i got a 99 montero that had blown headgaskets and wouldnt run..cam sensor was fried. i replaced the heads, gaskets, cam sensor, crank sensor, put back together and it wont start..it was still reading bad crank sensor on my code scanner. took out the ecu, looks pretty haggard so i ordered a used one on ebay, same model, same year, etc. put it in, no code on the scanner now, but the tachometer doesnt register any rpms when cranking and the montero wont start. the service manual says check voltage, etc to the crank sensor so i did and its all good. it says the final step, if the rpms on the tach arent matching the scanner (i dont have a scanner that will do this), is to replace the ecu. i replaced it with one that was supposedly good, but it doesnt register rpms on the tach.

my question is this: will the rpms register on the tach if the car is only cranking over? the factory service manual i have is for a 98, not a 99 montero, but i assume they are the same.

also, i pulled the timing belt covers in front of the cams today and it looks like its in time. i seem to be getting spark from the coil packs. i sprayed starting fluid in the throttle body/intake, no difference. i have NOT done a compression test on any cylinders. i did replace all sparkplugs with iridium NGK. car has oil. is low on coolant. has alarm system...i was thinking maybe the alarm system was interfering because i had a BMW that was cranking but no start and it was because the security system was not allowing it to start.

 

if it has an immobiliser in the way, then yeah, it aint going to start.

 

i dont know if it does. ive locked and unlocked it both by key and with the remote, so i assume the immoblizer isnt active...just thought i would give as much info as possible. also, i dont even know if it has an immobilizer

 

the three things that make an engine go:
spark
fuel/air
coompression.
you got all those?

did the valve train go back on properly or have you got it a tooth off?

 

got spark, got fuel, not sure about compression. however there is no way to tell if the spark is happening at the right time. when i did the heads and timing belt the reluctor plate behind the crank pulley was not attached, i assumed it didnt need to be oriented in a particular way since it had two holes in that worked as a guide onto the pulley. think about it now if the plate was reversed i wonder if it would impact the timing of the spark. i dont mean that i have the plate upside down, but that it could be flipped with the backside facing the front of the motor...no real way to know unless i get out there and take it apart again. i was just really trying to avoid that haha

 

there will usually/ pretty much always me marks.
If there arent, you should make them before removing things.
Was head torqued down in correct sequence?

 

i got a new reluctor wheel. it has a mark. however, i seem to have low compression and i think that its due to bad rings from the previous owner overheating when the headgasket blew. i think i am going to replace the rings and plastigauge the bearings to see if they need to be replaced as well. will i be able to access the rod bearings from underneath the motor? that is, can i remove the oil pan and access them so that i can push the cylinders up and out of the motor if the heads are removed?