Alright guys I dont ask for help often but this time I am calling out... Please guys..... I have a 98 neon r/t and I cant get it to start.. All it does is turn over and over with nothing but a little back fire... I cheacked the timing belt and the marks line up so hopfully it isnt the timeing.. Any suggestions?

 

Is the CEL on? ARe there any codes? Fuel pressure? DO you have spark?

 

what is Cel? yes it has spark and fuel presure. There were codes but I fixed them.. They were for things I forgot to hook up while putting the engine back together like H2O temp and TPS.. but still no start..

 

check your timing belt...spark, ignition and timing

 

Ok say it is timing. How far would the timing have to be off to cause it not to start? Would that cause damage to the internals? How would the timing be off if the timing marks line up? brand new belt,brand new cams,brand new head....

 

if it skipped a tooth its possible to where it advanced...but if marks are ok or seem to be it might be something else. Im just tryin to give you an idea of what it could be... Radar needs to jump on this one seeing as how he has swapped heads and done timing b4. But when I replaced mine the issues with backfiring and not starting had more to do with build up of fuel from bad plugs and wires.....however if your cam lobe isnt matching up right w/ your exhaust could be the same problem... Or like I said could be something w/ ignition system ....fouled plugs...etc....

 

You're absolutely positive the timing marks are lined up right now? That's the biggest mistake people make when putting on a new belt. They set it once, button it up, and turn the key. You've got to rotate the crank a couple of revolutions and double check. Usually one gear being off a tooth won't stop the car from starting. Heck, a pretty good number of DOHC's made it out of the factory with timing off a tooth. And the PCM isn't going to catch it for you either, since it sets a new baseline when you reset the PCM. So if you aren't 100% sure, pull the outer timing cover off and double check.

If you're off by 2 or more teeth, there's a chance of bending valves.

You should also go through like the others suggested and check fuel pressure at the rail, make sure you are getting spark, and make sure you don't have any codes.

Best of luck!

 

Yes I checked three times. Does it matter which sprocket you put on the cam? Another thing I dont have compression in cylinders 3 and 4 but in cylinder 1-2 I do.

 

The cam gears should be the same for intake and exhaust. Is it possible you don't have them back on correctly? Thought there was a notch that had to line up... otherwise you'd get compression in the 2 cylinders that have all the valves shut and no compression in the other 2...