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

 

[mchustle]

Thanks in advance. Im at work right now im gonna check for spark when i get home. I know its getting fuel to the rail not sure if the injectors are firing.

I checked for spark and the 2 outside cylinders dont get spark but the 2 inside cylinders do. Sorry dont remember the cylinder layout off the top of my head. I followed the plug wires and the 2 outside cylinders appear to share the same coil. so my guess is that the coil went bad. Could it be anything else? Thanks in advance guys

To me it sounds like the coil like you said I would try to find a good one to try if you have any friends that have one laying around. Most dsm'ers I know have a closet full of spare parts including myself. Always good to have some extra parts put up and a couple dsm friends IMO.

 

[AlexSza]

There was no sign of any irregular sound driving or idling, I'm not the person that continuously beats on cars either besides the occasional boosting. The gauge is stock in the cluster, it's just weird that absolutely no signs of this before I pulled the alternator out and pulled apart the wire that connected to the back of the oil filter bracket. with that sensor off shouldn't my oil pressure reading say zero and remain zero?

 

[MichaelSuch]

Stock stock gauges are no good IMO. My 1g says it's always maxed. With the car not running and off it's maxed. Even if I haven't ran it all day. Get an aftermarket gauge, that actually reads in psi.

 

[AWD_FIEND]

Stock stock gauges are no good IMO. My 1g says it's always maxed. With the car not running and off it's maxed. Even if I haven't ran it all day. Get an aftermarket gauge, that actually reads in psi.

I've owned more than a few DSMs and the oil pressure gauges have always been consistent...useless, but consistent. If it doesnt read 1/8th of the way from the bottom at idle (w/balance shafts) and at the halfway mark during cruise, then it's not functioning correctly either because of the sender/wiring/or gauge. It would help to get an aftermarket gauge for accuracy but it doesnt have anything to do with your no start issue.

 

[AlexSza]

the oil pressure is 100% fine, 3,000 miles on this build and no signs of inconsistent gauge readings. The no start is what's bugging me, on my boost gauge when I crank it over it just twitches at the zero mark then stops moving completely, going to recheck all the vac lines again in a couple hours due too no car until gf done with work to get to it, hopefully it's just a hot start thing and I can get it back to the house and actually dig into this mess.

 

[MichaelSuch]

Does the CEL come on for 5 seconds then off? Sounds like it could be ECU related.

 

[AlexSza]

your saying when the car is on accessories, I do not know, when I tried to crank it over the 9 beep ecu continues to beep as I am cranking, might be just me but I've never heard it before when I would attempt to start it in the past. I will know more in the next hour and a half

 

[Bill Hincher]

test your fuel pressure, make sure the ECU didnt shut down the fuel pump

 

[AlexSza]

I'm limited to tools where I am but I have an AFPR that gives the reading of pressure
at cranking

 

[Bill Hincher]

okay, IF you really had abnormal high oil pressure it would be because the pressure relief valve in the oil pump was stuck, IF that was stuck, it would blow the oil seal out at the oil filter ( trust me)
Oil pumps are dumb, they just keep making pressure, no matter what the engine speed, so the engineers put a spring into the oil pump outlet passage that releases under pressure and routes the oil back into the oil pan.
soooooooooooo you know it has to be in the guage and if the guage is messed up, you are not getting an oil pressure signal back to the ECU
If the ECU does not see oil pressure it will shut down the engine

 

[AWD_FIEND]

your saying when the car is on accessories, I do not know, when I tried to crank it over the 9 beep ecu continues to beep as I am cranking, might be just me but I've never heard it before when I would attempt to start it in the past. I will know more in the next hour and a half

No he's talking about when the car is started or attempted to start the check engine light stays illuminated for a few seconds. If this isnt occurring than there's something wrong with the ECU.

As you stated you are getting fuel pressure, but that doesnt mean it's being delivered to the ports by the injectors. There's a few reasons why that might not be happening, but you need to pull a spark plug and make sure there's fuel being fired into the cylinder and you're getting sufficient spark. Do a visual inspection of the vacuum hoses, but a vacuum leak wont cause a non-start condition unless we're talking about a LARGE crack in the mani or something of that kind.

