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

 

[GrattinoDSM]

its probably not just going to go away, so get new belts, ESPECIALLY timing belt, and also get a new water pump and if you have no brake pad left on the brakes and/or the rotor is warped or has deep gouges or is rusted to hell then yeah you need new brakes

 

[NightRiderSRT4]

I wish I had one given to me . Good luck with fixing her up!

 

[Tyeler18]

Glad to hear you got it running finally. Honestly I'd get the brakes done if you don't know whether or not they're good. Have a shop machine the rotors and just get new pads for it. As far as the belts go, I agree you should replace them all, however, to stop the squealing for now, just tighten up all the belts.

 

[KeelesKustome]

same issues here did you ever fix this?

would the ignition switch cause the fuel pump to not come on as well?

 

[drooseph]

I recently put the motor back in my car and hooked up the intake and ingnitions system. I got it to fire and it ran well for like a minute before my super old battery died, nighttime with headlights on. So now that I've put all the belts on and hooked up all the other electrial connections and most of the vaccum lines the car will not fire up. Ive rechecked my timing, cam sensor, and made sure that all 4 cylinders are sparking. i can smell gas and when i turn the key it sounds like its firing on 1 cylinder but only the 1 and a tiny bit of smoke comes through the turbo, i dont have the dp on now. can a vaccum leak cause it not to start like this.

 

[RogueTalonTSI]

What did you do about the battery? If you didn't replace it, it may be the cause of your problems. Have you load tested it? What about checking the battery voltage while your cranking it? anything below 11.5 bolts is bad.

 

[drooseph]

replaced the battery and spark plugs as well as wires with ngk and ngk brp6es instead of my bpr7es

 

[linen88]

it would have to be a pretty big vacuum leak possibly several for it to not start for that reason, was that a typo on the plugs they should be bpr6es not brp6es

 

[RogueTalonTSI]

Crossed wires? Hey, I've done it before.

 

[the_mork]

most of the vaccum lines the car will not fire up.

The car counts on accurate air metering to determine the correct amount of fuel. A small vacuum leak wont cause starting issues but a large one will. Certainly fixing any vacuum leaks and doing a boost leak test wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[andrewschel]

check spark, fire and air. check firing order. recheck that all vacuum lines are installed, and sensors missed etc. sounds like you crossed the spark plug wires.

 

[drooseph]

I did not cross the plug wires. and i think i found my problem. the hose going to the evap canister is shredded. I replaced it and looked for other vaccum lines to replace but the car still wont start. i'm gonna rewire the fuel pump because it primes but only for like half a second.

 

[akira235]

dsm fuel pumps aren't supposed to prime.

 

[drooseph]

dsm fuel pumps aren't supposed to prime.

um... my pump used to prime and in all the threads i read when I searched mentioned the pump priming.

 

[ReYnd]

DSM fuel pumps don't prime until you start cranking. I know, it's strange. They can be wired to prime like just about every other vehicle, but there's no real reason to do that. A rewire with bigger wire and a relay won't help this problem, but it is a good upgrade to have anyway.

Beyond a vacuum leak that you haven't found yet, make sure your MAS is plugged in. You mentioned doing some intake work and may have forgotten that. They can run for a second or two (or more, each car is different) with it unplugged, but most will die and not start again until it's plugged back in.

 

[drooseph]

I have now checked all the electrical connections and redone all the vaccum lines. I will try starting fluid tomorrow and if that fails then i will swap back on my 2g throttle body. The only thing I can think is that When I installed the 2g tps on the 1g tb I did it wrong. but it ran so well with the setup thats on now I dont know why it wont start.

 

[Chazz1978]

I would pull the fuel line and make sure you are getting fuel. Due a compresson check make sure all valves are good. Its either fuel or fire. Even with leaks and maf it should start but would only run for a short sputter.

 

[summerisway2hot]

I've already read through the other PO300 threads, but no one has the same problems that I do. Last week, I got the car back from getting a head gasket done (unfortunately I didn't have the time to do my own). I ran it all week, purposely put a lot of miles on it to ensure that anything that could go wrong would (about 1k in a week...). It ran flawlessly. A couple days ago, I was out for a joyride, came out of an intersection, and stepped on it. First gear, full boost, no problem. Second gear started out fine, but i got to about 5K and the engine literally just shut off, even with my clutch in and the engine spinning at 5k RPM, the tach read zero (though the speedo still worked). I pulled over when I couldn't get it to restart, removed the battery terminals, replaced them, still no start. Checked my fuel pump just to ensure it was turning on- it was. Still, when starting, its obviously getting compression, its just not getting fuel. Finally, it decides to start. I begin to take off easy, but as soon as boost hit 0psi, same exact thing happens, except this time I get a PO300. This time I can't get it to restart, its late, and I have to get back, so I call the tow truck and walk the seven miles back home. (At midnight in Maine, there's not too many people on the road ).
Ive tried resetting everything, checking all wiring connectors, trying to find chafed wires-no luck. My next step is going to be to try and see if im getting fuel- I plan on doing a BLT once I believe its getting fuel.
Has anyone else had this sort of problem, or any ideas as to what could be wrong? I'm short a car until I can get it fixed, and I haven't been able to drive it for months because of the HG... I just want my car back!

 

[PieEyedPiper]

That's awful, dude. I hate P0300 with a passion.
Ensure you're getting spark and fuel, but that's likely not it. A BLT is always great, but that's not it either.
I'd check your charging system and ensure your alternator is charging the battery @~13.8v and check your timing and maybe remove all/most of your timing covers and check to see if there's been a leak. The CPS doesn't like oil very much.
You could also inspect your CAS, but that's probably not it!

 

[summerisway2hot]

When the car shut down I had 14.1V, so I think my alternator is probably alright. A visual inspection of the CAS makes me think it looks alright, but I will plan on testing it. As for the CPS... I guess I get to have fun removing the timing covers again (harmonic balancer grenaded before head gasket went and took out the lower cover, so its been replaced...)

 

[drooseph]

I pulled the fuel rail and found one of my inectors to be damaged. The green plastic part on the end was mangled. i didnt bother swaping the throttle body until i fix or replace the injector. the starter fuid didn't help either.

 

[and1chewy]

Did you check the camshaft position sensor (sorry for spelling it out got in trouble for short hand)? Dont they control timing/spark? just an idea i had the same shut off/rough running kinda like it wasnt getting fuel and had an engine code but i dont believe that it was a p0300 just had kinda the same symptoms.

 

[Gs Dewd]

P0300 is a random misfire code. Which would have nothing to do with your not starting issue. A p0300 just means the there was a misfire on a cylinder but the ecu couldn't determine which cylinder. P0301 through P0304 mean the same thing except the ecu was able to determine which cylinder. You need to check if you are getting fuel and fire. Also need to check if you are getting injector pulse. Just because you hear the fuel pump doesn't mean your getting fuel. If the injectors aren't pulsing then your not getting fuel into the cylinders.

 

[summerisway2hot]

I understand that the PO300 is a misfire code, but the reason I thought it had anything to do with the no start issue is because the engine literally died and wouldn't start or even show an rpm on the tach (even though it was at about 3k rpm). I believe that it is very likely that the CPS went or has a connection problem because of the tach reading zero when the engine was turning.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I understand that the PO300 is a misfire code, but the reason I thought it had anything to do with the no start issue is because the engine literally died and wouldn't start or even show an rpm on the tach (even though it was at about 3k rpm). I believe that it is very likely that the CPS went or has a connection problem because of the tach reading zero when the engine was turning.

I would agree. Any updates?