Fiat Coupe 16vt starting issue

Hi all, it's been a while :)

I am having problems starting the Fiat 16vt (in an Alfa 145). I haven't started the car for just over a month, and I went to start it on Saturday - the battery was flat so I charged it the night before and it came up to 14v OK.
When the car has been stood for a while I usually pull the connectors from the coils and crank it to get the oil round before reconnecting and firing. I did exactly this on Saturday, but it woouldn't start when I reconnected them. Sometimes it does a little cough and splutter after 2-3 seconds of cranking, but it won't catch properly. Normally it fires and runs after about half a second.

- I have a spark on all 4 plugs
- The fuel rail is pressurised (I can hear the pump prime and can feel the fuel flowing in both pipes).

I guess this is likely to be a sensor issue, but I have reseated all of the connectors I can find and checked for corrosion etc, but I can't get a code reader on it until next weekend. Can anyone think of anything else to try in the mean time?

Thanks

Do you know if fuel is entering the bores?
Strong sparks?

I found I would get some sparks when the crank sensor died. Perhaps measure the resistance on the sensor plug.

Has it got an immobiliser?

Hi Jack,

It hasn't got an immobiliser. I took out each plug and they were all the same - slightly black from previous use, slightly damp because of the fuel - so yes it looks like fuel is being injected.

I suspect crank or cam sensor as I'm sure I have read these will stop it starting, but I also assumed it wouldn't spark either. Is there a guide to testing for each one?

Update - she runs :hyper:
It was a faulty spark plug in cylinder 3 (open citcuit) :huh: Of the numerous tests they had on Sunday, last night and again this evening to confirm a spark on all 4 leads, I used a plug I had on the shelf in the garage - of course this worked. I even removed the plug from number 1 cylinder to test on all 4 leads, great. One thing I didn't do was remove and test each plug independently. School boy error! :blush:

I guess I got thrown as it hardly even attempted to fire I didn't suspect just one plug to be down. I even tried my spare ECU but with the same result. Now to re-fit everything I've removed unnecessarily..

Ah well, alls well in the end!

Just goes to show that the smallest thing can really throw you. I guess the dead plug was causing more problems than just not firing.