brand new battery, cranks, lots of electric power, but just won't start!!!!!!
Can you provide a bit more info? What year, was there any recent work done on the car, does the car spit, sputter but not stay running or just doesn't fire at all? Was this sudden, or was it getting difficult to start over the past days/weeks/months?
1987 GTS, car doesn't fire at all, took car out last Saurday, had little hesitation on starting but then ok all day!
Buy a $2 can of starter fluid. Spray 3 seconds worth of it into your air intake. Does the car now start? Does it start and then die? Answer those 2 questions and you will be 60% finished with solving your problem...a fairly good value for $2.
Check to see if it is no spark or no fuel......+2.... If spark, then no fuel is more than likely culprit. If that's the case, check fuse for fuel pump. Mine did this a couple of weeks ago. Fuse looked ok but was bad. Decal inside fuse panel defines fuses. Think it's fourth from left if memory serves. Check for spark by pulling plug wire from plug. Put spare plug in lead and short on block. Crank engine to see if plug fires. Any plug will do for test.
Turn on the key and the electric fuel pump should run for a few seconds and turn off. You don't have to crank the motor over, just turn the key to the on position. If you don't hear the fuel pump run do a search for a thread I started a year or so ago and it has links, schematics and pics and step by step how to trouble shoot fuel pump problems on the 328. PM me if you can't find it. The fuel pump is basically down low on the frame on the left side of the car. If you just sit in the car with the door open you can very easily hear the fuel pump come on and run for about 3 seconds. Very common problem on the 328s
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=138884455#post138884455 http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73463&highlight=fuel+pump+328&page=2 Everything you need on the fuel pump is in these two threads. Follow up and let us know what you find?
Thank you very much Kevin, I checked the fuse and was ok, I did tap the relays (fuel pump +fuel pump starter) and the pump started so did the car, after few minutes on idle car stolled and again no pump sound and car would not start. I think I am going to get those two relays replaced and hopefully that is all!! thank you again....Lee
You can bypassing the relays with the jumper wire as shown in one of the pics and listen for the fuel pump? Sounds like you're on the right path. You can also try swapping the relays as a test with some of the others, just be carefull to match the numbers since some of the relays are different than the ones on the fuel pump.
Or vacuum. My 308QV was doing something similar just keeps on cranking but no start. Then I saw the large vacuum hose from the AAV to the engine was disconnected. I just hooked it back on and she started.
The 328 has a little issue with the wire that runs from the fuel pump to the relay. Under the passenger side footing pull back the carpet and then the metal plate. in the bottom right should be a connector with about 2 rows of 8 wires. Disconnect it and look at the connections to see if one (usually the bottom right I believe) is black and burned out. I had this problem before. You can search here for a lot more info on it.
On a 328 the fuel pump shouldn't run at all if the engine is not running. For the fuel pump to run you need to either bypass the relay with a jumper wire or just remove the plug on the fuel distributor (easier). That plug is the connection to a switch that opens when the air sensor plate moves. That's the safety switch that ensures the pump doesn't run when the engine dies.
I had a similar intermittant non starting issue. Turned out the "All Keys" relay was going bad. I replaced all the relays at the last major and all is well.