It doesnt take to many tools to test a no spark, just follow the instruction you've been given.

 

[xX-ProudDSM-Xx]

Could be your carburetors..

 

[Spyderman7]

So your saying that it had jumped 2 teeth and you never did a compression test.
If not you should do that first then get back to us.
I have owned over 279 (lost count) of these and have ran into everything I think

 

[DSM1G90]

ecu looks good

..you think, but some drivers, that runs the sensors, on that board could be opened up...

that it had jumped 2 teeth ...

..the Dist was off two teeth to the cam..

Could be your carburetors..

.. you're funny....

 

[JAX2Ganey]

ive had hot start issues before. Make sure your FPS(fuel pressure solenoid) is connected. That will indeed prevent it from starting when hot. Remove the vacuum line from the FPR(fuel pressure regulator) and try to start it after its warm. Also, check the voltage of the FPS while starting it, if you have 12v, its bad.

 

[Guthrie]

So i just Ordered this ( 97 ECLIPSE ECM ECU ENGINE COMPUTER 5293013AC OEM MANUAL - eBay (item 250879049707 end time Sep-03-11 03:02:30 PDT) ) I Sure hope it works

 

[TunerJunkie]

You stated that "Also the timing belt is still on and in great shape."... But you never said if it had skipped time or if you had even checked. What you're stating sounds like you may have skipped a few teeth. Have you pulled your timing cover and check your timing at the crank and at the CAMs to ensure that you're not off, even a tooth? I skipped a tooth a while back and the car would build zero power. No damage to the valves, normally 3+ teeth causes damage. Just be sure and check. The timing marks must be level with the head at the CAMS and the crank must be dead on with the timing mark on the block. It takes a few rotations, 5 I believe, to get them to all line up.

I don't know if it's different for a 7 bolt or not but i'm pretty sure it's 6 full rotations of the crank sprocket to get everything lined back up.

 

[Chaosweaver]

First thing you should check is the fuses, check if the motor fuse located in the engine bay is blown, it will be a 20A fuse.

Edit: Just noticed you're getting spark to 2 cylinders, I had that same problem and it ended up being a bad transistor.

 

[Tee730]

Ok guys heres the deal. I have a 93 talon originally came with the 7 bolt motor which blew up on me. I replaced it with a 1990 motor But still has all the 93 parts like tb,cas,coil,power transitor and wire harness and ecu. The car is very hard to start. Engine codes 13,14,21,25 show up. Coolant temp is brand new and so is the mas. I no i have an electrical issue thats making those 4 sensors show up bad. Please Help dsm gurus!!

 

[the_toby]

sry its been awhile... im sure there is no spark. i had fuel before, then i noticed the coil pack and cam sensor plugs were wrong. i switched em to where they should be, but now im not getting any fuel either (i didnt switch the wiring for the injectors). ive got good fuel pressure (50lbs). checked the wiring several times and cant find anything wrong.

 

[vitamin]

Start by confirming that you have no blown fuses (you never know!), then confirm that the wiring is good on each sensor. I typically purchase some electronics cleaner to assist in that. If your wiring turns up good, the next step I take is to look at engine grounds. Use a volt meter and make sure the resistance between the negative terminal on your battery and your engine block is less than .04 ohms. If you are still stumped, move onto testing each individual sensor. Good luck!

 

[Tee730]

Thanks for the response. I checked all my fuses they are all good. I also checked the resistance between the negative terminal and the block and its less than .04 ohms. I started testing the sensor connectors and found that i am not getting any ground to the mas.. ecu?

 

[vitamin]

Hmm, it's easy enough to get in there and check it out. I just checked my ecu last month - some things to look for would be discoloration of the pcb and bulging on the tops of the capacitors. I hope I'm not telling you things you already know, good luck!

 

[projectalon13]

hey guys thanks for all the input. I changed the coil but had no luck. Ive checked the timing and it all appears to be lined up. Im gonna try the power transistor next. Thanks for all the input guys!

 

[Dert]

Check this plug,located in front of mdp sensor on intake mani, if it wiggles the slightest bit loose, your car will die, and will turn over but not fire. I've had my car shut off while driving 3 times and everytime this plug was not all the way down. Also try replacing or checking the coils.


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