At 09:25 AM 2/11/02, Jpa wrote:
> I have a problem that maybe someone else has experienced. The other day I was driving to work and was looking in my rearview mirror and saw a stream of smoke. Immediately pulled off the road. As soon as I stopped, the engine stopped. My temp gauge was pegged and the red light was on. There was a "boiling" noise I heard coming from the engine. I looked under the car and there was a slight discharge of anti-freeze, but it wasn't pouring out. I waited for the car to cool down and see if it would restart but it just turns over without ignition. I towed it back home and tried to search for the source of the water leak but short of pulling ALL the hoses, I can't locate it. I thought it may be easier to locate the source of the leak if I could get the car started. My question is, what could be causing the car not to start after an overheating and water loss event?

Let's start with the worst possibility

Remove the inlet air tubes. Use a flashlight to watch the timing belt and cam pulleys while someone hits the starter. The belt should move smoothly and steadily. If not, the water pump seized and stripped the timing belt.
If the belt moves smoothly, you should still check the timing. Using a socket on the crank pulley, turn the crank until the timing mark is on "0", or TDC. Use a flashlight and look at the timing belt and cam sprockets thru the vent tubes on top of the belt covers. You should be able to see small notches on the back side of the sprockets, aligned with the notches on the backing plates. If not, turn the crank one time (ALWAYS in the normal rotation direction) and recheck.

If the timing belt is OK, the no-start is either a result of the over-heat, or it isn't.

I know of no "safety system" to kill the engine in case of over-heat. The only things that I can think of that would be related to the over-heat would be cooking an electronic component or fuel component, and I think that is unlikely.

We are left with the usual causes for a no-start. In the immortal words of  Jim Bailey, "Relays, relays, relays!" There are at least three relays that will keep the engine from running on an '87.
XVI EZK Relay
XX Fuel Pump Relay
XXV LH-Jetronic Relay

XXII, the Back-Up Lamp Relay, may be substituted for any of these relays.

There are certainly many other possibilities, but these should be the first checks.

Once you get it running, then you can start on the overheating problem.

Wally Plumley
928 Specialists