No answers left.....engine gurus please step up!

[Kitch]

Progress was being made with the red rocket. Not anymore

For those that don't know, I recently completely rebuilt the engine after an oil surge situation. Then lifted engine and box into car. I literally hooked up the electrics and fuel to check the engine would run. It did, a bit lumpy and unhappily but half the breathers were missing etc so I was happy with that.
So bolted down the manifolds, did up all the earths and plugs etc and fitted everything back together bar the cooling and suspension system. The engine started up and ran. Didn't want to idle, but revved quite happily (not more than 3k rpm). A little bit tappy is has to be said, but the manifold joint appeared to be a bit badly sealed.
Obviously I didn't run it very long at all with no water, just long enough to see it ran. Plenty of oil and everythings hunky dory, so on with the cooling system.
Having filled it with water etc and fitted all hoses, the engine now won't fire. Nothings changed except it now has water! I'm completely stumped....

It seems to have good compression, though I've not got a gauge to check.

There is a very strong spark to all spark plugs.

Theres easily 3.0 bar of petrol in that fuel rail!

There is a constant feed to the injectors. The injector relay seems ok. Tested another one too.

The injector rail is not blocked at all. The injectors were always good, but I changed them in case with some recently cleaned units.

There was no smoke or smells when it was running.

All electrics are hooked up; Idle valve, AFM, Throttle switch etc. Tried a different AFM to see if the previous one's setup wasn't right for this engine. Knock sensor got a little bit wet possibly, but has dried now.

One issue I did have is the injector wires. I stupidly neglegted to mark them so can't remember which order they plug in. Not sure if it makes a difference as they all seem to have constants. Not sure if this could affect the problem?

Basically I'm totally stumped now. If anyone here has any ideas I'd really love to hear them!! There will be a few in it for you, I'll deliver them personally when I'm running it in!!

Cheers

[AlanS]

Basically, here's the response from the 16V forum so others here may wish to ad something to it.

I'd say you've been trapped by the oldest 16V booby trap of them all; the dreaded injector plugs.
After being 100% sure the two earths are bolted onto the head via the retaining bolts for the fuel rail, remove all the plugs from the injectors. Incidentally, it doesn't matter a rats where they go, look up the insides of where the pins fit in to be sure the metal pins are still sitting down at the leading edge where thet first touch the male pins in the injector plug socket.
Paint a light coat of silicone grease (vaseline if no silicone grease available) over the outer plastic edge and carefully - repeat carefully, slip the plug onto the injector making sure the pins slide into the actual sockets in the plug. Then slip the wire retaining clips back into place. See what that does. Now, check the firing order of the plugs. Plug leads 2 and 3 are the same size lengthwise, so doubly check you have reinstalled them where they should be by checking your firing order and then tracing them all the way to the plugs from the distributor. Again, another trap; be sure to paint a light coating of silicone grease on the edge that slips over the porcelain of the plug and a coat on the square end outer where it slips into the recess on the head; the number of times I've founf the actual plug lead sitting way above the actual spark plug and not making contact I've lost count of.
Next, remove the ignition coil. (4 small torx headed scres) and check the HT lead that sits underneath has been connected.
The LT supply on that brown plastic plug that's connected to it has 4 leads leading to it. 2 are "+" the others "-" so any dirt, moisture or contamination on these will kill the ignition. Not only that, but as I've proven enough times for everyone to be sick of hearing me tell them, the HT will trasck across the face of the coil and ground out and the LT will track inside that 4 terminal plug. Wash it until it looks like new. I used WD40 for the initial wash over, followed by a rinsing off with petrol and blown dry with compressed air. Regardless of what anyone may say, I have rarely seen one of these plugs and coils that that didn't need delousing and often when they've been disturbed, that is when all the problems start.

I'd suggest you try those suggestions one at a time not all at once, so you can pin point any problems within them and work from there, but if the car was going, then ran rough and now won't start, you have to look at something not being put back just right rather than go looking for mystical failures.
Let us know how you get on and any other strange symptoms, but methinks one of the above, possibly the injector plugs is your culprit.

Alan S

[Kitch]

Thanks again for that Alan. A true gent!