I see these a lot, but I have yet to find a solution to a problem that I am currently having. I have a Honda Accord 97' with a V6 automatic engine. A week ago, I had a chip in my oil pan that leaked out the oil from the oil pan, I drove it about ten miles before the start just suddenly shut off. We towed it back home, we took off the oil pan and fixed the hole and no leaks! But.. the engine will not start. It cranks, and every now and then it catches like it "wants" to start, but it never does. My dad says that the distributor sounds like it isn't turning. Any opinions on what the problem might be? It is currently full of oil, and the oil light is still on. After two seconds of cranking however, the light will go off.

 

well if it doesn't start you know its either ignition or fuel. i had this too, hows the battery? hows the spark plugs and wires? any loose grounds?

 

The battery is in very good condition. The spark plugs are fairly new and the cables are in good condition. I was hoping it was something to do with a sensor blocking the engine from starting since the oil light comes on, but I have no idea on how to check that. We tried to reset the computer, but it didn't affect it any.

 

hmm well if it cranks and doesnt start thats usually a problem with the spark then check a bad a/f ratio or a cut ground.

 

Let me see if I got his right, the car ran out of oil to the point of shutting off and now it won't start?

I'd add a compression check to the list as well. And be thankfull it is still turning over.

 

A compression check?

 

If your distributor isn't turning, its because your camshaft isn't spinning. Yank the dizzy cap and see if the rotor turns. If it doesn't, inspect your belts, see if they have stripped teeth or broken. Because it is entirely possible you spun one or more cam journals. If your cam seized then the belts will be stripped.

Oh, and the oil light shows up when you have no oil pressure. The oil pump doesn't pressurize the system if the engine won't start. Crank it, and pressure shows up. Stop and it goes away.

 

Thank you very much I will try it when i get home this evening.