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

 

[2gnt99]

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.

Get a friend to stand back there and listen for it.
This car does make many noises.. if your friend trusts you enough, even ask him to stick his head under the vehicle to get a better listen.

 

[ChiTownHussla]

Easiest way to check fuel pump.

!. open gas tank door and remove plastic circle cap
2 place ear next the filler hole ( where gas goes in)
3 Have someone turn key to ACC (accessory) but NOT START THE CAR
4 as soon as the key hits the ACC position, the Fuel pump should whir or buzz.
IF it buzzes or whirs (makes a noise for like 2-3 seconds) its good.
IF no noise then fuel pump is bad or something electrical with fuel pump wires or relays

 

[mitsurage]

You can also check the MPI relay, not sure on the 2g location but on a 1g it is under radio on the right hand side. Check a haynes manual for the procedure or you can find useful write ups on here.

 

[Magrud3r]

Had my brother turn the car on and listened in the gas tank, nothing so I was on the right track. Now is there a way to tell (with limited tools) which is the bad part in there? I am ready to pull the trigger on a walbro 255 but need to be sure it's the pump.

 

[95twinturboawd]

According to this site its the right plug.

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/VirtualWrench/2010-09-11_231553_relay.jpg

Sorry I can't confirm this right now.

so i played with this car today and found the middle relay was making the sound with i try to start it and i can feel it vibrate. so i put a new one in and same issue i turned the key 10 times ish it clicked 6/7times nothing on the rest and one start up, i drove it for 15 min and it was fine, got home and same thing again.

also i just got the ecu back from ecmlink. whats my next step? starter relay?

anyone have a idea what i should look for next

 

[ENZ5573]

to get to the fuel pump,under the rear seat on the passenger side there will be
a ring nut. unscrew with your hand and pull the whole unit out,put a rag around the ring nut so it will be a little easyer. then pull up the the pump and replace it.
it is not that hard..this for the GSX model..

 

[mitsurage]

If it does not already have an aftermarket fuel pump and you plan on modding ti in any way you should defintiely get the walbro. One of the best first mods.

 

[Magrud3r]

I've already removed the rear seats for cleaning purposes and I found where the pump goes to. I'm pretty sure it's not stock, I'll take a picture of what I find. My only question was - is the walbro worth the extra money when I will probably be upgrading again down the road at some point. I found a forced performance pump & kit for $70. Money is tight I haven't worked in awhile and am about to leave for the Air Force. I just need to get the car running for now.

 

[ENZ5573]

well,in my opinion the wal-bro is worth the extra money!!do the work one time

and not have to worry about doing again..

 

[Magrud3r]

I went with the walbro 255 hp, $95 with kit and got an oem oil filter for when I do the oil. $115 2 day shipping from Extreme PSI, not bad at all now to play the waiting game.

 

[GSTurbo1]

do you have a fuel pressure gauge... check that to verify fuel pump, while starting try to keep the pedal to the floor. should start up, you could just be burning some bad gas

 

[ENZ5573]

not bad at all.. i dont know how much fuel you have left in the tank,but i would try to empty the tank some how,get some fresh fuel in there..

 

[bjmauck]

A 2g has to spin to start the fuel pump. So you will need to bump the key to make the pump run. Can you check the codes? My car for the same thing and was the cam sensor.

 

[Kurptk]

Long story ill try and make it short, my younger brother has a 92 TSI AWD. Mostly original with the exception of a few bolt ons.

Issue is that the car won't restart when its hot. Cold it starts up every time and drives perfect. Then after a good drive he shuts it off and goes to restart and no spark. Each time this happens it has no spark

This happened once before and he replaced the CAS sensor and it seemed to fix the problem for a few days then it came back again.

So next I thought the coolant temp sensor for the ECU. Got a new one of those and still did nothing.

Checked the ECU and it has all been recently serviced, with new caps ect. He checked the wiring and everything was within spec

So I am kind of stuck as to what can cause this symptom that is heat related. Being no spark I still come back to the CAS being faulty again. Are these that common to have problems with? Especially temp related?

Also I have an Early Evo III, and was wondering if I could use that CAS instead because they are much more reliable, anyone have a link on that?

Any help is appreciated

 

[MitsGray97]

your cas went bad again? you sure all the wiring is correct? and have you checked the ignition coils?

