Start Ya Bastard vs Supercharger

[RalphNZ]

So...products like Start Ya Bastard (ether based starting fluids) have a very low flashpoint, and I was just idly considering using some, and wondering where the easiest place to add it would be in an AW11 bay, when suddenly it dawned on me -

if the supercharger markedly increases the pressure and as a result also heats the air, would that be enough to detonate the vapour before it even gets into a cylinder? Or are we happily using such trickery on supercharged engines with little fear of 'splosions?

I guess maybe the product is only used on cold engines (because they didn't want to start) but even so...

[Benckj]

I wouldn't think the compression ratio of the SC would be enough to detonate the fuel especially at the lows RPM during starting.
Spray away or deal with why you have problems starting.

[85AW20v]

...... deal with why you have problems starting.

Do this first!!

[GDII]

Is he actually having starting problems or is he wanting to use it as a form of chemical supercharger?

[RalphNZ]

I'm trying to start the car.

It turns over nicely, I have no doubt I have compression.
It has spark at the plugs, pretty sure I have spark happening.
It has generous fuel flow at the engine bay return line, I can hear the pump running (bridged from the diagnostic port), it sounds happy enough.

Now I have hosed a bit of start-ye-bastard into the manifold, and on winding over it does kick a bit. Without S-Y-B, it would wind over without a single pot firing at all.

So this makes me think that "there's fuel to be had, but something isn't ordering the injectors to inject", but I don't understand the fuel injection system or the engine management computer well enough to know what that might be.

[85AW20v]

Check your fuses in the engine bay too. I had a fuse blow many years ago after I changed the ECU from an auto one to a manual one. Changed the fuse from 10A to 15A and fuse never blew again and didn't burn out any wiring. Can't remember which one it was though

[RalphNZ]

Well.

I checked the engine bay fuses and they all seemed okay, so then I thought "I'll just start again from scratch" and discovered I now *didn't* seem to have spark. I definitely did before, i felt it!

The main ignition lead had cooked itself right through, I think chafing against the inner side of the engine bay ventilation fan bracket. Most of the spark was going anywhere but the distributor, only enough to fool me. (not much )

Luckily my landlord had left a generous selection of defunct Holden parts all over the shed, including a random spark lead, so with some effort I was able to jury rig a new main lead from the coil.

And she starts! That would be the second time in 30 years that I have managed to kill a main ignition lead...

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