CAR WON'T START - READ THIS

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CAR WON'T START?

The usual thing to check first of all is whether or not your engine is producing a spark and you have a fuel supply. Beyond that, you might want to look at the following...

Make sure that you still have a cam belt there and that it hasn’t snapped or slipped, many of problems I’ve encountered in the last 5 years have been a result to a snapped or worn cam belts

To start you need fuel to the engine, so make sure that all the fuel lines, fuel filter is ok and flowing properly with no leaks also making sure that the pump is working and priming upon turning on the ignition, once your happy that that’s all working ok then your next area will be the injectors, what I did with mine was remove all 4 spark plugs and tick her over, you should see fuel spraying out of the 4 spark plug holes as a fine mist, if you have then all is ok with the fuel section and injection section, if your having trouble seeing anything coming out the pots when cranking over then you need to check all 4 injectors, and the wiring that leads to them, also checking the fuel regulator.

Now your next area is going to be spark plugs. Put your 4 spark plugs into the ht leads and then get some one to crank over the engine, you will need to earth one plug at a time (outside of the plug, metal to metal to a bare bit of metal on the car. If all is working ok and your getting a spark from all HT Leads with there plugs in then all is ok with that section

If the starter motor is not turning, or the car has only been starting intermittently, check the following: Check the contacts on the starter motor. To do this, disconnect the battery (making sure you have the radio security codes, etc). The contacts themselves can get dirty due to the position of the starter motor. Remove the wires that are bolted to the studs on the back of the starter motor and clean the round connectors and the studs. Re-assemble. This may give you an improvement, but can't be guarenteed. Bear in mind that the teeth on the Bendix may be worn. For example, if every 2nd one is worn then as the starter tries to engage it will only work every second attempt.

If you still don’t get any joy, then you need to check the following: Crank Shaft Position Sensor Cam Shaft Position Sensor Coil Pack Earth Strap The wiring that is going to the above components needs to be checked right back up to the ECU

Now these are the basics, a more in-depth test can be carried out by testing all the components mentioned earlier with a multi-meter. If you have checked and done what I have mentioned and all is working ok, then in theory the car should start...

It may also be a wiring issue. The list below is a couple of other things to check: EGR (Stuck open) Leak in the inlet manifold or around that area Check all fuses and relays, especially the ignition and fuel relays Starter Motor Battery

The trouble with an engine that have been cranked over so many times with out firing is that the bores will be drenched and washing themselves in fuel, so compression is going to be poor. The only advice here is to put your foot to the floor when you start it.

Submitted by Realitymark