EvanGeliSt

Am a novice mechanic here - need plenty of help here

Not sure why it came to this but I left the light in the car switched on - naturally car didn't start when i tried it after a day.

1) Checked battery - cleaned post and jumped started with another car. Car cranks and doesn't start. Crank gets louder each time when i try to restart it. Brought battery to Murray's and fully charged.

2) Check oil level - maximum. Pretty black(due for oil change i know) - but i don't think this is the problem

I'm guessing it might be the spark plugs or the starter. Will try unscrewing it and bringing it to Murrays. Will also try testing the spark plugs (according to some forums - checking for a spark in the dark)...

Anything else comes to mind? Also read about alternators and distributor - but not sure how I would go about checking them.

P.S Now crank doesn't come in short bursts(normally it does when u try to start it) - just one loud & consistent cranking sound ...

Any help will be greatly appreciated :D

dantastic

i would guess ignitor or main relay... search for the 2 and you'll find tons of topics

Chiovnidca

Does it have spark? Is it flooded?

Slopoke

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P.S Now crank doesn't come in short bursts(normally it does when u try to start it) - just one loud & consistent cranking sound ...

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What do you mean?

Is the engine actually turning over or are you just hearing the starter turning on?

rainforest

does it crank slow or fast. check battery fuse. i doubt its something major unless you did something stupid while trying to fix this and arent telling us.

EvanGeliSt

An update:

Checked Battery: OK.
Since Battery is ok - I'm assuming alternator might be a problem - but shouldn't be the cause of not being able to start the car

Here's the whole story:
Drove into garage - left one car door open. Internal light switched on for a day. Tried starting but cranks (engine turns but feels like insufficient power to start it). Naturally thought it was a battery problem - charged and tried cranking a few more times. It became louder (each cranking) and faster. Checked spark plugs - Looked OK.

P.S Checked engine coolant level - too low(below minimum) - topped it up. But I dun think this is the reason either - since it worked at the low level coolant earlier (not even trying to move it - just to start it)

I'm very tempted to bring it into a repair shop and see what is wrong with it..... sighz.. but i'm not willing to spend a bomb - after all - mine's a decade old car.


Any suggestions anyone?

hatchi

check fuse under dash and under hood. one of them might be burned out

Wild_one

I would check for spark from the distributor. take the number 1 spark plug wire out from the engine and try to see if you can get spark by putting a sparkplug on the wire and try putting it near a ground point to see if you get any spark. You would need someone else to crank the car while you look to see if there is any spark. If there isn't any spark then it could be the igntion coil or the ignitor module inside the distributor.
If you get spark you might want to check to see if you are getting any gas.

EvanGeliSt

Dun think it's the fuses - checked under hood and everything looks good.

As for testing the spark plugs - I guess I can try to remove it and test it - at least this is the cheapest thing to replace if anything is wrong

Anyone know by any chance a mechanic will drop by to see the car instead of having me to bring the car to him? &lt;--- can't tow the car n towing's expensive... i bet once i get it towed there - they'll charge up the price knowing my car's immobile

nwdave

If the car doesn't start, it could be any number of things, and so what you need to do is just go down the list until you find out what it is.

It could be an ignition problem or a fuel problem. If I'm not mistaken (and I could be), if your car cranks strongly it's not your starter.

First thing I would do is to check all your fuses, all of them, the ones under the hood and under the dash...but it sounds like you did this so moving on...

The next thing is to check the ignition.

Like Wild_one said, pull out a spark plug wire and plug, insert plug into wire, ground it and have someone crank the car. You should see a spark. If you don't, now you know what your problem is: no spark.

Your battery seems fine from what you say, and since jumpstarting it didn't start the car, it could be your distributor.

I'd go ahead and pull out all the wires and plugs and see if any spark. Could just be a bad wire. Also make sure that your wires are connected to the distributor in the right way, w.r.t. cylinder firing order.

Next, if you're not getting any spark on any plugs, I'd swap out the distributor with a friend's working one. Takes a minute to change out the distributor, and if your car starts then you've narrowed the problem to the distributor.

In the distributor, it could be a problem with the cap, the rotor, the ICM (ignitor) or the ignition coil. Do a search for "distributor" and you'll find ways of troubleshooting which part it is...although if you have a working distributor there it might be easiest just to swap parts until you find where the problem is.

