My mates engine which had an engine rebuild doesn't want to start, eventually after some while it will start and only run on idle. If you touch the throttle it seems the timing is way off and start to bang like ALS and the engine dies. You can hear it misfire in the air filter.
When we remove the connector on the distributor the engine runs good???
The sensor in the distributor is new, could this be faulty or is there something else what we should try?

 

crank sensor / phase sensor timing set wrong
phase sensor connected the wrong way round

 

Did check the timing and this was good.
Does the engine run when the phase sensor is connected the wrong way?

 

not very well roflol
check the polarity is correct common problem when people fit a new sensor

 

You can mix the plugs up for the two sensors I think i.e. plug the phase sensor into the crank sensor plug on the loom.

 

Ok will try that. Thanks for youre advise!

 

check you got knock sensor and phase sensor plugged in right way round

 

Knock sensor on a cossie engine

 

late sapphs and escort had a knock sensor,
as for the running does sound like timing.

 

You learn something every day

 

as above

 

Check you have the map sensor and throttle sensor plugs the right way round as well.

a mate of mine did this recently and even confused mr shead !

puddy

 

I bet it did, as from the factory i dont think those 2 plugs will actually reach the wrong components?!! He must have actually put some real effort into cocking that up!

 

Slight correction for clarification. ALL 4wd Cosworths have one.

 

Aftermarket loom .

puddy

 

Must have been poor lengths then as a good loom should mirror the factory lengths, which are of course perfect. Mind, you, does'nt that mean they werent even labelled? Thats even worse!!

 

funnt that i thought late sapphs were 4wd sorry i should of been specific, unless you know of any late sapphs that are 2wd????????????????

 

Well, 4wd came out around 89. there are also still 2wd's born in 89s. So which one of those 1989 Sapphire Cosworths would be "late" by your definition as only one of them has a knock sensor?

I would personally regard a "late" sapphire as the facelift greentop with different interiors, dashboards, fuel flaps, spoilers, wheels, had closed loop as standard and a catalyst fitted.

VERY different to "early" sapphs so in my opinion worthy of the differentiation.

 

My mates early J plate saff had a 205 block in itand it was standard with nothing messed with

strange huh

Paul

 

Probably just the vin tag and floor numbers.

 

LOL

Paul

 

Glad you "personally" know the difference!
anyone on here have a 1989 4wd? i would be very interested if you have!!!
and as said previously, fords will use up all the parts they have at the time of building a car so maybe there are 4wd cars with 205 block and no knock sensor.
I am sure you will know all about this tho (Stu) please feel free to educate us all some more. Just for "clarification" 2wd cars also have build dates of 1990 just to be petty er i mean precise

 

Getting back to the original question i had a similiar prob on mine it was the dizzy cap and rotar arm somehow putting a spark on plugs 1&3 at same time!. Got new one all is now ok.

 

that would be because it had a crack in it

 

Yea the most thing i checked last doh!

 

I meant to write most simple thing, christ i need to go back to school.

 

sorry for getting away from the task in hand, let us know how you have got on and let us know if you have got any further on getting it to run properly ok cheers.

 

I have never seen a factory built production 4x4 cosworth without a l8 and knock sensor or a 200 block,and i have been doing RS cars for over 25 years.

 

I had weird, odd running problems with my car when I put it back together. CHECK the 3 main loom connections block at the back of the bay. They shud be against the bulk and just left of the rocker cover. One of mine was not connected correctly and the car was running awfully weird.

 

well i am sure fords didnt just throw away all the left over 205 engines and just put 200 blocks into 4wd but hey lets not get into a big deal over it.
unless you have worked for fords for the entire time they built the cosworth car i think comments should be investigated first.unless you have seen evey factory 4wd cosworth thats ever been built, then i will eat my hat

 

the 4x4 cossie engine was different in many ways and were all built by cosworth and were a complete unit which was slotted in on the ford production line.
But I am sure you may think there was a conspiracy roflol
The fact that you may have seen a 205 block in a 4x4 that is 15 years old and had 17 home rebuilds and 17 blow ups does not support your statement that ford would have fitted a 205 block at the factory because they wouldn't just throw them away.
The 4x4 was a rally car and therefore subject to homolagation rules so a 200 block had to be in the production car .
perhaps the 200 block was developed because they ran out of 205 cortina blocks

 

the parts department might have got a few 205 blocks.

 

Good lord. Ok, lets put it another way then shall we, just for you...

By your very own admission, 1990 shared brand new 2 and 4wd cars. So which is the late on?


And Ford just throw the wrong parts on these Cosworths then yes? Even though FORD didnt build them? Yes... makes sense now. Ha Ha.

I love the way you have got all defensive just because your advise was corrected. Just be a man and accept your terminilology was slightly awry and the correction i gave was fully justified.

 

I bet Tony @ Turbosystems has had more of them apart than maybe anyone else in the country mate. But hey, what would i know anyway... dont know why i am debating this knock sensor issue, its not like i map these things for a living and would notice if it didnt have one or anything...

 

another small difference is that 4x4 saphs have a 3x multi-plug loom on the bulk head where as the 2wd loom doesn't


I've had an 1989 4x4 Saph in Moonstone blue it had the correct 200 block and red stickered L8 ECU

 

You cant have had. According to the fella above they didnt exist.

 

Since I've now discovered that my 4x4 cossie theoretically has a knock sensor and I am of a curious nature, I'd love to know where it is on the block

 

The plug can be seen here, twinned in the bracket next to the CPS plug.



And the sensor itself, screws into the lug on teh crankcase/sump mouting flange, directly below the bung you remove to fit a breather to the crankcase.

 

Thanks stu, never knew it existed

 

but did ford build it (supply the parts) or was it modified later? can anyone verify that they made a 4wd 1989 cosworth? i would love to know.