car wont start.. any thoughts?

[greezmunky]

Tried starting the car today.. the car turns over but just doesnt start. With the car sitting in the on position and the battery charged I get this intermittent buzzing sound from a module located immediately aft of the engine bay in a compartment of its own. The box as a vacuum line and some wires so I'm guessing its the ignition module. So I cranked the car a few times and took a whiff of the tailpipe and no smell of gas whatsoever.. also I dont hear any noise from the fuel pump so I'm guessing that its not working. Now here is the thing.. I ordered my service manuals but they arent here yet.. so if someone can take a look at this picture:



I know there is a fuse missing.. the 2 15 amp fuses on the left were blown... i replaced them and they did not blow again but no change in the cars behavior. I have no idea what the fuses or relays are for so if anyone can help out that would be great.. also there are a couple of blanks where relays should be.. by any chance is one of those the fuel relay??

I made some good progress today tearing the front end down.. besides the fiberglass damage the only thing thats needs replacing is the right headlight and the actuator rod that attaches to it is a little bent. The bonnet looks 100% salvageable and I am going to let my body shop try to repair the bumper as well.

So to wrap up.. car cranks, intermittent buzzing sound from box in trunk, no whirring from fuel pump, no fuel smell from exhaust, and i dont know whats going on with the fuse/relay box up front.

[Skerd]

Per my owners manual, starting from top left to bottom right they are:

Ignition power relay
Dip beam relay
Main beam relay
Start drop out relay
Radio "key in" relay
Rheostate module
Lown fuel delay module
Wash/wipe delay module
Radiator fans relay
Horn relay
Front fog lamp relay
Headlamp pod delay module
Bridging link (0n USA cars)

Those four thin spaces together are fuses for, left to right again:

Front fog lamps, 15 amps
Radiator fan RH, 10 amps
Radiator fan center, 10 amps
Radiator fan LH, 10 amps

[lwasson]

Try resetting the fuel pump Inertia switch. Not sure where it is on your '90 but on my '83 its in the rear trunk. Yours is probably the same.

louis

[cnh1990]

Louis is probably right.
The fuel cut off inertia switch would have activated during a crash considering it was bad enough to deploy the air bags. It is a push button switch on an SE is located on left front wall of the rear trunk area in an access hole marked fuel pump reset on my car. It may have be moved in later models.
Calvin

[wcdeane]

Check to see if any fault codes have been set on your ECM? The espritfactfile.com has instructions on how to check for fault (trouble/error) codes. It is very easy to do. Click on the "ECM" hyperlink on the left side of their home page. It is the second topic on the resulting page. Note that if you have no codes the "Check Engine" light will flash code 12 repeatedly. That's flash pause then two quick flashes.

Write down the trouble codes, if any, and get back to this forum. There are several of us who can tell you what these codes mean. The trouble codes are also listed on the same web page. They are topic number four on the ECM page.

Walt...'91 SE

P.S. The buzzing noise that you hear when you turn on the ignition is probably the electric pump on your power ABS brake system . This buzzing is normal. This devise is located in the bottom left hand corner of the photo that you have posted.

[wcdeane]

Ignore the remark about the buzzing noise. I misread what you said.

Walt...'91 SE

[greezmunky]

ok an update.. reset the inertia switch although it didnt feel tripped to me.. checked all fuses in rear and all were fine.. now i hear the fuel pumps whirring up when i first turn the key but I'm still not getting any fuel into the motor. On sunday I'm gonna check the ECM codes and see what I get. Three things I am thinking of right now:

1. Right side fuel filler cap is missing.. would this keep the fuel system from properly pressurising?

2. There is some kind of ignition or fuel kill installed in the car.. gonna pull the dash and see if there is any out of place wiring

3. The ECM is blown.. the car was jumped multiple times since it was hit so this could be a possibility.. i'll see what if any codes i can pull off it.

Thanks for all the help guys.. I knew this car was gonna be a challenge before I even bought it but I am definitely up for it. As soon as i finish this one up I am going to find an S3 to work on!

[lotusman]

I hope you solved your starting problem by now and if you did please tell us what was the answer. If you haven't, then I would consider you changing out the ECM. My '89 non-SE had the same no start problem. Never got any trouble codes. I changed the ignition control, crank position sensor, coils but nothing. I got a new ECM, about $80, got the numbers from a site by Tony Grasso, moved the chip over to the new one, And away I went. The changed also fixed my fuel pump relay not working, I had jumpered it out the previous year to make the car run and the radiator fans started working when they should, instead of all the time.