It's probably your ignition system that's giving you the problem (and note that leaving the door open could simply be a coincidence), but you might also want to check your fuel system. The easiest way (IMHO) to check if it's a fuel problem is to do these things:

Without unhooking the battery, loosen the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter. Fuel should come bubbling or squirting out, so have a shop towel handy. You only need to loosen the bolt like half a turn. If fuel does come out, your pump and relay is probably fine, but you might want to do the next troubleshooting step just because it's quick and easy.

To see if your main relay is bad, turn the key to the "on" position, but don't try to start it. You should here the fuel pump prime for two seconds and then shut off. It's fairly audible and comes from beneath the rear seat. It clicks on and makes a low whirring sound. If you don't here that, and your fuses are good, your main relay might be bad. Swap it with someone's that works and see if that's your problem.

After this, your next step is to check the fuel pressure at the fuel pressure regulator. I've never done this so I can't tell you off the top of my head how to do it, but the Helms has a nice step-by-step.


Let me know if you need the specs on troubleshooting the distributor or the fuel pressure, and I can go grab my Helms and let you know

UltRaH22

it has to be the battery.... its wierd how it was fine and just cause u left the light on somethin else fried..........

check your ground wires. . the one from the rad support to the motor and the one from the tranny to the side of the engine bay

EvanGeliSt

Thanks for the fantastic long description u gave nw.dave,

Going to start working on that tomorrow. Havne't had the time to work on it yet. I bought new spark plugs already (old ones were pretty black).

Double checked all fuses (under driver's seat & under hood)

Going to try sparking 2morrow

One question tho - do u mean loosening the banjo bolt or the service bolt right above the banjo bolt? Just tested and loosened the service bolt - ain't so tough.. but the banjo bolt - whew.. stuck in place (battery not connected)

will update when I get to work on it again.

Thanks for all ur input guys (and gals if there were )

H2B just chillin

MAKE SURE THE SERVICE LIGHTS IN THE CLUSTER WORKS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT,
BATTERY LIGHT,OIL LIGHT ECT..
I HAD TIS PROBLEM BEFORE ,I WENT AND BOUGHT A NEW DISTRIBUTOR,SPARK PLUG AND WIRES, ON GOES THE LIST OF THINGS AROUND A GRAND IN PARTS AND IT WAS A DAMN FUSE

EvanGeliSt

Ouch - sorry to hear your pain - 20LvtecTURBOeg. I checked all the fuses and they seem to be ok tho - so I don't think that's my problem.. *hopefully. The check engine light goes on and goes off after 2 seconds.

*altho i spotted an extra fuse plugged into the port for power door ... the funny thing is my car never had power door installed!... and the wrong voltage at tat.. supposed to be 20 and it was a 75 fuse.. sheesh.. *car was owned by sister b4 this -&gt;so I'm not sure wat was going on.

EvanGeliSt

An update on the situation:

Spark plugs brand new - tried all plugs and all wires as well as distributor. Works well and sparks

Loosened the service bolt. Started the car (not cranking yet) fuel leaked out.
Cranked the car - and still the same amount of fuel leak (it's supposed to gush out isnt it?) Didn't try it with a pressure gauge - but since there is no difference in the amount of fuel leaking out - I think it's definitely low pressured.

Accoridng to manual,
I'm supposed ot check for: Clogged fuel filter, faulty pressure regulator, leakage in the fuel line (dun see anything dripping)...

Anymore suggestions?

fazt90hatch

main relay. i had the same problem with my 93 HB. should be under edge of dash above the hood latch tap on it lightly while you crank the car. if it cranks then find a replacement

EvanGeliSt

Checked the fuel filter as suggested.

When car is not cranked - some fuel leaks out after the service bolt is released.

I crank the car - additional fuel is released - but not spurting out.

Next thing i knew - i saw the low oil pressure indicator. I'm not sure if this was on in the first place but I';m definitely lost now.

Anyone know what the problem could be?

Edit:
The oil level is higher than the topmark on the dipstick. All I know for sure is that I didn't top it up. The last time I did an oil change was probably a whole year ago (I know - I'm a lemon. Car was used by sibling earlier then) The oil seems to be pretty black

Also - I'm in Ann Arbor, MI. Anyone got a good and cheap mechanic to suggest? THe towing services is already $45... not sure if I can afford that much to repair my car.
Hope to find a decent one who don't try to take advantage after my car is towed there...
Thanks.


Modified by EvanGeliSt at 9:42 PM 7/23/2004