Hi guys. I am having a major problem trying to get my GSL-SE started. I did the worst thing I could to it, which is let it sit for 3-4 weeks without starting it. On top of that, we had a massive snow storm which covered the car pretty much and I'm starting to think maybe the snow got up in the engine compartment too. I thought I just had a flooding problem but I think it is something else now. I went through the long un-flooding procedure numerous times, and tried new plugs, and my battery is strong. Each time it doesn't even try to fire, it just spins over and over, not even a sputter. Any ideas of what else could of gone bad? Especially if snow got up in there and got some things wet/corroded. Thanks. I need to get this thing started and running!

 

At the risk of being chastized by my fellow rotorheads, Take out your trailing plugs and squirt some motor oil in each of the housings. Give it a few bumps to spread the oil around and give it a go. If your car was running fine when you parked it, it most likely will start abeit smokey as hell for a few minutes.

 

I used ATF, a tablespoon or 2 in each bottom hole, before inserting new spark plugs and giving it a shot. Still not even a hope of it starting.

 

Well, did you check for spark? You say you changed your plugs but didn't saying anything about there actually being any spark. Go and get yourself a new cap and rotor too if you haven't already and check your plug wires for resistance.

 

How can i check for spark? plug wires are only a few months old. thanks. any ideas are appreciated!

 

Check the distributer plugs, give them a dry with some hot air.
Choke the carby totally then try to start it.

 

Read GSL-SE, thus no distributor, no carb, no choke

 

The SE has a distributor. To check for spark, pull a leading spark plug and ground it to the chassis somewhere, not the motor, the chassis. have someone give it a few cranks and look for spark where you grounded it. do the same for the other leading plug and look for strong spark. A weak spark means you have a bad coil/ignitor/wire problem.

 

GSL-SE = E.G.S(as the manual calls it)?

And I probably shouldn't talk but : DON'T USE ATF. It messes with your apex seals from what I hear on the forum here... Of course, I didn't know that when I used a windex bottle of it to unseize my enigne.... hopefully it'll still run anyway...

Jon

 

i tried swapping leading/trailing coils, and leading/trailing ignitors back and forth to see if that made a difference, nothing. I am going to check for spark once my friend gets here, need 2 people. I'm starting to think it's my coils, even though i have "Jacobs" coils in there that are less then a year old, i'm afraid moisture or something got in there after that last snow storm.

 

ok, i checked for spark, i have no spark whatsoever on either leading plug. what should i do? what is usually the culprit when there is no spark? thanks.
matt

 

You might need to replace your primary ignition module... its the little black thing on the dizzy. Mine went out, but my beast 85 managed to run on one set of plugs...

 

igniter?

 

Did you ground the plugs properly? If so, switch your ignitors around and see if you can get a spark that way.

edit: instead of doing that, to make it easier just check the trailing plugs for spark. If you get spark there you can switch the ignitors around and at least get it moved if that's your goal.

 

No spark then check these things
remove the spark plugs and rotate the motor by hand (clockwize) (use the main pulley) until u line up the first timing mark.. Pull the dist and realign the dot on the shaft with the cast line (raised groove) and insert the distro back into the motor (making sure to hold the rotor so the distro doesnt turn. That will time the static timing of your motor. Then connect the ic ignitor leads to the ignitors and double check your wires for the coils. hook a timing lite up to the coil wires or to the spark leads. If u crank the motor, you should get the light on the timing light to flash. This will confirm you have working ignitors, if they are not flashing u need to replace them before you can go further. . If they are flashing install fresh plugs. connect the leading plugs and crank the motor checking for spark on leading plug #1 and that the timing light is flashing when the timing mark swings around (dont worry you just want to tsee the light flash (aim at the pulley as if you were checking the timing). That is the way I confirmed the timing of my motor. If that works out then you have to check your fuel pump operation. Motor will not run with no fuel. There is a diagnostic port next to the air filter housing (a black plug with female leads) Make a jumper wire (2 male spade quick release terminals on a wire) and connect it up. when u turn the key, you should hear your pump (behind the driver seat under the car in front of the rear wheel) run. If u dont hear it after connecting the jumper the wire is bad. U can also check it without the wire by taking the air filter out, turning the key to on and opening the MAS flapper door with your finger . If the pump runs and you have spark at the right time it should start or at least give you some signs of life. Good luck!

PS> My gls-se had a defective pump that would not work if it got really cold. With the jumper on, I just left the key in the on position until the pump started .

 

Well here's the latest. Thanks for all of your replies. I found I did something I shouldn't, I removed the "engine" fuse from under the dash, thinking that it was causing my engine to keep flooding. Well it was actually the reason why I wasn't getting any spark. So I got spark now, I removed both ignitor's and tested them as the shop manual explains. I checked the resistance across the coils and obtained the proper resistance reading. So my friend convinced me to try the long unflood procedure again and I did that once again, and this time it almost started! So I tried it again, this time using the easy unflood procedure (unpluging the blue blade connector on the coil) and I fired it up, and it started and died like it should of with it disconnected. So I reconnected the connector on the coil on the car and almost started again. I gave up then because I lost daylight and it was getting cold. It does seem like it will start though if I do the long unflood procedure once more and squirt some atf in the bottom holes. Thanks again, wish me luck tomorrow! bye.