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car wont start...

9

98consvt

CEG'er
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
52
Ok so its 5am, I go out to go to work, and my car won't start. I drove it yesterday and it ran just fine. I just drove it to Moses lake last weekend and it ran fine the whole time. I don't understand what could have changed so quickly. If it wasn't so early I would test gas and spark and all that, but its dark and all. The fuel pump is priming. I pulled the throttle cable a little and then cranked it again and it popped, but didn't turn over. Any ideas?

Port matched 3L
 
I definitely have to be at work tomorrow morning so I need some help here guys. Is it far fetched to think that my o2 sensor not working right caused all the plugs to foul?
 
We need more info to help. No start is pretty vague. What does it do when you try to start it? Any clicks, does it turn over at all, anything at all out of the ordinary in the last few drive cycles before the no start? Anything and everything could be helpful to us.

Thanks.

If it doesnt turn over at all, or clicks and doesnt turn over, I'm looking at the battery. Any way you may have left a light on, or door ajar?
 
It turns over, just doesn't fire, the battery has plenty of juice as I've been trying to figure out the cause all day. It has ran perfectly fine up to this point where it just won't fire up.
 
aboythatskates said:
moses lake... are you in washington?
and are u sure you checked for a strong spark?
Click to expand...

I am in Washington, renton to be exact. I have not checked for spark yet, waiting for my friend to get here so he can turn the car over while I look. But is it possible for the faulty o2 sensor to cause enough carbon buildup where the plugs would be fouled? These guys seem to think so

http://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...-b16a-swap-fouled-plugs-poor-gas-mileage.html

But thats a completely different car/motor... thoughts?
 
So car started, I went to check for spark and it started with only 5 plugs in, so I put the other in and now its running...

Any ideas why it would have done this?
 
Well its been doing it again guys. The past two mornings its been very difficult to start, luckily if I continue to try it eventually does. The only thing in common these three mornings have are that they are colder than it has been. So what could the cold morning effect to make it a pain to start?
 
I would take some time this weekend and identify all your ground wires to the chasis. Remove them...clean them...insure that they have a good connection to the chasis. Then I would examine the positive cables running from the battery to your starter. The plastic can get brittle...crack and/or arc thru...and can also cause starting issues. Read some of the "no-start" threads in the trouble shooting section...quite a few tips/leads there.
 
I will definitely go through and check the grounds. But its not a no power issue, its like its either not getting spark or gas. It turns over just fine
 
Ok, I checked the fuel pressure in the line, and it was at about 18-20 psi. I don't know what its supposed to be at... this was with the key off, ive never checked fuel pressure before so i dont know if i did it right, and i just used a normal air gauge, so i dont know if that works right either... and this is Also after its been drive today, so maybe it drops overnight or something? Any new ideas??

tested again with key on, pressure was at about 30psi, then it dropped, assuming cause i let pressure out the first time and the fuel pump didnt prime again?

so if the pressure was so low when i tested it the first time (18-20) this means that its losing pressure right? i had just got done driving it probably a half hour before i tested it the first time, so should it have held pressure more than 18-20?
 
I've only used a fuel pressure gauge so I'm not sure how the air gauge will read. You probably won't get a good reading because you'd be letting fuel out trying to push it on. The pressure in the line should remain pretty stable after the pump primes. I think it would drop over time if you let the car sit but within the relative time frame you would normally turn the key and start the car it should be stable. If it's dropping fast the fuel pressure regulator is bad and it would cause starting issues.
 
First off get a fuel pressure gauge, and get a proper test. however it sounds like you are getting pressure when the key is on, while we don't no what it is for sure. Next time it refuses to start floor it, this will cause the computer to cut the fuel and clear any flood state that may be caused from constant turning over. I know the wifes old intrepid had a similar issue where it was flooding the engine and you would have to floor it to start.
 
awesome, thanks for the info guys, im gonna change the Pressure Regulator and Fuel Filter this weekend, and get a fuel pressure gauge and see if changes those helps at all, if not im thinking the fuel pump is probably leaking down...
 
so went to schucks today to get Pressure Regulator, and they seemed pretty convinced its my battery, so they tested it and apparently my battery only has half the cold cranking amps that it should, so now my question is, even though it turns over just fine, could the weak battery be creating enough spark to start it properly or something, sounds kinda fishy to me, but thats what they said at schucks...
 
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