Replaced head gaskets.......now it won't start.

[jtb19]

Here is my problem. I replaced the head gaskets and etc but now my 1996 3.1 v6 beretta will NOT start. It cranks but will not start up, i have tryed a little starting fluid but with no luck. I have spark and i can hear my injectors spray when i turn on my car, so I'm pretty sure i have fuel. I feel like it might have something to do with ignition system (coil packs) cause of the fact I sprayed starting fluid into the intake so even IF i wasn't getting fuel it should have atleast started up for a second or two. Some people say i need to re-time it but i wouldn't think so cause i never touched ANYTHING to do with timing. So has anyone on here dealt with this problem before and maybe could shed some light on it? I really don't wanna get rid of my beretta cause its in such great shape and i put alot of money and time into her. Also just incase anyone thinks the pushrods are in wrong, i have checked multiple times before i put them in (i was very paranoid to get those right cause i did not want to screw up my cam and other parts due to a push rod in the wrong spot). So can anyone help or even have any ideas as to what could be the problem? Any help is very much appreciated.

[heavywoody]

Pull the spark plug wires off the coils (one coil at a time) to see if you have spark (or get a spark tester). Sounds like you may have forgotten to plug in the CPS wire into the ICM but I could be wrong.

[jtb19]

Pull the spark plug wires off the coils (one coil at a time) to see if you have spark (or get a spark tester). Sounds like you may have forgotten to plug in the CPS wire into the ICM but I could be wrong.

That is what i was thinking, i been reading into it alot so ill give it a try and ill post back later with the results. Thanks

[BerettaGTchick]

This happened to my old 3.1L Grand Prix and ended up being a fuel injector shorting out so they were all just replaced since they were old and dirty anyways.

[woody90gtz]

Sounds like it's probably a little detail left out during reassembly. Just go through it again step by step.

[jtb19]

Well i ran through everything(checking connections and such) and everything seems to be fine. I tryed to start it once again with starting fluid and this time i got a different result. Now it will backfire through the throttle body with a flame but still does not start.

[Money pit Beretta]

Firing order correct?

[jtb19]

Yes, the firing order is correct.

[3X00-Modified]

If you get a backfire through the throttle body then no the firing order is not correct.

recheck it against this, The banks are marked at the top and the bottom, and the coils are marked out too.



Did you get the pushrods back in the right position? This could result in a bent valve though and if it did, that's the only thing that would explain a backfire since now valves are not sealing properly.

[berettaboi]

if you are sure the mechanical side went back together well, i would go and pull all electrical/sensor connectors and quickly look them over and plug them back in again if nothing looks amiss.

and yes a spark plug light is pretty cheap at a parts store, plug one in line and go in the car and crank... make sure you have spark at each plug. (and go over the wires/firing order as mentioned... not hard to fudge up when you have the heads off of the engine...)

[Money pit Beretta]

Lisle Part number 19380. That is a spark tester that you just set on the wires.

[jtb19]

Well i checked all my coils, wires, and spark plugs again and everything is ok there. My firing order is correct (thank you 3X00 Modified for the picture, i rechecked using ur picture just to try but no luck). As of right now I'm completely blown away by what the problem could be, this engine has me beat as of right now. Maybe later on in a day or two if i don't get it working i will post a video of me trying to turn it over.

[Rettax3]

Here is my problem. I replaced the head gaskets and etc but now my 1996 3.1 v6 beretta will NOT start. It cranks but will not start up, i have tryed a little starting fluid but with no luck. I have spark and i can hear my injectors spray when i turn on my car, so I'm pretty sure i have fuel. I feel like it might have something to do with ignition system (coil packs) cause of the fact I sprayed starting fluid into the intake so even IF i wasn't getting fuel it should have atleast started up for a second or two. Some people say i need to re-time it but i wouldn't think so cause i never touched ANYTHING to do with timing. So has anyone on here dealt with this problem before and maybe could shed some light on it? I really don't wanna get rid of my beretta cause its in such great shape and i put alot of money and time into her. Also just incase anyone thinks the pushrods are in wrong, i have checked multiple times before i put them in (i was very paranoid to get those right cause i did not want to screw up my cam and other parts due to a push rod in the wrong spot). So can anyone help or even have any ideas as to what could be the problem? Any help is very much appreciated.

I'm still trying to figure out how and why you would hear your "injectors spraying"... First, you should be able to hear your fuel pump run (prime) on initial "key-on" for a few seconds. But unless the engine is actually rotating, the injectors should NOT but spraying, and even with just the starter-motor cranking, they are usually pretty quiet, you can typically here them ticking while the engine is running, but you would not hear them "spraying".

