Won't start after replaced the valve cover gasket

[jmichel]

I'm new with these cars so my friend was helping me replace the valve cover gasket on my '97 eclipse. We let it sit for the required 24 hours for the sealant to set and when I went to start it back up and it wouldn't start. I would turn it over and it would click once and then nothing. The car started fine before the replacement. What could be wrong with it?

 

[gstryyder]

is your battery dead? or close to it? are you pushing in the clutch? the clutch safety switch will do that to ya.

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

Well a single click is a dead battery.
charge the beat up and your good.
You didn't do anything invasive with a VC gasket.

 

[tallywacker]

Did you put your spark plug wires back in their correct places?

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

it would still turn over and if any wires are in correctly then it would even fire up.
Plus, it's tough to get these wires in wrong.

 

[jmichel]

Tried jumping it because I thought it was the battery but that didn't work

 

[gstryyder]

only two things it could really be are dead battery.. or i have been tired and forgot to push in the clutch and forgot it will click once if you still have the css plugged in. if plug wires were mixed up it would turn over and probably even run....

otherwise... what the hell else would ya remove beside the spark plug wires and the valve cover?

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

Well there is a possibility that something shorted out your battery or something.. I guess.
So you can always attempt to just throw in a friends battery and try to fire it up..

 

[Afroclipse]

Its the battery not giving the starter enough power, jump it again and make sure you do it right.

 

[armandjones82]

You need to check if the Valve Cover Gasket Set that you have purchased is not compatible with the whole parts that your car has. Also, try to check out all the connections in your car parts if it does fits your car. Sometimes you need to research also in order to really see the needs that your car has. And try to search other resources and people about this concern of yours.

 

[dented_coffee]

When you jump a vehicle make shure you put the positive cable on the battery and the negative cable on the engine to make a different ground other than the battery its self. POS and NEG both on the battery of the jummping vehicle and the POS on the battery and NEG on a grounded stop on the dead car.

I have personally seen people mess up both vehicles jumping them in the wrong way, and I have seen alot of batterys explode from jumping it the wrong way. By putting the ground on the engines bare metal somewhere it alows the power to get to the motor first.

But you said that it turns over but no start. If it does then there is something other than the battery thats preventing it from starting.