Is my timing out enough to cause no start? (1.4 Vti EP3 8FS)

[Pulseammo]

So long story short, went to change my strut mount and now my engine doesn't start. Yeah... it's going to be one of those threads .

It's had an issue starting once two years ago and I was told the spark plugs were wet, so remembering that I took them out, inspected them, back in, no joy.

Got the mobile mechanic out and he checked the plugs again said they were in good condition, tried to start but he almost immediately said it sounds like the timing is wrong.

The timing has been called into question before, so I pulled the cam cover to see myself. Chain and guides look fine to me.

The cams are mis-aligned but only slightly as far as I would say? Is this enough to cause no start?



Also one of the chain tensioner, couldn't get a better photo:



Anyone knowledgeable about this kind of thing here?

Car is a C3 Picasso 2009 1.4 VTI EP3 8FS - Basically similar to a Peugeot 207 or a Mini Cooper S with (I think) an N14 engine (which is notorious for having it's timing chain destroy the guides).

 

[Pulseammo]

@bobuk Yeah I'm thinking it's not even 1 tooth of mis-alignment, so if anything it'd need to have been the vanos gear slipping, but I'm not sure about these things.

I know a sensor or wire is most likely, others have said that, so I will hunt around today, but there's really not much in the area I was working at all.

The engine currently cranks and sort of sounds like it want's to go, but it just wont. I can smell fuel and I can hear occasional combustion so there must be spark.

The reason I questioned the timing was that I repositioned the car (engine on for about 30seconds from cold) and then shut off - this was very similar to two years ago when it was taken for MOT, I started the engine the night before for 10 seconds just to make sure everything was ready to go (I had done fluids, bulbs, wiper blades, etc) - next morning the car started for about 2 seconds and died

It did the exact same thing after my strut mount replacement - started 2 seconds and died, hence I am thinking this engine has some problem caused by manoeuvring the car like I did rather than the work on the mount.

 

[Pulseammo]

Have you "flooded" the engine? Presumably that's what the mobile mech looked for.

How to fix a flooded engine | The AA

Flooding your car engine with petrol is a common cause of breakdowns, especially on colder days. Find out what causes a flooded engine and how to fix it.

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Does the car have an ignition module?

This is exactly what I thought I had done when I repositioned the car before changing the strut, because I had been told it had happened in the past by a mechanic who took the plugs out and dried them.

So I had taken the plugs out myself, cleaned them down, dried them and put them back in - no joy.

Called the mobile mechanic, he took two days to arrive so I took the plugs back out for those two days and let the cylinders dry too - but no joy.

Edit: Don't think so on the ignition control module.

 

[Pulseammo]

Have you accidentally damaged a cam sensor?
Easy enough to check them.

The cam sensors are on the side of the rocker cover which I took off, I had to take the cam sensors off only now since the no-start, they were in properly and undamaged as far as I can remember.

It was the drivers side strut and the cam sensors are over the passenger side.

I've also checked the crank sensor, but on this car it's not near the crank pulley, it's over the gearbox side behind a little plastic cover and again - everything seated correctly.

I've looked all over the place around where I was working and I'm almost certain no sensors are dislodged or wires damaged.

I have found one sensor which is unplugged, it's near the oil level sensor but it's been unplugged on purpose and cable tied back, must have been like that since I've owned the car. I have no idea what it does, so I'll try to find out, but I'm pretty certain it wont be the source of my problems.

Photos of that:




Edit: It's a wire for a heater which is connected to the crank case breather pipe I believe. So not something that would stop the car from starting.

 

[Pulseammo]

bit embarrased but remember doing a servive on a sierra we had , changed the oil and filter, would it start afterwards nope.
always remeber bit of advice when i was an apprentice, go back over what you did before hand. yep sure enough had pulled the wire off the crank sensor plug when changing the filter duhhh .

That was my task today, spent around 2 or 3 hours, wheel back off, checking everywhere around the wheel arch, up near the scuttle where the mount goes. Under where the jack and stands went, all around the control arm, along the drive shaft (had to move it aside during the job)... couldn't find anything out of place. Checked all around the engine need the crank pulley. Checked the crank sensor and it was plugged in (at least on the sensor end).

I scanned for codes as well but the scanner came up with bupkis.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far. I've ordered a compression test kit and start spray to rule out those things. Asked on a specialist forum for minis (since they have a similar engine) and was told that the timing being out that amount wouldn't prevent the car starting. They also reckoned my chain guides are too new to have been 2009 factory issue.

 

[Pulseammo]

ok missed the post about smelling fuel and trying to start? does it still do this? if not still could be fuel.
one other quick thought as its a 2009 check if there are any earths bolted to the body ie on the front of the chassis legs maybe corroded or loose.

Yeah there's fuel smell when I crank it and it does splutter so I'm pretty certain there is spark. Whether the injectors are putting out a good spray pattern is another question. The tank is full though, I filled it up the day before - but it could be a fuel restriction, maybe filter like @sigma suggests.

Regarding the inertia switch - I don't think it has one - I think the way the C3 Picasso handles that is via the impact sensors, if the ECU deploys the airbags I think it cuts the fuel until you replace the airbags or do something with the ECU to get it to unlock.

Right now I need to wait for my rocker cover gaskets before I can do anything else. I'll be interested to see the comp test results, particularly if I do a wet test. I have a suspicion that perhaps the cylinders have gotten washed out and now the engine has low compression, it doesn't have that pounding sound any more that it should have when the compression is good on cranking.

My feeling is when I repositioned the car it ran rich, I turned it off, spark plugs were wet and maybe fuel in the cylinders, left that to sit for days while I worked, then came to turn the car on which added more fuel and more washing. Starting to wonder if just adding some oil to the cylinders will get it enough compression to seal again. Also going to charge the battery right up to try and get higher crank speed.

This is all rabbit hole thinking though, as you guys are saying, it's prolly something simple. One way or another if I put start spray in it that'll help me rule in or out fuel, compression test will help me rule out timing and other damage.