Engine Cranks, Won't Fire Up...

[Treppiede]

Good Afternoon Guys.
Last Wednesday night my SVX left me stranded for the first time. I had left work at 1am, fired her up and left campus. After a couple of blocks it just died on me and I had to pull over.

The battery had charge, when I cranked the engine the starter would turn it at the regular speed it does with a good battery, but the engine simply wouldn't turn on. Sometimes the engine would vibrate so it's trying to fire up, but somehow it can't.

Today I finally got to do some basic troubleshooting on it:

- Poured 2,5 gallons of gas in the tank (I was low on gas anyways) and pushed the car left and right to move liquid in the tank, just in case the fuel pump might have been clogged.

- Unplugged the fuel line to the filter and asked my friend to turn the key on. Fuel everywhere, therefore fuel pump works.

- Unplugged the fuel line to the fuel rail (from the filter) and asked my friend to do the same. Fuel everywhere, again, therefore filter is not too clogged.

- I just pulled my Optima Yellow Top from my Eclipse, and I am gonna put it in the SVX just in case she needs a little more cranking power.

Next thing to check are the Spark Plugs I guess. I got the car with 120K miles, she now has 135K miles and I must admit I neglected that part since I heard it's quite a pain in the arse, but now I have to. I already searched the Forum and read that you guys are doing great with the NGK-PFR6B-11. NGK's website also lists the Standard plugs BKR6ES-11 for my SVX, so I was wondering if anybody has tried those since I have a feeling they may be quite cheaper and right now I am really broke. Also, is there a special tool I should use to pull the plugs? Or a 2-feet long wobble extension (thanks Mike) with the proper socket will do it?

Any further troubleshooting advice will be immensely appreciated!

Regards,

Walter

[Beav]

Save your money, six spark plugs won't all fail at the same time.

No-starts require you to begin with the basics: Air, fuel, spark. Changing the battery won't help anything if the engine cranks at normal speed. Remove one coil and place a spare spark plug in it. Lay the metal portion of the plug on something metal (grounded) and have someone crank the engine while watching for a spark. Next, remove a connector from one of the fuel injectors and place a test light ground lead on one terminal and the positive on the other. Again, have someone crank the engine while you watch the light - it will be faint and brief so you need to shield the lamp from ambient light to see if it flashes. Next, connect the test light ground to a ground and while the key is 'on' probe both terminals to see if the light comes on bright and steady on one terminal.

Results: no spark and no injector pulse = probable crank sensor - if no bright light at injector harness also may be bad ignition switch. Spark & no pulse, but bright light when checking for 12v power = bad ECU or wiring. Injector pulse but no spark = probable bad igniton module or ECU. No bright light when checking for power = blown injection fuse.

Check the three items and let me know the results. I can give you additional help.

[immortal_suby]

I would bet on the timing belt. Pull one of the plastic covers off and see if it is ok.

[Treppiede]

Beav and Matt, thanks for the tips.

Also, I have forgotten to mention that I have changed the Power Steering pump about two months ago, and although the pump install was fairly easy, I was never able to figure out the belt portion and I have been driving the car with a slightly loose Power Steering belt. It has been screeching (the belt) especially with the engine cold, and I have never managed to pull the belt out and re-do the tensioning since then because school is killing me (some days are 8am-1am - yes, 17 hours straight including work). Is there a way to properly tension the PS belt? I was unable to understand the tensioning mechanism and I hope that this issue is not due to my neglecting of the PS belt, because I'd slap myself.

Beav: I will most definitely try your suggestions tomorrow morning, when I go back to school (it is currently parked in the garage).

Matt: I surely hope you are wrong, I do know we have non-interference engines so the valves should be ok, but still a timing job is something I can't really afford right now.

Thanks again!

Walter

[Electrophil]

Check the ignitor too. Crank angle sensor and ignitor.

[Beav]

Originally Posted by Electrophil

Check the ignitor too. Crank angle sensor and ignitor.

Ignitor = ignition module.

