JanetLof2

This car was given to us by my husbands father. He said all it needed was a starter so we put a new one on. It tries to turn over but for some reason its not starting. We know its not the fuel system. I put a computer on it today and there was no codes. A guy from autozone told me I needed a crank sensor, but I have read that even if the crank sensor is no good the car should still start. Is this correct or should I go ahead and get the crank sensor? We were also told that it may need a new head gasket, but the computer did not say anything about it. Please help. thank you. Oh and the car drains the battery like crazy, we bought a new battery and it drained it within 1 day. We would take it to a mechanic but we are low on funds, so if you have ANY info that you think may help please don't hesitate to say so. thanks

Injuneer

Correct - the crank position sensor is only there for misfire detection, and does not prevent the engine from starting. A faulty CKP sensor will set a code.

What "computer" did you use to try and pullcodes? And there are no diagnostics in the PCM that would detect a blown head gasket.

By "turn over" do you mean the starter cranks the engine but it does not try to start? A starter that draws excessive current will kill the battery and the resulting low voltage may make the engine harder to start.

JanetLof2

We bought a brand new starter for it and when I say turn over I mean it tries to start, like it cranks.... like it wants to start, but for some reason its like something is stopping it from starting. The computer I used I got from a auto parts store (with a deposit they let me barrow it) its called Trilingual OBO II and CAN scan tool. hope that helps. We have charged the battery to full, and tried starting the car again after some spark plugs were replaced, but again the car drained the battery (without the car being on) If you have any other questions please ask and I will reply with as much info. as I can. thank you for taking the time to help.

ps. when I say we know its not the fuel system its because my husband and his friend put gas in the carberator and the car still did not start. They said that's how they know its not the fuel system. Is this true? (sorry about my spelling)
Thank you for helping
Janet

moparman

Put gas in the carburetor? These cars don't have a carburetor, unless someone did some modifications.

Injuneer

Sounds like you have an electrical load in the system that is not being turned off by the ignition key. With the key "off", you need to put an ammeter in series with the positive battery lead, and measure the current draw in amps (do not attempt to start the car with the ammeter in the circuit - you will damage the meter). Should be very low, like 0.1 amp. If you measure a significant current draw with the key off, start pulling the fuses in the two fuse boxes (end of dash, and under hood) and watch to see if pulling a particular fuse eliminates the high current. If pulling the fuses doesn't locate the source of the problem, go to the red plastic box on the passenger inner fender, near the battery, and start removing the red wires, one at a time, from the load side of the box.

Have you checked the interior lights to make sure they are turning off?

Does the vehicle have an aftermarket stereo system, that may be wired directly to the red terminal box, or battery?

Have you tried starting the car with jumper cables?

As noted above, no carb, so they probably sprayed gasoline into the throttle body. Not sure that proves anything, since it's not going to be distributed very well in the dry intake manifold.

I'm not familiar with that particular PCM scanner. When you connected it, did it confirm that it was able to communicate with the PCM? If the cig lighter fuse is blown, the scanner won't connect, because that fuse also supplies 12V to the ALDL connector. You can get a simple OBD-2 code scanner for about $20. Good investment if you plan to keep the car.

JanetLof2

lol, my husband corrected me, its not the carburetor, your right. I am sorry for the trouble, I have no knowledge of cars, so in hopes to figure out what could be wrong without spending a crap load of money because of what ifs, I came on here. I am relaying all the knowledge that my husband and his friend have done and what the car sounds like. please forgive me of my (stupidity) lol. Thanks Fred, yes there is an aftermarket stereo in there and yes we have tried with jumper cables. And I have forgot to mention that when we do try to start it we do smell something like an electrical wire that is burning but we cant figure out where the smell is coming from under the hood. Thank you for the info. I will have them do as you said with the red box.