It's starting to sound like non California cars may not have what I've been referring to as a check engine light. My car was a California car from new. The best ground on any car is the negative battery post. The smell is very possibly the new cat, and the droning noise may be having to do with the cat as well. You may want to check and see if the cat is touching the heat shield that normally is between the cat and the floor of the car. Until you get the basic timing sorted out, I wouldn't worry about the cold start issue. There is a cold start valve which is mounted to the intake manifold, on the tranny end of the manifold. But if the car only takes a couple of tries to fire when fully cold, the valve is probably working. Sounds like you're on the home stretch, just double check the Bentley for the exact basic timing procedure. You could try and get the car smogged, just find a place that promises free retests if you fail. Most smog stations in California do. Hang in there, you've come a long way since your original post.
~Holland On Mar 24, 2016 21:32, "damac2004" <damac2...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > hmm, i see nothing in my cluster about this light or a seperate switch in > the dash. i see motronic has basic codes you can check with jumper and led > with harness under shift boot. i will check my car tomorrow for that and > see what happens. > > i tightened the distributor bolts and no go, timing light still jumps > around. i tried various spots on the spark plug wire no change. i tried > hooking up the timing light to the - post on coil to start like the bently > talks about, this would illimunate light on my gun but it wouldn't flash, > so i used the instructions for my gun and put it on the negative battery > post? > > i'm not sure what to do here. i hate to spend all that $$$ on a new one > for no reason. > > i got antsy and took the car out for a hard drive and it was definately a > different experience than before. not sure if im crazy or if the cams, > chip and intake could have made such a difference? > > now i have a cat on it and the car is much quiter walking around it at > idle. the engine bay specifically, and so much so when driving i thought > the car died multiple times when coming to a stop. to my ear i feel there > is less crackling out the exhaust pipe, but it seems to me i hear and feel > a new drone right under me when just coming off idle. i would have called > it a hesitation and gurgle but i noticed it isn't directly related to the > throttle when pusing it to go. on that front the car seems to react as > good as ever without stumbling on the gas. that drone seems to go away > when revving it out, and will come back at times when letting off the > throttle. the car was always too loud for my liking when driving it but i > don't really care at this point, i will get rid of it later anyway. > > i only drove for like 20 minutes and when i came back the car stunk. not > like raw gas smell, i wonder if its the cat breaking in? of course they > mention nothing about it. > > i am hoping i am on the home stretch here. i am tempted to just take it > into smog but i have to assume my timing isn't perfect and am afraid of > failing and having to go back :( > > only issue i noticed again is i turned the car off and it restarted right > away. when i went out for the drive, maybe an hour after previously > running the car had no life starting the first crank. second crank it > sounded like it stumbled at the end. third crank it started and idled on > its own. so is it safe to assume i have a problem with "cold" starting? > it didn't use to act like this, it always showed signs of life. > > On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 7:11:16 PM UTC-7, hollandphillips wrote: >> >> You're correct, there is no vacuum line attached to the ecu. But there is >> definitely something that is supposed to be disconnected when setting base >> timing. Since your chassis isn't a California car, there is probably a lot >> of things that are different. Until the OBD2 spec came into effect in, I >> think, '96, most new vehicles sold in the U.S. came in what was termed "49 >> state" versions, and California versions. Thanks CARB & EPA. Now almost >> all vehicles are "world spec", since the EU has become as emissions aware >> as the U.S. has been for decades. They've even gone further with the >> introduction of pedestrian accident requirements for front bumbers, which I >> think the U.S. has or will be adopting. >> >> ~Holland >> On Mar 24, 2016 18:53, "damac2004" <dama...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> >> the 2.0 im shaft fit into my block but the matching big gear wouldn't fit >> in the smaller hole on the block that mates with the oil pump so i still >> don't understand whats going on with this, but if i pass smog i won't care >> :) >> >> unless i am missing something all i see for timing this car is to heat it >> up with a fan cycle and go. no disconnecting the cts or revving like some >> others??? i don't have any vacuum line on my ecu either. >> >> bently has a blurb that distributor bearings might be messed up if timing >> wanders, ugh. maybe i had the bolts too loose i will go out and try and >> tighten them and see. >> >> i see no engine light in my cluster either and the last smog guy i went >> to was asking me where it was!!! its a non california car and i won't be >> going back to that guy. >> >> On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 5:52:49 PM UTC-7, hollandphillips wrote: >> >> Two knock sensors means 2.0/9A block. >> On the timing issue, there is something that needs to be disconnected >> prior to using a timing light. I can't remember what exactly it is, but I >> think it's a vacuum line somewhere. Again, that information is in the >> Bentley. Once the whatever is disconnected, the timing should be steady >> when viewed with the timing light. >> The timing advance on Motronic cars is controlled by the ECU, which is >> why initial setting of the timing requires disconnecting whatever it is the >> Bentley tells you. They do connect a timing sensor to the number one >> cylinder spark plug lead when running an emissions test in California. >> Don't know if it's just for reference to the machine, or if they can >> actually fail you if it's out of spec. >> >> ~Holland >> On Mar 24, 2016 17:04, "damac2004" <dama...