wires joined back up after removing the alarm? Got spark at the plugs and the fuel pump works so I think so - Only one wire was cut and that was the starter solenoid, all the rest were just spliced on.

[tonyevans]

OK – My learning curve has been overworking and I am to old for this shit – Tests/results done this morning.

Listen for pump when ignition is turned on ----- OK - Can hear the pump.
Loosen bung on end of the fuel rack at the EFI unit – OK – Fuel comes out under pressure.
Test injector plugs with a lamp – OK – Shows a pulse when engine turned over.
Checked a spark plug – OK – it is wet and smells of petrol.
Tried injecting Areostart into intake – No engine fire detected.

It already has a new coil and leads installed.

Checked distributor cap and the pins had a little white residue on them so cleaned inspected cap, seems OK - cleaned and replaced.

When a plug is pulled and the motor turned over at cranking speed (Good battery) the spark looks to me to be orange/yellow in colour and on the weak side.

What colour should it be? I am used to bright blue as a good spark but with this electronic stuff I don’t have any experience.

Any ideas where to go from here – and please remember I live way-out in the bush and the nearest dealer is 350ks away.

[Zook_Fan]

Have you tried new plugs? How clean are the plugs in there now?

Tested timing?

If you've got fuel and spark the only reason it shouldn't run is timing related.

[christover1]

http://www.bing.com/search?FORM=IEFM1&q ... IE-Address

Maybe something there will help.

From a quick look, yoiu must replace a condenser as well as a coil

[tonyevans]

Zook_Fan wrote:

Have you tried new plugs? How clean are the plugs in there now?

Tested timing?

If you've got fuel and spark the only reason it shouldn't run is timing related.

Cleaned the plugs but they were ok anyway - Timing has not been altered but the motor will not even fire.

[christover1]

And something called a distributor control module?

I'm learning this stuff, too.

[stockman]

I had a similar issue recently.
Different vehicle, but similar issue.

-My ride on mower. Battery was flat, charged it and it held 12v. Cranked, but no start.
-Charged it again and boosted it off my car. Cranked, but no start.
-Replaced battery. Cranked and started first go.

I asked my electrician friend why it didn't start when I boosted it with another battery. His reply was the battery was farked and was sucking the power from the booster battery, but not letting it pass through.

[GeckoXL7]

Previously i mentioned about testing ECU for power back a few messages with a picture.

If you have a multimeter handy its just checking to see if one of the pins read 5volts, this will rule out if the ECU is actually working.

Also you can test the injectors, each injector has two wires, with a test light wired to ground with the ignition on one of the wires on the Injector should light up the test light or read 12volt, usually there is one black wire and one coloured wire, the colored wire being positive.

If it doesnt light up try cranking the engine the light should flash, also if light is on with out cranking engine, try cranking it with it on and see if it flashes as if it does it means the ECU is controlling the injectors.

I have had this happen a few times when crank the engine and nothing happens and it has always been the ECU eg blown fuse. There is also the injector relay, but your problem seems so strange this happend over a simple thing like a drained battery and we pretty much rulled out everything now so its kinda down to the ECU.

[tonyevans]

GeckoXL7 wrote:

Previously i mentioned about testing ECU for power back a few messages with a picture.

If you have a multimeter handy its just checking to see if one of the pins read 5volts, this will rule out if the ECU is actually working.

Also you can test the injectors, each injector has two wires, with a test light wired to ground with the ignition on one of the wires on the Injector should light up the test light or read 12volt, usually there is one black wire and one coloured wire, the colored wire being positive.

If it doesnt light up try cranking the engine the light should flash, also if light is on with out cranking engine, try cranking it with it on and see if it flashes as if it does it means the ECU is controlling the injectors.

I have had this happen a few times when crank the engine and nothing happens and it has always been the ECU eg blown fuse. There is also the injector relay, but your problem seems so strange this happend over a simple thing like a drained battery and we pretty much rulled out everything now so its kinda down to the ECU.

Gecko I know and appreciate that you are trying to help me but please read my posts before you reply to them - I clearly state above that I have tested the pulse at the injectors and it is OK.

Yes I agree that the ECU is top of the list now.

Funny no one has yet replied about spark colour when cranking?

