No start - 1988 fleetwood bounder
- Thread starter robnroad
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Kirk
Well-known member
I am assuming that you mean the engine control unit? Part of the answer is in what chassis you have as it could be either GM or Ford.
darsben
Well-known member
A 1988 has no ECM module it may have a very rudimentary computer in front of the dog house on the top of the engine compartment. Make sure your 1988 is not on a 1987 chassis. Check the VIN. IT'S COMMON TO SEE THAT AND PERFECTLY LEGAL. Unless you mean the Electronic distributor stuff
The tag on the side of the RV says it's a 1987 but the pink says it's an 1988. The engine won't start it just turns over and acts like it's flooding. I have good gas good spark and the timing is rite. My next step was to check the ECM that I can't find and maybe that's because it doesn't have one....any suggestions?
darsben
Well-known member
I am not near my computer so I can't send the link to the manual for the chassis but one is available I believe. If someone else doesn't Link to it for you I will tomorrow when I am at my computer.
darsben
Well-known member
Here is the manual I have;
What difference the year would make I do not know except I do know that my 1989 has some difference from other years.
How long since the motor home has run?
Has the motor home every run for you?
How did you test spark?
How did you Test Fuel getting to carb?
Have you removed distributor for any reason?
What difference the year would make I do not know except I do know that my 1989 has some difference from other years.
How long since the motor home has run?
Has the motor home every run for you?
How did you test spark?
How did you Test Fuel getting to carb?
Have you removed distributor for any reason?
Thank you for the manual and your time.
I drove the RV to my house about 8 months ago and it wasn't running that great but it ran. A couple weeks later started it up to take to storage and it quit on me. I found it wasn't getting gas to the carb. I replaced the fuel pump in the tank and the regulator and that gave me gas to the carb. but it would not start. It was getting too much gas so I turned the regulator down....still just turns over. The fuel pump on the engine is new.
Found some wires that the mice got to and replaced them. Replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, coil and plug wires.
At the coil I removed the plug wires and turned it over, the spark on all jumped back to the coil spark looked great. Removed each spark plug one at a time and with the plug in the plug wire turned it over and have spark on all plugs.
A mechanic told me that the distributor was bad so we replaced it with the same type unit, put the number one cylinder on top dead center and zero on the timing mark, with the rotor pointing at the #1 wire ( checked several times). I get a lot of back fire but still will not start.
That's why I was trying to find the ECM....I am at a loss and the mechanic is too.
I drove the RV to my house about 8 months ago and it wasn't running that great but it ran. A couple weeks later started it up to take to storage and it quit on me. I found it wasn't getting gas to the carb. I replaced the fuel pump in the tank and the regulator and that gave me gas to the carb. but it would not start. It was getting too much gas so I turned the regulator down....still just turns over. The fuel pump on the engine is new.
Found some wires that the mice got to and replaced them. Replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, coil and plug wires.
At the coil I removed the plug wires and turned it over, the spark on all jumped back to the coil spark looked great. Removed each spark plug one at a time and with the plug in the plug wire turned it over and have spark on all plugs.
A mechanic told me that the distributor was bad so we replaced it with the same type unit, put the number one cylinder on top dead center and zero on the timing mark, with the rotor pointing at the #1 wire ( checked several times). I get a lot of back fire but still will not start.
That's why I was trying to find the ECM....I am at a loss and the mechanic is too.
Rene T
Site Team
How old is the gas?
Larry N.
Well-known member
Fuel filter?
darsben
Well-known member
But are you at the top of the compression stroke?
IIRC after each cylinder ignites the piston travels to the bottom of the cylinder because of ignition of gas air mixture. The cylinder then comes back up to TDC expelling the products of combustion through the exhaust valves (exhaust stroke). The exhaust valve closes and intake valves open drawing fresh gas/air into cylinder as it travels downward. The cylinder then starts back up to TDC and the spark plug fires as it gets to the top forcing it down again.
You have to be on TDC on the power stroke and you use a compression tester to make sure you are. The exhaust stroke will have no pressure the power stroke should have great pressure
IIRC after each cylinder ignites the piston travels to the bottom of the cylinder because of ignition of gas air mixture. The cylinder then comes back up to TDC expelling the products of combustion through the exhaust valves (exhaust stroke). The exhaust valve closes and intake valves open drawing fresh gas/air into cylinder as it travels downward. The cylinder then starts back up to TDC and the spark plug fires as it gets to the top forcing it down again.
You have to be on TDC on the power stroke and you use a compression tester to make sure you are. The exhaust stroke will have no pressure the power stroke should have great pressure
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
It's all about the basics in that vintage of engine - air, fuel & spark. You have fresh fuel and have verified spark. You stated the test was at TDC, but backfires sounds like timing was off, so review what you did. There should be a TDC mark on the front drive pulley. If you don't have an old time timing light, you may need to get one. This should be a carburetor engine (there were only a few high-performance models with EFI in 1988), so check out the fuel delivery to the carb and air-fuel mixing in the carb. A gummy carb will totally sideline that engine. Maybe just go ahead and rebuild the carb? Kits are surely still available.
Kirk
Well-known member
The 87, 454 had carberation while the 88 was the introduction of throttle body fuel injection.
darsben
Well-known member
Beg to differ. My 1990 on an 89 chassis is carbureted
Old_Crow
Well-known member
Yup the motor homes(basically a medium duty truck)didn't get TBI until 91 or 92 I think.
I'm going with the timing being 180 degrees out. Remove the number one plug and hold your finger over the hole. Bump the engine until you feel compression and then bring it up to the timing mark. Then check the rotor position. Bet it's pointed to #6.
Wouldn't hurt to put a kit in that Quadrajet, either. I'm guessing that trip to your house 8 months ago filled it with crap out of the fuel system.
I'm going with the timing being 180 degrees out. Remove the number one plug and hold your finger over the hole. Bump the engine until you feel compression and then bring it up to the timing mark. Then check the rotor position. Bet it's pointed to #6.
Wouldn't hurt to put a kit in that Quadrajet, either. I'm guessing that trip to your house 8 months ago filled it with crap out of the fuel system.
Thanks all for your input. I had the carb. rebuilt and the unit has 3 gas filters. I will recheck the timing today....hope that's it. Had a thought last night and can't find an answer in my manual. Will the engine start with the hydraulic levelers down?
darsben
Well-known member
AS I do not have levelers on my unit I cannot answer the question
