Hey guys, i just finished replacing the head gasket on a 2002 lancer es. When i went to fire it up it would just crank and crank but wouldnt start. It seems to me that one of the cylinders is firing, sometimes another, but the car just wont start. While i was working on it the battery was completely out so everything pretty much got reset. Also, we had the car running once for a few seconds but then shut it off because it was in the garage. Anyone got any ideas?

 

Well i ruled out the ignition. I pulled all the plugs and tried cranking the car and they're all firing, but 1 and 4 fire at the same time, and 2 and 3 do also. Is that just because one is the coil and the other is hooked to the coil?

 

No they should not be firing at the same time being a 4 cyl. You sure they are not just firing fast enough that it seems like they are? Time for a compression test...

 

Well i did the compression test today. Piston rings on all 4 cylinders are fried

 

Incorrect. They fire at the same time. One sparks from electrode to ground, and the other from ground to electrode. Basically a series circuit. This is called waste spark ignition