QuestionQUESTION: When i first bought the car it had 163k miles on it. When we first purchased the car,the car ran,however it took a minute for it to speed up. Now we have replaced the alternator,and the thermostat. Now,the car no longer starts. Do i need to replace the fuel pump? the car has gas in it,but it wont turn over. Do you have any suggestions? i have a 2.7L engine.
ANSWER: You need to do the old "air-fuel-spark" drill before you get carried away replacing parts. First, I'm assuming that the engine cranks but doesn't run. Air: check that the air filter is clean and that there are no obstructions in the intake tract; the throttle body should be clean and the throttle should open and close easily. Fuel: the fuel pump should come on when you turn on the ignition; if you can't hear it run, the fuel system may already be pressurized. Chrysler uses a returnless fuel system, so the pump doesn't run as much as in other cars. Find the fuel test fitting on the fuel rail (looks like a tire valve or A/C fitting) and depress the pintle in the center (just like letting air out of a tire) while someone cranks the engine. Fuel should squirt out under a fair amount of pressure. If it does, there is probably not a fuel problem. there are some obscure faults that could occur with the injector firing, but you won't have the tools to deal with those. Spark: take a plug wire off of a plug, slip a screwdriver into the end of the boot and hold it near a metal part of the engine block or head while someone cranks the engine; if you see a spark, then the ignition is working. If all three areas indicate no problems, you are going to have to get a pro to look at it. If one of the areas fails this little test, then you'll have to diagnose that system to find the problem.
Of course, if the engine simply isn't cranking over when you turn the key, then either the starter or the battery is bad. If the battery is more than 4 years old, replace it regardless; they don't last much longer than that. Then take the starter off and take it to a good parts store where they will have a bench-tester to determine if the starter is bad.
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QUESTION: thank you for your advice...i think i have just one more question where is the fuel rail so that i can do the test?
Answer The fuel rail (there are two of them) runs along the length of the intake manifold on either side, just inside of the valve covers. It fits over the top of the injectors and provides a path for the fuel to enter the injectors. The fitting I talked about is probably on just one of the rails, they are usually connected to a common source.
