3rd Gen / L98 Engine Tech 1982 - 1992 Engine Related

car wont start

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Old 09-04-2002, 12:38 PM
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Unhappy car wont start

so i was going to go to school and my car didn't start. My batery is fine because all the lights and the radio came on. But when i went to turn it on it did nothing. Didn't chug didn't beep or click. Could it be my starter? PLEASE HELP

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Old 09-04-2002, 01:51 PM
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A car needs four things to run; Air, Spark, Fuel, Compression. Check your air cleaner or better yet take it off. Spark, Pull a spark Plug and ground it out somewhere. Easiest thing to do is. pull #1 plug, leave wire attached and ground it out against something metal. no try and crank the car, do you see spark? If not, check the battery, check the underside of the cap, is it coroded? is the rotor in bad shape? Put the key in the almost start position and jump the selonoid does it try and start if yes then you need a new selonoid, If the cap is badly coroded, then get a new cap and rotor, if you get spark from the plug, then gas would be my next stop, when you put the key in the almost start position do you hear the pump prime the line? if so check the pressure and know your pressure specs. if you are below pressure specs as little as 2-3 psi then you need a new pump or filter. Check all of this before sending to a service station..

Kevin

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Old 09-04-2002, 04:43 PM
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Tried the starter solenoid? If you have a bad wire down there of if the sucker went bad, there'd be no sounds involved. Good news is that they're not real expensive, I'd yank the starter motor and solenoid and run it up to Auto Zone or somewhere and have them tested.

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Old 09-04-2002, 05:24 PM
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If it's a manual, it couls be the saftey switch (or wiring) on the clutch pedal. If it's auto, is it in Park? could be the saftey on that too.
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Old 09-04-2002, 11:56 PM
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Starter solenoid is the most common "won't turn over" culprit, so it's the first thing I'd check. If it turns out to be good look at safety switches for clutch/park and if THEY look good then go after wiring.

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Old 09-05-2002, 04:23 AM
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Let's make sure that everything is coming on strong. You can still have auxillary things working and no ignition cranking. Check the battery terminal on the positive side, There are two different leads. One for starter and one for accesories. It could not hurt to pull both the negative and positive off, and then give a cleaning to both. If that doesn't work, take a volt reading of the battery. You should be over 12 volts on a charged battery. If there is any doubt get the battery checked at a local parts store, it is way easier and way cheaper than checking an alternator. If the battery shows up as good, then crawl under the vehicle and pull the wires off the starter. It is possible that there is corrosion on the terminals, so remove the wires ( after disconecting the battery for safety), clean the wires and terminals, and then reasemble. If the vehicle does not start afer these steps, remove the starter and take it to a reputable rebuild shop for inspection. ( I already typed all of this so I don't want to go back, but check your crank fuse in the fuse box first. There are fuses that can cause your car to not turn over, but still have auxillary power). Good Luck.
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Old 09-05-2002, 01:37 PM
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What year car? If its a later year like '89 or after, its your VATS system. Turn the key forward and let it sit in the forward accessory position. If the security light DOESN'T go off then your VATS system is to blame. If it does go off then you have to look at the other possibilities.
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Old 09-05-2002, 05:37 PM
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wow, thanks guys! The thing is... when i got home that day to check it... it started up right away... kinda weird but it did. It could be a loose ignition wire? But my new problem now is that my water pump just went. All coolent is gone and now i need a new pump... i hope its not too hard to put in... Thanks again for all the help! Oh its a 86 rs with the 2.8
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