So... It seems likely you are just hearing the pump running, which does not mean you are actually getting any fuel through the injectors to the engine. Since you have double-checked all of your electrical connectors, try checking the wires from the Cam Position Sensor (near the base of the power-steering pump reservoir), and see if they got caught under the intake manifold when you set that down in place. Supposedly, the ECM (or more correctly PCM ) will run the engine in batch-fire mode, like the multi-port engines, if it loses the cam sensor, but I've only found that to work some of the time, there have been a few cars I've worked on over the years that would not start without the CMPS. Incidentally, just to clarify, the CMPS does not plug into the ICM (Ignition Control Module, aka "coil-pack") directly, the CKP (Crankshaft Position Sensor) at the back of the engine does, and if that isn't plugged-in or if the wires are shorted or cut, the car will not run for sure, but you will not have spark either, so if you are SURE you have spark, then don't worry about that.

[jtb19]

Here is my problem. I replaced the head gaskets and etc but now my 1996 3.1 v6 beretta will NOT start. It cranks but will not start up, i have tryed a little starting fluid but with no luck. I have spark and i can hear my injectors spray when i turn on my car, so I'm pretty sure i have fuel. I feel like it might have something to do with ignition system (coil packs) cause of the fact I sprayed starting fluid into the intake so even IF i wasn't getting fuel it should have atleast started up for a second or two. Some people say i need to re-time it but i wouldn't think so cause i never touched ANYTHING to do with timing. So has anyone on here dealt with this problem before and maybe could shed some light on it? I really don't wanna get rid of my beretta cause its in such great shape and i put alot of money and time into her. Also just incase anyone thinks the pushrods are in wrong, i have checked multiple times before i put them in (i was very paranoid to get those right cause i did not want to screw up my cam and other parts due to a push rod in the wrong spot). So can anyone help or even have any ideas as to what could be the problem? Any help is very much appreciated.

I'm still trying to figure out how and why you would hear your "injectors spraying"... First, you should be able to hear your fuel pump run (prime) on initial "key-on" for a few seconds. But unless the engine is actually rotating, the injectors should NOT but spraying, and even with just the starter-motor cranking, they are usually pretty quiet, you can typically here them ticking while the engine is running, but you would not hear them "spraying".

So... It seems likely you are just hearing the pump running, which does not mean you are actually getting any fuel through the injectors to the engine. Since you have double-checked all of your electrical connectors, try checking the wires from the Cam Position Sensor (near the base of the power-steering pump reservoir), and see if they got caught under the intake manifold when you set that down in place. Supposedly, the ECM (or more correctly PCM ) will run the engine in batch-fire mode, like the multi-port engines, if it loses the cam sensor, but I've only found that to work some of the time, there have been a few cars I've worked on over the years that would not start without the CMPS. Incidentally, just to clarify, the CMPS does not plug into the ICM (Ignition Control Module, aka "coil-pack") directly, the CKP (Crankshaft Position Sensor) at the back of the engine does, and if that isn't plugged-in or if the wires are shorted or cut, the car will not run for sure, but you will not have spark either, so if you are SURE you have spark, then don't worry about that.

Yes, sorry that is what i meant. I hear the fuel pump start up. So what your saying is to check the CPS to make sure i didnt pinch it under the intake manifold? But yes, i do have spark and very powerful spark at that also.

[Rettax3]

Yes, exactly. That would be the next place I would check, since you've already done just about every other quick-fix check you can. The cam sensor wires on these engines just seem to love getting trapped under the intake manifold. The ICM will fire the plugs without the cam sensor, but the injectors may not fire, even though they are supposed to. And your back-fire could have been caused by the starting-fluid, or even a leaking injector (unlikely, but possible). You could physically remove the injector-rail assembly (with injectors) and look for them spraying while cranking the engine, but that is dangerous. It would show you without any doubt if you are receiving fuel into the cylinders or not though. The only other decent way of telling if you have fuel is to buy a noid-light test set (cheaper on ebay than from Harbor Freight btw, but either way is cheaper than buying a new car) to make sure the ECM is actually trying to fire them. You could also unplug the ICM's power and ground plug and crank the engine over for several seconds, then pull a spark-plug and check for fuel in the cylinder, which would be safer and easier than pulling the fuel-rail, and cheaper than buying a noid-light set.