We have compression, spark, fuel, and timing but not a running car. HELP!

[Thor06]

Ok, so my buddy's car (1991 TSI AWD manual) died in December and hasnt run since. He has 130-135-135-135 for compression, spark, fuel, and we just did the timing belt and the timing is right on. We did a boost leak test, 1 small leak, but nothing big. Also swapped out the ECU and MAF, still doesnt start. I am out of ideas and any of the other threads I read just said to check the stuff we already know we have. Anyone have any ideas?

[JiggahMan]

Did the ECU you swapped in come off a running car? Does the starter try to crank the motor over? Are you sure you have the right firing order for the plugs? Is the fuel pump rewired?

[blageo23]

NEED MORE INFO! Do the dash lights come on? Does it try to crank over? Is the battery good? Are all the fuses good? Coil good? transistor good? Clutch switch working?

[desolate]

if it cranks, try coil pack, transistor pack, plugs, wires, or another ecu

[desolate]

and test for fuel.

[Shane@DBPerformance]

Plug wires on wrong?

[Thor06]

Well, it cranks over seeing as how we took a compression reading so the battery is in working order. We tested spark by taking the plug out puttin it on the wire, grounding it, cranking the car over and watching for spark on the plug. All four sparked so all the ignition stuff is still good. Yes, the other ECU was off a running car. We also had his apart, nothing was blown out or anything. There were no signs of problems with the clutch when it was running before it died. No, the fuel pump is not rewired. I got a wiff of the air/fuel mixture shooting out of the spark plug hole when we were testing spark so I know its getting some fuel. One thing I forgot about was fuel pressure. When it first died, the first thing we tested was the pump, we could hear it pumping so we know its not totally dead. We also changed the fuel filter, does it matter how the banjo bolt is on in relation to the gas hose thing going to the fuel rail? How do you do a fuel pump rewire? How can we test the fuel pressure? Thanks guys.

EDIT: I will check the plug wires. The car ran fine for a few months and the wires were never off more than one at a time. Plus they are all different lengths so its not too easy to get them on the wrong plug.

[JET]

Did you have the cam angle sensor off or loose? It may be way off. You would get spark then, just at the wrong time.

[slowbubblecar]

How can we test the fuel pressure? Thanks guys.

An aftermarket guage will check it. Another simple alternative is to pull teh fuel feed line off on the pass side of teh fuel rail and have somone try and crank it over. Fuel should come out fairly quickly so have something ready to fix it. It is only 2 bolts.

[Thor06]

The CAS crossed my mind, but I figured it was atleast working since the fuel pump came on. When it first died we were going to rip it apart and rebuild the engine, but money limited us before we could even get the engine out. We got everything plugged back in, I've checked it over many times. We didnt take off the CAS, but it may have rattled loose. I'll check that. Is an aftermarket guage the only way to check fuel pressure? We'll take the feed line off the end of the fuel rail and see what happens. Thanks agian guys, I appreciate it.