Starting issues - No / Doesn't / Won't Start - MERGED

[prodsm]

All "my car won't start" discussion threads are merged HERE. We've basically made it easier for those who insist upon not searching by grouping together all threads from those with similar issues so you can just scroll through and see some possible solutions. To search for info within this thread, use the "Search This Thread" feature in the black bar about 3" above what you're reading right now.

Could be anything from a loose battery terminal to internal engine damage, and literally everything in between which may involve the electrical, fuel, and ignition system...possibly even something that you screwed up while working on the car yourself. While it's unlikely we're going to diagnose and solve your problem over the internet, feel free to discuss any possible solutions.



I live in Canada and right now its not very warm out, about -30c
my car does not have a block heater too keep it warm.

I tryed to start my car this morning and it wouldent start, ive had this problem before but this time, the car doesnt crank at all it just makes a sound that sounds like an electric drill.

Whats wrong.

Thanks

 

[Kalub]

Gasoline coming out of the BOV sounds pretty extreme... Have you by chance checked for boost leaks? Our cars will not run with a leak, and it will continue to flood itself out.

 

[007jimmy]

dont junk it.. ill match whatever the junkyard will give you before i let another talon go to the crusher. it sounds like you overheated it pretty bad and the motor is probably gonna need to be machined and rebuilt.

 

[H@xtGSX]

There is enough gas in the intake to flood the manifold??! I don't think that's possible... Are you sure it is gas? Could it be water/oil/gas combo from a blown head gasket? I am betting its blow by from the turbo from water in the oil. They don't mix well and water will seep past the seals of a turbo, whereas oil wouldn't. I bet you just need a new head gasket. I'd suggest something like a thick composite Felpro gasket, since the composite gaskets will seal regardless of a bit of imperfection. I am not a big fan of MLS gaskets... My guess is the 2 130 psi pistons you have are dealing with a little warpage and maybe leaking a little. I'd drain the oil and check it in a big glass pickle jar or similar. Let it settle, see if water separates out. Smell it for a heavy gasoline smell...

 

[Metal Health]

This thread will help you with the two prong connector on the lower housing. If the wires are broken or connector in bad shape, cut it off splice wires, use two shielded female wire connectors. The yellow wire is vertical and black wire is horizontal as seen in thread.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/400924-coolant-temperature-sensor-problem-picture.html


Dont forget to replace thermostat after car overheated. You have my cell give me a call if need.

 

[andywolff1]

Are the plugs soaked in fuel. To rich plugs won't spark....not likely but is the exhaust blocked.

 

[northernawd]

Sounds like your plugs are fouled.

 

[jacob238]

So I just checked. And my car isn't getting spark. Are there anything that would stop it from sparking other than bad plugs, wires, and coilpack?

So I just checked. And my car isn't getting spark. Are there anything that would stop it from sparking other than bad plugs, wires, and coilpack?

 

[weebz1]

CAS maybe..

 

[jacob238]

What would the CAS be?

 

[GSTurbo1]

floor pedal to the ground while starting... just don't burn starter out.

 

[cheapracer]

My car won't start after swapping out the intake. things i've checked:
spark: good
fuel pressure: good, replaced the fuel pump. loosened top banjo bolt on fuel filter and fuel sprays out.
i removed the intake tube and poured a little gas into the intake. car fires up and runs a lil while until the gas gets used up.

i removed the fuel rail and cranked the motor to watch for spray. no fuel sprays out.
i replaced the electrical connectors to the injectors because they were old and kinda brittle. i though i might have broken a couple wires during the intake swap, because they looked old and brittle, too. it had no effect, still no spray out of the injectors.

so, what else can keep the injectors from spraying? any help appreciated.

More car details for completeness:
i bought the car (1990 fwd turbo eclipse) for $450. it needed to be put back together, it had a few things taken apart. The car had a 2g intake and head when i bought it. i assume someone just pulled the 1G head and intake for another car, and put the 2G stuff back on to sell it.
i got the car back together and drove it for a few months. a boost leak test was showing a leak that took me a long time to find. eventually, i found that the intake was cracked and leaking. probably from not having the support brace. i had a 1G intake sitting on a shelf, so i gasket matched (ported) the head and bolted the 1G intake on. now, no fuel. wtf?