 

[2g98]

As mentioned above, I would try changing the ignition coils. I myself have had this problem once before also.

 

[95twinturboawd]

ive tryed before with no luck, story is i turn key and i get 1 of 3 things

1 nothing no crank no nothing
2 i get this clicking noise/ buzzing from the middle relay in pick (ive replaced with new one)
3 car starts right up and runs and drives fine.

batt is good, i got the ecu back from ecmtuning. what do the car gods have me do?

PLEASE HELP

anyone have a idea

 

[Pupdeck]

I would start by checking all the power and ground wires on the battery terminal and the ones running to the starter, I have had that happen with poor connections at the battery. Also check the starter solenoid ground wire ( the small wire the clips onto the starter solenoid.) a loose connection there could cause that problem.

 

[ChiTownHussla]

sounds like a loose connection to me

 

[Lou98GSX]

looks like you have an auto transmission maybe the problem is your neutral safety switch located on your linkage on trans .

 

[Kurptk]

your cas went bad again? you sure all the wiring is correct? and have you checked the ignition coils?

Wiring is intact and original, showing proper continuity also

He came today and got my spare EvoII Black Top CAS and a few other spare bits. So we will find out if it makes a difference in the morning. Never had one of the JDM one's fail yet

Coil packs were replaced a few months ago and they work fine in my Evo so I pretty much crossed that off the list

 

[vl4bad]

Thanks for all the help everyone...so i still havent been able to get it started...
I did find one initial problem I had a faulty spark plug wire, so ended up buying a whole new set of bosch spark plug wires, and new spark plugs bpr6. but the car wont turn over..I think i have a new problem now,
the last attempt i did when trying to start it last night the car normal would go ts ts ts ts ts and not start... now it only does the starting sound... ts ts ts 3 times and then it made 2 identical loud clunk noises, and now when i try to start the car it goes ts ts and then stops. im not sure what to do at this point... i really need to revive this car asap. i found out why the car wasnt starting after i did confirm to get spark,fuel...because my compression readings were the following.

cylinder 1= 120
cylinder 2= 145
cylinder 3= 130
cylinder 4= 130

i know i have bad compression number but would the car start anyway? but now my problem is that it wont even try to crank it like gets stuck or something idk. i hope someone can understand what my problem is.

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...

trust me...it was gas 100%. i wish i couldve recorded it..one of the worst experiences ever, just gas flowing out of my turbo like a lake was there.

 

[Dsmj89]

Fully charge your battery. take off your starter and take it in to get tested. If all is good, put it back in.
Do a boost leak test as well, spray soapy water on every coupler, injector seal, tb gaskets,etc.
If all the above checks out fine, then go ahead and re-attempt starting it.
It will be hard starting a car with low compression but it should start with those numbers.

Post back with results.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

trust me...it was gas 100%. i wish i couldve recorded it..one of the worst experiences ever, just gas flowing out of my turbo like a lake was there.

If you have fuel FLOODING out if your engine like that, you much a much larger problem than compression or a starter. Other than having injectors stuck open so that as soon as you turn the key to crank the fuel just pours and fills the cylinders (effectively washing the cylinder walls, etc,)...that's...just not right.

Start with figuring out why it's doing THAT. Preferably at your fuel rail and injectors.

 

[vl4bad]

If you have fuel FLOODING out if your engine like that, you much a much larger problem than compression or a starter. Other than having injectors stuck open so that as soon as you turn the key to crank the fuel just pours and fills the cylinders (effectively washing the cylinder walls, etc,)...that's...just not right.

Start with figuring out why it's doing THAT. Preferably at your fuel rail and injectors.

that only happened once, the igniton was on while i was working on the car and i accidently plugged in something wrong, the car doesnt flood everytime it just flooded once becuase im a noob and shouldve had the ignition off
while working on the car.

Fully charge your battery. take off your starter and take it in to get tested. If all is good, put it back in.
Do a boost leak test as well, spray soapy water on every coupler, injector seal, tb gaskets,etc.
If all the above checks out fine, then go ahead and re-attempt starting it.
It will be hard starting a car with low compression but it should start with those numbers.

Post back with results.

ive searched and searched on the forums and i cant find anything on where the starter is and how to uninstall it..honestly if i knew how to remove it and exactly where its at and what it looks like i would be able to do it, and go to my local autozone to test it out.