Engine not starting....

[Crazie]

So, although I refuse to give up on the dales, I don't really seem to be able to spend time with them.

This engine is a 432 that, last winter ('08 Winter), was running. My little brother was the last person to ride it, and I have no idea if the engine died on him or not. The frame broke at the subframe mounts so I removed the engine in prep to get it into another frame. I never got around to getting it into the other frame, until this Thanksgiving. Since then, I haven't been able to start it. Notice that I also haven't spent too much time troubleshooting it.

Are there any quick things to check (without dropping the engine) that I may have overlooked?

I have checked the following:

Spark
Air
Fuel
Flywheel
Battery

Those are good, and like I said in the description, it will occasionally backfire through the intake. The only thing I can think of now is the valves. I know valves can make starting a pain. Would attempting to bump start it be a good idea? Would that let me know more definitively if it is the valves?

As always, thanks for the help!

[Gibson265R]

Just make sure that both injectors are spraying fuel, and then check compression. Check all electrical connections and make sure that fuel is returning to the tank with solid pressure

[claas900]

Make sure you have a good batt.

[UpsMan]

Recheck electrical connections, especially the injectors. Make sure they are in securely.

[rayspeed]

A throttle cal might be in order if nothing else works. Ditto on making sure there is good fuel pressure. Had one recently where the pump ran but return was just a trickle. We replaced lines, qd's and regulator before we found it was a weak pump.
Make sure you did not swap an injector plug in for the coolant sensor they interchange.
Will be at gordons next weekend if you get her going!
Ray

[MyCannibal]

Did u happen to mess with the throttle body boot any?..check and make sure it is firmly connected on both ends...the throttle body end and the intake end...a backfire through the intake could have loosened one end...or it could've just worked its way loose somehow...just a thought...its happened to me before.

[Crazie]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm going to look into it today and try to get back on here with some results.

Ray, If she's breathing I'll be there!

[kdeal]

Sounds like an injector that is not firing.

[Crazie]

Update on checks:

Checked the injectors by applying 12VDC directly to them. From what I understand about injectors, if they click, they are functioning properly. Of course, this doesn't mean that they aren't clogged.

I also checked the plugs to the injectors by monitoring voltage with the key switch on. On each injector, I got 12VDC and 5.43VDC (12VDC on one lead of the injector and 5.43VDC on the opposite lead of the injector). Anyone know if these voltages sound right?

As for fuel pressure, I think its good, because the return line has a very strong flow.

The only caveat to this is that I'm using a different wiring harness that was was on that engine. Should I swap that out as well?

I think I'll try a throttle cal first, but that may be a while as my only laptop right now is a Mac. I've e-mailed optimum to find out if (1) it's compatible with a Mac or (2) if I can use Parallels desktop to run it from XP on my Mac.

[jinx44]

I know you said that you checked the battery, but I went through this same thing on my first cannondale which I bought as a basket case. When I put it together, I put a brand new battery on it. I tried to get it to run for several weeks, and it would always just backfire. With help from this board, I ended up adding a set of jumper cables to it and it fired right up.