To evaluate a car for potential purchase, I have in the past, when a fuel system is probably messed up, especially with a car that has been sitting idle for a few years, disconnected the fuel pump, removed the air filter housing and used a splash of gas in the air horn and then used a carb cleaner in a spray can to start it. This was a test of course just to see if the engine would run. It is a two person job because some one has to stay at the engine to keep cleaner sprayed into the air horn to keep it running. That way I could quickly check the clutch, or trans, etc. My point is; you do not need a completely functional fuel system to start the engine to see if it is ready to run. If your fuel system is faulty you are working with compound issues. Take the fuel system out of the picture for a while. Also, based on your comments, I would say you have the cams timed incorrectly. I have not experienced it on a DeLorean but I have in some other engines when replacing the timing belts. Your description is classic. Before you ruin something big time, especially your new starter, I would just resolve to get back in there and redo the cam timing. After you fix that try to get the engine to fire without the fuel pump as I explained above. When you have it fired and know it will run, then tackle the fuel system. Harold McElraft - 3354 --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "cruznmd" <racuti1@xxxx> wrote: > That's right. I'm "out". > > Out of money, out of ideas and tricks, out of patience. > > I have replaced the starter, and all of the fuel components. I have > spark on all 6 plugs, air and fuel. Too much or too little I don't > know because I have no idea where to set the CO screw and it was > likely tampered with by the idiot of a mechanic I let work on it in > December. > > The wires are in the correct order. I have spark. I've used a timing > light while cranking the engine and I'm at 13 degrees BTDC. > > The engine is so tight the new starter can barely move it when all of > the spark plugs are in. Obviously that's not right, but I followed > the timing chain procedure in the manual and verified it with the > people at DMCH. I hand cranked it BEFORE I started it. No > interference. No bent valves. > > It shrieks like a beaten wife when it cranks because the oil I put in > the cylinders to lube it is washed away by gas. > > As far as I can tell, when I pull all the plugs and start putting > them in one by one, and cranking the engine with the addition of each > plug, only 2 cylinders are making any kind of combustion. There are > 2 "thumps". As I add more plugs, there are no additional thumps, and > the compression gets higher and higher as I add plugs and the engine > slows down. > > I do not, nor am I ever likely to have funds to ship this thing to > Houston or Long Island, and pay for repairs. I can pay for labor or > parts, not both. > > Unless I have some kind of epiphany, 5335 will be another dead weight > in another guy's driveway, falling apart as time eats away at it.