i recently picked up a 2003 4cyl auto with an "unknown engine problem". the car died on its previous owner about a year ago and he just let it sit in front of his house. well his landlord wasn't too happy and i got it cheap. the problem is i can't figure out whats wrong with it. a shop that the previous owner took the car to told him that the piston rings in one of the cylinders were bad, but i did a compression test and got 180 on all cylinders so that's not it. it has spark and the fuel pump primes. i was able to get it to start, although it ran really rough and now when i turn the key, it just makes a clunking sound and all the electrics cut out. i haven't replaced the battery but i had it on a tender long enough to charge completely. just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the running poorly or the new symptom of not even turning over. thanks

 

the green immobli light blinking when you are cranking the motor??(its a green key light)

 

nope, the immobilizer light only blinks a few times then turns off. finally got someone to try starting it while i had my head under the hood and was able to confirm (as i guessed) that the clunk comes from the starter

 

well thats good. try tapping the starter if you can reach it just to confirm its the starter. usually the starter will free up and turn over the motor. then all you gotta do is replace the starter.

 

Well for the roughness part, the car was sitting for a year according to your post. Anything from having stale gas to needing plugs and other tune up parts. It could have simply gotten moisture inside the wiring or engine and simply needs to burn it off (in the engine) or dry off (wiring)

A year is a long time for a vehicle to sit in a space without running.

As for now not starting, it could also be a lot of things.

here are some examples of things to look at

1. Anti theft immobilizer
2. the Neutral safety switch( this device keeps the car from cranking/starting if the car is not in park or neutral)
3 Starter died
4. Engine locked up


Good luck

L

 

Was there any oil in the engine?

Was the Check Engine light on when it started?

 

I'll put my money on low oil pressure causing the chain tensioner to collapse and allow the cam to jump a tooth or two on the chain. Easy fix, but the car might have a oil consumption issue.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

Lucky that it didn't bend any valves. I had an RSX in the shop last week that was run 2 quarts low on oil; the chain jumped so many teeth that it bent valves in 3 cylinders.

 

I've lost track of how many we've done. Funny thing is it's never the customer's fault.

 

thanks for the advice, i'm out of town right now bit will pull the valve cover as soon as i get back in a couple of days to see if that is the problem. i appreciate the input.