hey guys i just got a breathalyzer removed from my car today and after maybe 30 minutes or so of driving afterwards, my engine completely died on me and won't start back up. i didn't hear a 'snap' or anything.. just driving about 45 mph then suddenly i think i heard a 'click' from the gauge cluster then my rpms dropped straight to zero.

the car has 260,000 miles and i've put about 80,000 on the car since i bought it 5 years ago and have not even looked at the timing belt once so i would even guess that it just so happens the timing belt broke the same day i got my breathalyzer removed.

anyways, i know its bad to try and start the car if the timing belt is broken, but when i do try, its seems like the starter is having no problems turning - but the engine just won't start.

i've tried push-starting it twice with a friend but still no luck.

would anyone have any ideas on where i should start? i called the guys that removed the device but they said the device interrupts the ignition, and that if the problem was due to something they did, the starter wouldn't even activate.

i suppose i can pull the cover off, but i don't have a torque wrench and would like to put everything back on right..

 

remove your oil fill cap and have a friend crank the engine. you'll be able to see the cam spin and rule out a broken timing belt. that won't prove that it hasn't jumped a tooth or two. if you can see the cam spin, line everything up to TDC and see if it all lines up.

 

uhh you dont need a torque wrench for the valve cover..just unscrew the 8 10mm bolts that hold the valve cover down and pull the cover off...you should see your timing belt to the right. hopefully its not it...and just hand tightend the bolts back on...

 

Just take the valve cover off and see if the belts broken. If it is then don't crank it cause u will bend the valves if its not belt yet. You can also take the cap out and crank it and see if the rotor moves. Its likely if you snap a timing belt then some of your valves are bent; same thing happened to me 3 months ago.

 

ok i removed the oil cap and tried cranking it and the cam moves, but its kinda slow, i am not sure if its rotating at normal speed.

i took a video to show everyone but its currently uploading.

 

take the Valve cover off...easiest way to do it

 

ok here is the video

 

a friend is saying i should check for spark.

 

if thats the case then check by pulling out one of your spark plugs along with its wire and touch it to your shock tower while someone cranks your ignition...if you have spark then it will spark

 

thanks for checking in again man. luckily i have a digital multimeter handy so this morning i did some tests on the ignition coil and things didn't look right so i replaced the coil and she is back up and running. thanks again for all the help!

what a coincidence that my coil went out the day i got my breathalyzer removed. i've heard so many horror stories from people who've had nothing but trouble with their cars after they had a breathalyzer removed.

 

Sounds to me like a bad Distributor check for spark.... Same thing happened to me on my motor. When the dizzy goes bad while your driving it all the power cuts off on the motor and the engine begins to die. Check for spark....

get a skinny flat head screwdriver pull out spark plug wire 1 and insert the screwdriver were the plug would connect to the spark plug.... then hold it to one of the 10mm nuts on the valve cover and have a friend crank the motor over if you see spark its not your dizzy if you don't its your dizzy or coil its cheaper and easier to just replace the dizzy and usually come with 2 years warranty which in the long run is worth every penny and will help you avoid all the headaches... Good luck let me know if this works for you.

 

dammit!

my car is giving me problems AGAIN.

here's the deal. i replaced the coil this morning and she fired up *no problem*. as a matter of fact after replacing the coil i am pretty positive that i felt the car was accelerating much better than before. i drove the car 2 miles and *click* my RPMs drop straight to zero again just like yesterday.

i figured i probably bought a bad "ACCEL Hi-Performance" coil and took it back to pep boys to get it exchanged. then went back to my car to swap out the coils, but still NO LUCK. what the hell man. i guess this is one of those examples of fixing something that causes something else to break right afterwards.

anyway, i am gonna check for spark tonight. i might be able to borrow money for a new dizzy, but i want to be sure its the dizzy before i replace it...

ARGh

 

If you are hearing a click that is a relay kicking out.

First thing I would do is see if you can swap you dizzy with someone to eliminate the distributor all togather. If you still have the same problem with the swapped dizzy, check your main relay for high resistance across the pins. It could be the built up resistance is causing to much heat so your main relay is kicking out. I know its not by the gauge clutster but noises bounce around in cars.

 

it seems like your car is not getting enough fuel...i'd say check your main relay and check for blown fuses

 

ok it was the distributor. luckily i was able to take the new coil back to pep boys and put the credit towards a reman'd distributor. i was able to drive to work this time, so hopefully this is the end of my problems for awhile. thanks for the suggestions and help!