My 450 CDI cranks but doesn't start. Suddenly after a round of two maintenance tasks (see below). It started briefly but conked out.
It cranks very well but it sounds way too smooth. Not sure if this is the sound of no injectors injecting.
With the good weather finally here in Ontario, I decided to clear two maintenance items that were backlogged over the winter.
1) ABS reluctor ring replacement (Mine had a big crack in it. Discovered it in the late fall when replacing my rear wheel bearings).
Took 3 weeks for the replacement rings it to arrive from UK. It got way too cold and I am without garage. Somehow the ring
held up over the winter.
2) Rubber intake turbo hose (Mine had a patch over the wear hole that was duct taped and hosed clamped to get by). The patch
was working well enough that replacement got pushed out to today. But it was leaking (by the look of oil blow mess in the area).
I did the intake hose first. It is a bit awkward to get it in and out. But I did it before to inspect and patch the old one.
I don't think I buggered anything up in the process. But I could have. I just wormed the old one out and wormed the new one in.
Didn't remove any connectors etc. The only hard part is getting the hose onto the intake manifold.
I "should have" tested it at that point. But I didn't. Lesson learned.
I then replaced the passenger side (RHS) ABS reluctor ring. I did this by disconnecting the X to the De Dion tube
and gently jacking up on the motor. You can get just enough space for the shaft to clear the hub. I didn't pull the shaft from the
transmission but replaced the reluctor ring "in situ" (Dremel grinding tool is very handy to clean up the body). The rings are an
interference fit so there was some work with a brass drift to get the ring in place.
I'm suspicious of the turbo intake hose replacement. It is right by the fuel injection hoses. Maybe I flexed something too
much. But would the gentle "lift" of the engine stress something in a bad way?
What I'm thinking:
1) Check to see if fuel is getting to the rail and check the electrical connections to the injectors.
2) Check to see what may have been pulled out of place when jacking then engine up (could not have been more than 1 inch or so).
3) Check the crank sensor? It is close to the drive shaft. Maybe it got mangled with my messing around with the crank shaft.
Any other ideas on what I might have disrupted today? Any hints on diagnosing the problem?
I don't have a proper manual for this car so I'm a bit lost as to where all the components are located.
Thanks,
Mike