[JrZook]

Is the spark fat and orange? Test from the pigtail off the coil to see if it will at least jump a 5mm gap. Whats the battery voltage when cranking?

[tonyevans]

christover1 wrote:

And something called a distributor control module?

I'm learning this stuff, too.

Hi Christover - Long time no talk With regard to the DCM/distributor control module I have done a search in the manual and can find no mention of it?????????????

[GeckoXL7]

ah ok missed that Sorry Injector pulse is there ok.

That rules out that then..

If dont have a multimeter i thought of something that may rule out ECU and thats Disconnecting the cable to the Air sensor on the Air filter box.

With that disconnected and a small crank, the Engine light should flash

Im not sure about the Vitara ECU but that important cable being disconnected usually generates a error in the ECU very quickly and will make the engine light flash when the ignition switch is on.

Pretty much rulled out everything else

And yeah i think someone needs to go out to there vitara and see what colour the spark is from all my experience it is usually a bright blue. But i have a GV with plug packs. From the old days when had a dizzy cap usually the Distributer cap or Rotar contacts where worn or glazed over and either required replacing or contacts a bit of sanding. I would say if your coil was stuffed could of made the contacts in cap a bit glazed over.

[christover1]

tonyevans wrote:

christover1 wrote:

And something called a distributor control module?

I'm learning this stuff, too.

Hi Christover - Long time no talk With regard to the DCM/distributor control module I have done a search in the manual and can find no mention of it?????????????

94 won't have one. Thats later models.
94 should have a condenser like thing thats creates the spark that the coil magnifies.
Similar to what an old carby dizzy would have, but something of a different shape?.
My guess it is in dizzy.

Unlikely to be damaged by acc on, but would be if ign was left on.

[GeckoXL7]

Might be onto something there about the condenser, or later resister/condenser



I cant find anywhere on the internet about parts. But above pic is from another forum showing the possibly the resister/condenser, but having only two wires possibly could be the cam position sensor?

[tonyevans]

Nothing like that in my distributer of my manual I am afraid - Its got a magnet thing down there.

[GeckoXL7]

Whats this thing??

http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1994/s ... niter.html

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CAD-Quality- ... 19d492eb24

[GeckoXL7]

also found this on how to test igniter, distributor etc..

http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/48dit-1 ... oblem.html

[tonyevans]

GeckoXL7 wrote:

Whats this thing??

http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1994/s ... niter.html

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CAD-Quality- ... 19d492eb24

That is the Igniter - I have a test for that and am making a battery pack up for the test now.

[GeckoXL7]

You will be a expert at the vitara after this

Need a few beers after you get it started. Must be frustrating.

[JrZook]

That is the pickup sensor for the crank/cam position. The EFI models have a condenser/resistor setup that is just a noise filter to stop ignition noise coming back through. Check the plug and connections to your ignitor. Do you have a multimeter tony?

[tonyevans]

GeckoXL7 wrote:

You will be a expert at the vitara after this

Need a few beers after you get it started. Must be frustrating.

Trouble is - You get to know what is wrong - fix it - then don't need it anymore because it an't broken and to make it worse I don't drink

[tonyevans]

This mornings episode saw -

All fuses I could find checked visually and with a continuity meter - all OK

Found the plug that has to have the jumper put in to read any faults on the check engine light - Result = light flashes 12 which is the code for no faults found.

I would now beat it to death if it wasn't already dead

I don't drink but I could well start

[tonyevans]

Can anyone please tell me what could cause weak spark on these things apart from Coil and leads that I have already replaced?

[GeckoXL7]

Just reading up on weak spark, some say its the Distributor, but alot more say its the Igniter, usually a bad ground, just needs to be taken of cleaned and reinstalled.

The ignitor grounds by the casing on the back?

[tonyevans]

I will try that as soon as I have had my coffee - hart don't work well without that HeHe

[GeckoXL7]

haha i would be cursing the car by now!

When had this issue not on a suzuki but a nissan, replaced the distributer for one of the same kind of engine but turbo version, worked a treat but this seems a little bit more difficult than that. Hope its just the igniter as last thing left would be the distributor

[JrZook]

JrZook wrote:

Is the spark fat and orange? Test from the pigtail off the coil to see if it will at least jump a 5mm gap. Whats the battery voltage when cranking?

Can you answer these tony?