engine stalled and now not starting

[Andy_J]

Hi all

The engine on my Elan stalled as I was approaching a roundabout on Friday and decided it would not restart. hoping for some advice on how to get it going again.

So far I have confirmed

Paper clip test shows code 12 not got access to elanscan at the moment
Fuel Pump primes as expected
Engine cranks over a decent speed
Plenty of fuel
Injectors click when throttle opened with ignition on
Will not start on easy start
Noid lights show sparks on all plugs (but on crank over it sparks, pauses and sparks again, not sure if this is correct)

Bit lost on what to try next

Andrew

[Rambo]

Code 12 is a "no fault" code Andy.

Have you checked all associated fuses and relays? I'm sure you have but a similar thing happened to me last year. There is a mini relay in the boot behind the battery which does the fuel pump. Mine appeared to have loosened over time and was not fully pushed in causing partial/intermittent contact with the pins. Pushed it fully home and it started on the button.

[muley]

Happened to a friend of mine. Not an Elan ..

Had me scratching my head for a while ~ the cambelt had snapped!

Is it turning over very fast on the starter motor ?

[Tuga2112]

here is my 2 cents
sounds like individually you have spark and fuel, i woudl assume there is enough air to at least get an initial explosion even if the filter is completely clogged.

I would check the air filter and intake hose just because its easy and quick, (just in case something completely insane happened and clogged the air feed)

IF the elan has a crank position sensor. i would be checking that first. (because the exact description of your problem was that issue in 2 different cars i have worked on)

following that I would look at the compression levels of the cylinders. more out of desperation than actually being an educated guess...

let us know how you progress, im also having issues with a non-runner. but different symptoms.

[Andy_J]

Thanks for the pointers so far.

So after some more investigation tonight, it feels like a bit of good news/bad news

The cam belt is fortunately still in one piece, but it is loose so I am thinking it has jumped a tooth or two.

Still feels like the engine has compression as I turned it over to check the timing marks. Both inlet and exhaust cams still timed against each other, but looks like timing is out on the crank.

Feels like a weekend job now to get the timing checked and cambelt tightened up so I can do a compression check

Fingers crossed there are not bent valves

Andy

[lotusflasherman]

... Feels like a weekend job now to get the timing checked and cambelt tightened up so I can do a compression check
Fingers crossed there are not bent valves
Andy

Seems like a good time to fit a new cambelt while you're in there. Should be every 6 years, or 60,000 miles (based on 10,000 per year) but I suspect most are changed due to age, not miles, these days. If it's jumped it might have stretched due to internal cords having parted.

[Andy_J]

I wish I could blame an old cambelt, but did the cambelt myself 2 years ago while I was fitting a new hood and rebuilding the rear suspension.

I only have myself to blame if the tensioner has slipped