Hooray for me, my car is finally running and drivable. I set the valve lash way too tight, which is why it didnt run. Anyway, the timing is set fine, but I experience bogging/stalling and backfiring/popping when I mash the pedal over 1/2 throttle. If I feather it then it will get up to speed, but when I slam it down it sputters and dies. Is this a tuning problem that I must take up with Brian from TBI Chips? or is this something that I need to work on? I think I'm gonna goto radioshack this weekend and build an ALDL cable and get some readings.

Anyway, there's a new problem. Of course. The ground wire that connects to the battery cable (at the battery) and runs to the body (about 10" long) fried. The car doesn't start unless I replace that wire (which gets hot). There's a short somewhere I'm guessing, but WHERE? I had to use 8awg speaker wire to re-ground it, and it gets hot fast so I remove it after it starts. I don't want to have to keep doing this every time I start my car either Any ideas?

 

Hey Token, I was following your previous threads for a while, glad to see you got it running again. I don't have much help with the tuning though.

As for the ground wire... you have a manhunt on your hands. If the short didn't trip any fuses (as it obviously didn't), you have to go through your wiring and find it. I'm surprised it burned out that ground wire; usually a short will burn out a smaller wire leading to the culprit accessory, which means the short has probably fused to the frame or something similar. You will probably find something else fried somewhere in your car.

 

I have reason to believe it only controls the starter's ability, because everything else appears normal before I start the car. Loud radio, bright lights, etc. Could it be something related to the starter, possibly a loose or damaged wire touching the body?

 

You wouldn't be able to start the car if that was the issue.

Still, it doesn't hurt to take a look. There are three wires going to the starter I believe, so take a look at their connections and the entire length of the wires. It could also be a short inside the starter solenoid if the plastic piece holding the terminals got cracked.

Do other things work like external lights? Hatch release? Climate controls? Gauges reading as they should? Rear defroster? Just trying to narrow it down.