OK, I'm stumped.  Fuel line & control pressure are good (76/34 psi).  Lambda Sond system checks out (frequency valve buzzing, ohms ok, all voltages on controller plug ok), new O2 sensor.  Spark ok on each spark plug.  Cold start injector sprays.  Throttle body, flame trap cleaned.  Air filter, fuel filter changed.  Air flow disk centered and at level spec.  All grounds & connector contacts (everywhere) cleaned.  Fuel pump hot & ground wiring replaced with 10 ga.

TDC was checked with dowel and as seen in pics, cam pulley notch lines up with cam cover notch, aux gear (oil pump/distributer gear) is lined up with belt mark (no pic) and crank pulley notch lines up with block mark.  Remanufactured distro's rotor is just before #1 plug wire.

However, when cranking, only a slight "huff huff huff" is heard.  Although admittedly not at idle speed when cranking, the timing light shows #1 firing about an inch before the top lower belt, or approx. 135 degrees retarded.

"Dammit Jim, I'm not a mechanic, I'm an audio engineer!"  I've gone as far as logic, Chilton, the green books and Bentley can take me.  I'm hoping the deep experience on this forum can help with suggestions.


Back story:  Car ran great for six years through upper midwest extremes.  Choked to a stop one morning.  Towed to a "performance shop" that had worked on the car before.  They said gunk in the tank had clogged the in-tank pump sock and the pump had burned out and taken the pump relay with it.  Replaced pump with new pump & sock from IPD + relay.  Shop then said it needed a new aux air valve.  Replaced that and it would start, but it would die under load.  They told me it was a bad engine design and they were done it.  I managed to get it home by revving it in low and doing two blocks at a time.  The main pump was complaining loudly, so I replaced that, but no joy and low (18/38 psi) control & line pressures.

Thinking the problem must be downstream, I replaced the fuel filter, blew out the lines, had the WUR and fuel dist re-built, etc. etc.  In the end, it turned out the in-tank pump from IPD had impressive flow, but not sufficient psi for the main pump.  Installed new in-tank pump = all fuel pressure specs good.  Oddly, now it wouldn't start at all.  I wanted to make sure the timing was correct, so I replaced the timing belt and tensioner, distro, cap/rotor and coil.  Nope.  Also swapped an ICU from a salvage pull.  No change.

Any suggestions or ideas would be most appreciated!

Note: the 1979 244 DL doesn't have a MAF, crank sensor, throttle switch or IAC.  The engine is a B21F with K-Jetronic.

Sorry - no pics. Seems to be a logistical ptoblem uploading to the site.