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> >> ok so ground showed no continuity to that sensor wire. it does with pin >> 7 i believe on the ecu connector, so i guess i am good. i kept getting >> confused because people were talking about an insulated wire and im >> thinking a nasty cable like for tv. when looking these guys over as is, >> they don't seem special looking to me. >> >> also i looked over the car again and i do have 2 knock sensors. they are >> on the front of the block close to each, closer to cylinder #1. they each >> attach to a harness connector that goes into the loom and to the ecu. so >> if i remember right people said 1.8 blocks don't have 2? yet i couldn't >> fit the larger im shaft gear into this block that mates to the oil pump it >> had the smaller block off plate hole? so still not sure what i have. in >> included a picture down below. hopefully i won't need to care. >> >> here is a link to video of my first cold startup. for some reason it >> took like 5 times to start like there was no gas, fuel pump was making >> noise. then it started right up. can anybody tell if it sounds ok? i am >> now having an issue with timing the car. i tried cold and after a warmup >> cycle and i cannot get the pointer to stay still with the light on? it >> kind of lines up with the diamond and then it will shoot off a little bit >> off one way or the other. if i go further either way from where it is now, >> when it shoots off it tends to go in that direction more. i tried >> connecting the lead near the distributor cap and at the head. it seems to >> like this spot the best but im not sure how accurate it is. im wondering >> what impact this could have on smog if im a little off. also not sure if >> this means my car is having troubles or if my timing light is messed up. >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB9yXn61pS8 >> >> >> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ld5z8T1qMBU/VvSAHUYZQFI/AAAAAAAAAOw/TN6T8t9LDnYh-Ek6Nwhyij9PhtpIeLAEQ/s1600/IMG_0583.JPG> >> >> >> >> >> On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 10:32:11 AM UTC-7, stevenarguello wrote: >> >> I think that your loom is good, I wouldn’t mess with it anymore. The >> Bentley shows a circle around the signal wire where that ground meets the >> O2 signal wire instead of a splice and that’s what you have. Maybe check >> to be sure that there’s no continuity between the ground and the O2 signal >> spade connector. >> >> >> On Mar 24, 2016, at 10:48 AM, Holland Phillips <holland...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> The Motronic ECU does store codes. Since the OBD1 spec didn't go into >> effect until '95, code readers don't work on these cars. Connecting two >> leads to the proper positions of the connectors under the shifter boot and >> connecting a momentary switch to the other ends of the two leads, by using >> the switch to short the leads for a few seconds, the codes are shown by the >> check engine light flashing in various sequences. The Bentley explains all >> this and has a chart showing what the various codes indicate. I don't >> remember exactly where in the Bentley this procedure is, but it's in there >> somewhere. >> >> ~Holland >> On Mar 24, 2016 1:17 AM, "damac2004" <dama...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> >> sorry just to make sure we are on the same page. you are saying the 02 >> sensor black connector is going into the loom to the ecu. and the ground >> wire attached to the firewall is loose and surrounding the 02 sensor wire >> along the same path? i am paranoid and want to see for myself and am >> tempted to cut further upstream to see. >> >> i thought i read about the codes and bought a cord on ebay to convert >> from a little plug underneath the shifter boot i believe that goes to an >> obd reader? i will try it if i read right after i get the sucker going, >> had to rewire the main power and grounds. many wires have fallen to pieces >> just from touching them. scary stuff now that i look closer. >> >> On Thursday, March 24, 2016 at 12:40:03 AM UTC-7, stevenarguello wrote: >> >> The picture looks just like what I thought it would, the signal wire is >> the one with the connector, the one going to the ground is the shield. I >> think that you're good to go. >> I would have shown you my loom, but it's very different and I thought >> it'd make things more confusing. >> >> Fire it up. >> >> One last thing, I'm pretty sure that your Motronic ecu has codes. I'm not >> sure how easy they are to read or if they help at all. >> >> On Mar 24, 2016, at 1:29 AM, damac2004 <dama...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: >> >> >> >> i forgot to add this picture. maybe i need to look closer but it looked >> like the connector wire is exposed and touching that main ground leg. is >> it possible the connector has its own cover and is running inside inside >> the ground run? i can try and cut some back and look at it. i was >> expecting a special looking wire, my connector wire doesn't look special? >> >> >> i don't really understand how to read the bently. this is the only wire >> i see connected in the 20 pages to the firewall ground on that side. it >> doesn't show a straight run to the control unit but it has a solid line >> crossing into the shielded wire icon on the 02 sensor connected leg. i >> just assumed they were connected or else the ground wire from firewall side >> would go nowhere? >> >> >> is this a pretty common harness on other gas vw's of the same era? i >> wish i could see somebodies stock harness with pictures, maybe i can find >> one at picknpull. >> >> >> ... > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MK2-16v" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to mk2-16v+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to mk2-16v@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/mk2-16v. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/9f7a1bc8-67b6-427d-8d49-2b068b3af150%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/9f7a1bc8-67b6-427d-8d49-2b068b3af150%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MK2-16v" group. 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