 

[jacob238]

I'm not getting spark. What sensors could faul the spark plugs?

 

[Build01Laser90]

Check your ECU, Search for what to look for when a ECU goes bad, its common on 1gs

 

[92AWDHX40]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-miscellaneous/217951-how-diagnose-no-start.html

 

[cheapracer]

update: checked the resistor pack. all resistors read 6.0 ohm. will have to look into the ecu i guess...

update: removed the ecu and its cover. turns out i have a rebuilt unit (23jun2003). warranty void if cover removed. i figured they wouldn't honor a 9 year old warranty paid for by someone else , so i removed the cover. there is no apparent damage.

is there any other way to test the ecu besides a visual inspection? that i can do at home?

 

[weebz1]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/maintenance-repairs/445430-cranks-but-no-fuel-spark.html

Read through that thread.. or below is another good write up of a no start issue.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-miscellaneous/217951-how-diagnose-no-start.html

 

[Magrud3r]

My 99 GSX sat with a dead battery for about 3-4 months. I got a new one and it started up first try. Then yesterday I drove it down the road and back and it shut off a few times on the hill I was going up. Today I went to get in and the car just keeps cranking but no start. I have three lights on, battery, oil and A/T Temp lights. The A/T temp light makes no sense, it comes on no matter what and it was sitting outside in about 50 degree weather. I added a quart of oil and no difference. I plan on changing the oil tomorrow - which I am not completely sure but believe is 10w30 synthetic.

Any suggestions for what to look at? What is the best oil for the 4g63? Should I flush the A/T fluid and how would I do this, I've never flushed tranny fluid before.

I have a built 2.0 7 bolt motor, so I don't think there would be much difference from stock when it comes to this. I think I'll check the spark plugs as well. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[mitsurage]

How old is the fuel? If real old you could add some dry gas, could be water in it.
Oil 20w 50 is the best, try ZR1 non synthetic.

You could also do some maintenance at the same time and swap the fuel filter out along with the plugs.

When you start it and its running check the voltage output of your alternator, should be at least 14 volts.
Check all fuses, that might have something to do with all the lights if it is not a mechanical issue.

 

[HighpsiaddicT]

good advice, i would check to see if your getting spark and check the fuel pressure, and fuses

 

[Magrud3r]

I tried the dry gas and no difference there. 20w50 seems a little extreme or maybe it's just me?

What's the best way to check fuel pressure with limited tools/knowledge? I kind of have a feeling it may be the fuel pump. If not I have new plugs and can check that.

 

[S Bizzy]

I am dealing with a couple problems on my 97 GS-T Spyder.

Problem 1: WHAT ITS DOING:
The first of which is an idle issue. When the car is parked and warmed up, the idle sits around 1000rpms, which is where I want it. However, when the car is moving while in neutral, it idles around 1500-1600rpms. The idle then falls back down to 1000 the moment the car stops moving. This occurs when putting the car in neutral coming up to a stop sign, or even when I let the foot off the break in a sloped parking lot. The rpm's just jump up when moving and back down when not.

WHAT IVE DONE:
I did a boost leak test and got bubbles from both throttle body gaskets, the BISS screw, the 3 vacuum lines on top of the throttle body, and a gasket on the Blow-off valve.

I replaced the throttle body gaskets, cleaned the throttle body, got a new BISS screw and rubber O-Ring, and tightened up all the other places where the leaks were coming from. During the process, I noticed a line running between my EGR Valve and EGR solenoid was disconnected so I tightened that back down hoping that was the issue. Once I finished all of that, I still got no change in the cars behavior. It still displays the symptoms above.

NOTES:
One thing I did notice when I took the throttle body out was that there are two ports on it that looks like vacuum lines attach there but they are missing. I don't know much about the system but I did find a picture of what im talking about. Its the two ports in the image that the two hoses are connected to. Could this be my problem? I have no idea what those lines are for, where they go, or why they are missing from my car.