First things first. Besides, how do you propose he check it?

Let's just see if he has spark and pulse first.

Matt: You could very well be right, if the belt has never been changed.

[TomsSVX]

dddddddddddddddddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa auuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmm That is crazy lookin!!! Godd thing you got all da parts tp put it back together.

Tom

[Treppiede]

Originally Posted by tomssvx

That is crazy lookin!!!

Yup...

Anyways, back to the water pump... I won't be able to swap it until I remove the cam gear... it looks like I will have to buy some sort of tool tomorrow before trying again. What should I ask for? All I need is something to stop the cam gear from turning while I loosen the bolt.

Walter

[TomsSVX]

people usually make their own tool for that. I personally just left the timing belt on when I loosened them. then tookt he belt off and they would just come right out. I dunno what u should do bout that, ask around someone may have a solution 4 ya

Tom

[Earthworm]

It would be cheaper to replace the entire engine with a used one.

[TomsSVX]

how so? He spent $100 on parts to fix it. Shipped to his door.

Also, i have heard that the pump will come out even under that cover, just takes patience and a little jigglin.

Tom

[Earthworm]

Originally Posted by tomssvx

how so? He spent $100 on parts to fix it. Shipped to his door.

I'll try again

It would cost more to buy NEW replacement parts than it would a used engine.

[TomsSVX]

Are you done yet??? Jeeze I wanna know if ur car is running again or not. Hurry UP!!!!

Tom

[Treppiede]

Originally Posted by tomssvx

Are you done yet??? Jeeze I wanna know if ur car is running again or not. Hurry UP!!!!

Eh, trust me man, I need my car back real bad, I'm not procrastinating, it's just that work and school are killing me...

Anyways, I do have lots of news. Today I got to my friend's shop (where the car is - he lets me use his tools) around 12pm. Look at the time I am posting this thread... yes, I just got out of the shower, because I left the shop after midnight... I will leave you guys with the pics to see what I managed to do (notice how in the first pics you can see sunlight and the ones where the timingbelt is installed are artificial light... ).














Now, if you look at the before pictures you will realize that the engine looks much better now, right? Please pat me on the back because I am a computer guy for a reason, and if I got that far it is a fairly big accomplishment for me...

...anyways, I wound up putting the whole engine back together, torqued everything to spec, poured ATF Dexron fluid in the PS pump, some water in the radiator and tried to fire her up. For a fraction of second she tried to fire up but gave up because the battery didn't make it. I hooked up a battery charger set to "start" and tried cranking again, and the engine would turn but wouldn't fire up. I must add that the noise changed, the engine does turn but it doesn't sound normal, sounds like there is no spark at all. At the beginning I was convinced that I had messed up something and I was about to trow the car into a canal with myself in it. Then the man himself (Mike - longassname) called me on the cell to check up on me and after hearing my desperate update he asked me to go by the driver's side kick panel and hook up the blue diagnosis wire to the black plug to see if the ECU was trowing codes. Long story short, the Check Engine light was blinking LONG-SHORT-SHORT-SHORT which according to Mike is a faulty crank angle sensor (front). Mike said that with a faulty crank angle sensor the engine will never start, and that gave me hope because if there's no spark the engine may make in fact a slightly different sound when turning. The crank angle sensor might have crapped out on me because when I was filling up the radiator I dropped the canister and spilled water all over the place, so it might have shortened out and died on me. I blew some compressed air on the connector as an attempt to dry it but no luck. I tilted the front timing cover a bit just to check the belt and she's still there, looking nice and fresh waiting to turn around the gears, so I am still hopeful.

Guys, does any of you have an extra used front crank angle sensor to sell me? That looks like all I need, wouldn't you say? Please let me know what you think.

Thank you in advance for all the support, I'm gonna go get some rest now.

Walter

[TomsSVX]

let me look in my box-o-parts and see what I can turn up for ya. I don't havethe cam-angle sensor but I do have both crank angle sensors if my memory serves me right. Ill get back to ya

Tom