Hello all, I'm still having problems with my car if it's not one thing it's another. Car cranks, but won't fire up, just changed fuel pump and have plenty of pressure there, all connectors are accounted for, no CEL codes have emerged. I had the engine rebuilt by a shop in Rialto, I believe they may not have secured the timing chain properly, but I managed to get the car to turn on last weekend and two weeks before, just couldn't take it to test drive because insurance and the alternator cable wasn't connected to charge battery. I've posted a video of the engine while trying to start it. I'm hearing impaired, but it sounds like it went out of timing. Any ideas? I won't be able to work on this until next weekend since the car is in phelan and I live with my girl in San Bernardino for work during the week.

Here's the link for the video https://youtu.be/IxbPff1Gq_0

 

I think you answered your own question.

 

everything is connected properly now, besides, an improperly connected alternator wouldn't prevent the car from starting.

 

No, but it would prevent the battery from charging, particularly after you've been using it to start the engine.

 

So i discovered my fuel pump went out, already ordered and installed a new one. Fuel pressure is proper, everything connected, and car still won't start. I'm dumbfounded as to what the problem could be now. Any insight into probable cause here?

 

As Zakmartin has already stated, it could be the voltage on your battery is too low. Have you checked it? Also, what kind of code reader are you using?

 

I have a battery charger in the garage, so it's kept well charged. Code reader is the deluxe OBDII scan tool from harbor freight, but I'm still not getting any codes. I'm wondering if somehow the timing went off, I'm really hoping that's not the case because then I'd have to take everything apart again and would be due for a partial refund since I hired a shop to reassemble the engine.

Perhaps it may be a fuel related issue? With the pressure damper, or injectors. They were sitting in a box for months while the engine was being worked on, is it possible it may have gotten clogged up? I will head up today to do some more diagnostics on the car, will keep updating with what I find out.

 

While this problem could be related to the recent VQ rebuild, I find it curious that the car started up and drove back from the shop. You also seem to indicate the Z started at other times and ran without problems. The smooth running nature of the VQ35DE means that a jumped timing chair, or one not properly bolted down, will be an obvious problem. I suspect a more basic problem and one that should be picked up by the onboard diagnostic system is at work here. Good luck!

 

So I removed the manifold to get to the injectors, to test them with a probe light, and had my father in law crank the engine so I could see if the connector was properly sending voltage intermittently. The car managed to fire up without a problem for a few seconds, until it died down (obviously, since the block was sucking in unmetered air). Cleaned the throttle body, put it back on, starts up now, but runs a little rough. We believe the TB may be malfunctioning without sending back a DTC, I suppose this is because the problem is not electrical, but rather, mechanical (I'm referring to the piston on the bottom of the throttle body). Have the TBs on these cars been known to fail without sending any DTCs? I'm going to investigate deeper into this possible issue so I can be 100% sure before I order a new one.

 

Did some more diagnosing, throttle body is fine, looks like I have an intake leak at the front of the plenum. Not surprised, since the gasket is felpro from auto zone, and it's thin like paper. Going to check the torque on the bolts and tighten them if need be.

EDIT AS OF 12-23-17 19:37 ---

​​​​​​Turns out the throttle body may be faulty. When its installed and connected, engine doesn't turn on. When we disconnect the throttle actuator, the engine fires up. Going to order a new throttle body.

 

Turned out to be a loose ground cable on the back of the engine all's well now, starts up and stays running, albeit a p0300 code showing in the OBD. Eventually I'll find the cause of this.