5.0 MPI Alpha, wont start after service

[Harrison]

First post and first time servicing 06 SR SD 200 myself, figured i would do it like i have done in the past.. but now having issues.

Changed Oil, Oil Filter, Cap / Rotor, Fuel Water Filter and new ECM (lost com), also alternator last week but started after that went.

Engine wont start; cranks and spits but doesnt turn unless i shoot some starter fluid in it and even then barley moves. I dont want to keep cranking and burn somethimg else out. I do assume it has spark as it kicks over for a second, but lost as of now.

Mistakes i made: forgot to fill new fuel filter, over filled by 2 quarts oil almost, broke ear tab back of dist assembly... remediated all this.

My assumptions.. air in fuel line, oil clogging plugs, or possibly ECM isnt working as its meant for same engine 2 years older.

Whats working: Fuel pump kicks on, turns over, gauges work (smartcraft) pressure battery fine (until i burn my starter out)

Any thoughts, tried as much as i could tonight, losing my mind... thanks in advance

 

[Little Ducky]

I would double check rotor and cap.

Personally I always have some issue when I screw around with any engine that has a rotor/cap/wires.

I would double check installation....and then make sure the wires are still in good shape and were put back in their correct firing order.

 

[CliffA]

good luck with the troubleshooting.....this is the reason I have learned over the years to start the engine after each individual change I make even changing the oil and filter....when you make several changes like you did and then have issues it can be difficult to identify which change is causing the problem.....

it sounds like you know this but these things must be present at the combustion chambers for an engine to run:
1. proper fuel/air mixture (at correct pressure)
2. compression
3. spark
4. ignition timing

I suggest starting by verifying fuel and spark are getting to the spark plugs.....if either is missing you will have to back track through that particular system to find out where the problem is....just because the engine tries to fire to some degree when squirting starter fluid does not mean it is getting the correct strength of spark....a weak spark will not keep an engine running....if you have both fuel and strong spark at the plugs then check the ignition timing....if the new ECM is not working properly all kinds of things can be happening to keep the engine from starting....

keep us posted with details of what you have tried and how the engine reacted so we can offer additional ideas if needed....

cliff

 

[Boater420]

I'm leaning towards the firing order. When changing the cap/rotor, were the wires changed one at a time or all removed and then replaced?

 

[cfd95]

+1 on firing order
also did you fill the new fuel filter with fuel before you installed it.
Im guessing its an EFI motor (2006).
The fuel system will get air bound if you didn't fail the filter before installing

 

[skibum]

First post and first time servicing 06 SR SD 200 myself, figured i would do it like i have done in the past.. but now having issues.

Changed Oil, Oil Filter, Cap / Rotor, Fuel Water Filter and new ECM (lost com), also alternator last week but started after that went. Try reinstalling the old ECM. Your new one may be bad.

Engine wont start; cranks and spits but doesnt turn unless i shoot some starter fluid in it and even then barley moves. I dont want to keep cranking and burn somethimg else out. I do assume it has spark as it kicks over for a second, but lost as of now.

Mistakes i made: forgot to fill new fuel filter, over filled by 2 quarts oil almost, broke ear tab back of dist assembly... remediated all this. What ear? If it is just the one that holds the wiring harness in place, probably not a big deal.

My assumptions.. air in fuel line, oil clogging plugs, or possibly ECM isnt working as its meant for same engine 2 years older. Try reinstalling the old ECM. Your new one may be looking for different sensors or values and may need to be reprogrammed.

Whats working: Fuel pump kicks on, turns over, gauges work (smartcraft) pressure battery fine (until i burn my starter out)

Any thoughts, tried as much as i could tonight, losing my mind... thanks in advance

If none of that works, verify that the little spring arm on the top of the rotor is hitting the button on the inside of the cap. I've seen that more than once in my life.

 

[Harrison]

• Checked wiring order, spring arm, and threw old cap rotor on for fun and nothing.. I ended up trashing the new cap/roter, the ear on the cap now broke from barley tightening it..
• Re-checked fuel filter and is full from the second time I took it a part. Could have some air from not filling first time.
• Fuel pump turns on
• Chugged for a millisecond again then I gave up.

Whats everyone's thoughts on the overfill? Would that keep it from starting, I mean it was 2qts max, but realistically little less, not sure how that would equate over the span of the pan, but maybe did something to the plugs? Pressure looks ok from cranking.

The only other thing I can think of is the ECM, I reached out to mercury today. They said the model # I bought 864271To4 was from a 2002 5.0 and I required 866189to6 ECM (my mistake on merc parts catalog), 4 years newer, they mentioned that they do not recommend using this part but did not say it wouldn't work. Wiring was the same from what they said (mostly) but there could be some small changes, like auxiliary issues. I am starting to think this could be messing with me too. What issues could come from this?

 

[Lazy Daze]

Try starting with the throttle advanced to about half way, but be ready to pull it back if it fires off. Pull it back enough that you can still keep the engine running - but an elevated RPM, like 1500.

No, overfilling like you did wouldn't cause your issue.

 

[CliffA]

Just to throw things out to check and verify be sure the new rotor has 8 fingers and not 6.....I read a thread once where the wrong rotor was mistakenly used by a fairly competent mechanic so it can happen......they look the same at first glance...

cliff

 

[Harrison]

Yea, one of the first things I did was give it some juice, still nothing as of today.

If over fill and oil isn't the issue, I will throw that out as a factor.

It is either the ECM or air in the fuel line then, everything else is working. Not sure how the ecm even if it was older can be the issue, but there may be a change that is causing this engine not to start. I will figure out how to bleed the air out of the line and then if nothing drop it off to the shop just to diagnose the issue, cant be fooling around with it for this long.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Is this a standard cap or a flat crab cap.
If MPI bleed the air from the schrader valve, If TBI loosen the fuel fitting to bleed.