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Problem 2: WHAT ITS DOING:
My other issue I think is a bit more serious. When I start my car after it's been sitting overnight, it starts just fine and runs just fine. If I park it and let it sit for an hour or two then try to start it again, it cranks but will not fire.

If I wait a while, the car eventually does start roughly with really low rpm's and I get a lot of white smoke out of the exhaust for a few seconds until the idle smooths out. Then the car runs normally like nothings wrong with it. Even when I shut it off and then start it back up immediately.

WHAT IVE DONE:
Cant be the battery because I got plenty of voltage. Cant be the starter because the car does turn over. I checked the voltage in all 4 cylinders and its getting spark. Lastly the fuel injectors are clean and have no leaks around the seals (boost leak tested). I also checked the ECU and its functioning properly.

The only thing I can think of is that when I checked the wear on the spark plugs, they looked progressively worse from cylinder 1 to 4. I did notice oil on the spark plug from cylinder 4. Research suggested that I throw on a new valve cover gasket kit. I did this but the problems are still occurring.

NOTES:
Also of note, the car has 180k miles on it but the stroker upgrade was done 8000 miles/5 years ago so the internals don't have much wear on them but do have a lot of sit time.

Here is a copy of my parts list. Most of these mods have been on the car for about 5 years but the problems with the car not starting have only recently been happening within the last month. The idle problems however, have come and gone ever since the mods were in the car. it used to idle at random rpm levels from 1200 to 700 and i would sometimes get idle surge on a cold day. The car would do it for a week or so and then wont for a few months just comes and gos. only recently has the car displayed the particular symptoms I listed above with the idle being different depending on if the car was parked or moving.

MODS:
eXtreme PSI Short RAM Intake System
GReddy Intercooler Piping Kit
GReddy Type-RS Blow-off Valve
Slowboy Racing 3500 Heavy Duty Clutch
Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel
B&M Short-Throw Shifter
Auto-Meter Boost & EGT Gauges
Painted Calipers & Valve Cover
Gen 3 Black Tail-Lights
Apex'i N1 3" Turbo-Back Exhaust System
Apex'i S-AFC
TurboXS HP Boost Controller
Eagle 6 Bolt Rods w/ ARP rod bolts
Wiseco 8.8:1 6 Bolt Stroker pistons
Clevite main bearings
Clevite rod bearings
4G64 Crankshaft
.20 Overbored Cylinders
Balance Shaft Eliminator Kit
Prothane Motor Mounts
Big 16g Turbo
AEM Wideband air/fuel Gauge
Stainless Steel Clutch Lines
Walboro 255 LPH Fuel Pump
FIC 550cc Fuel Injectors
Continental Extreme Contact ZR Tires
17" Sport Edition CD Rims
Unorthodox Racing Tuner Series Crank Pulley

 

[hotrodssnova]

Those two big lines run to the thermostat housing and to the coolant pipe that feeds the heater core in the cabin. They heat the throttle body part that's called "fast idle control valve..(ficv for short).
The hot water heats up wax in the cylinder that houses the ficv and opens
the valve. When the car is cold it is in the closed position, which will richen the fuel mixture by reducing the amount of air allowed through the throttle body.
I would suggest you hook them back up and see if that fixes the idle/start issue. It normally affects both during normal operation.

 

[ENZ5573]

this is not going to help u now but for the future put some fuel stabilizer,like
sta-bil.. it will keep fuel fresh for up to a year..
when fuel goes bad it eats a way o-rings ect. just messing shit up..

 

[1996Eclipse420a]

First things first... turn the key in the ignition, not all the way.... just to where the radio and display lights turn on the dash. When you do this your fuel pump should make a noise, signifying that it is working. If you don't hear it, then it's more than likely your pump. Verify your pump first, and if the pump isn't it, start checking stuff in the ignition system. Plugs, distributor, etc...

 

[Magrud3r]

Yes I should have added a fuel stabilizer, that is my fault and as soon as I can get it running I will get fresh gas or bring it to the car.

Fuel pump noise like a clicking? I know it made a noise in my evo that I remember, but this car has more electronics and they can cover up other noises.

Also about the oil I only have 18k miles on my car, so I think I will be using 10w30 synthetic, mobil1 if I can get some. Will try to have an update on the situation later today.