Topic: 2.5 no fire

[jakbob]

ok, so my 2.5 might not be as bad as i thought...i threw in my friends cars battery and the engine turned over...BUT it exponentially got slower and slower and slower untill the starter woudlnt turn over...now mind you the engine never fired up show im looking to see what you guys think it is...i think i might need a new starter or something so i can really test a theory out...

[jakbob]

ok, so i took a wrench to slowly turn the crank pulley, and had and felt it go easily and then become much harder and i heard a whish coming from the engine so i figured that i have a compression leak...since i dont have a compression gauge i figured that i should check the head gasket...well after pulled the head i became stumped...the head gasket didnt looked blown...but im generally new (second teardown) so i need your guys' help....ill post some pics...

[jakbob]

[wrangler387]

Head gasket was fine. Did you ever check to make sure you are getting spark AND fuel? thats where you should've started. If you have both of those, then make sure your timing is correct and the spark plug wires are all going to the right places.  :wink:

[Guardian7]

Sounds like the starter, I once had a starter go bad and it started drawing huge amounts of current like 900 amps to turn over my engine! My big mistake was to get my replacement from PEP Boys because 4 months later it was doing the same thing. After my 3rd lifetime warrenty starter from PEP Boys in 12 months I got my money back, although it took a huge fight with the manager. Then I went to NAPA Auto Parts. That starter lasted for the remaining 3 years I owned the vehicle. Heat can cause the insulation to breakdown on those cheap PEP Boys starter windings and they start to draw more and more current when cranking. PS I have heard the same story about cheap alternators.

[Cooncan]

Do you hear the fuel pump kick in when you turned the ignition to "run"....don't know if you cleaned up the heads and cylinders right before you took the pics but they look kinda dry like it wasn't getting any fuel if you didn't.  Just my .02 cents.    :)

[Guardian7]

Actually this is a pretty good color, light brown or tan, when your running to lean your exaust valves will be almost white, when your running to rich your valves will be black. This holds true for spark plugs as well. couple cylinders look slightly rich but this also can be a result of your driving habits or short distance trips.

[Guardian7]

Jakbob, The whishing noise is normal when turning over slow by hand, pulling the head would be one of the last things to do when the engine wont fire over and turning by hand should tell you nothing is locking up to cause slow cranking. As earlier mentioned, check for spark and fuel after you rule out them out look at your starter cables, starter, and battery. You will feel really pissed if you find out it was a five dollar batt cable, loose or corroded connection. If you want a really strong battery, I use the Optima 800 red top and it always cranks really strong so there is no doubt if I am missing spark or fuel, they fetch about $120 and a great investment for a 4X4. You now need a new head gasket, torque wrench, and the intake/exaust gasket should also be replaced. Also use a tap to clean the head bolt holes and a die on the head bolt threads, this will prevent a false torque measurement when you re-torque your head in proper order by removing crap from the threads which cause higher torque readings before actually pulling the head down with the proper pressure.