QuestionQUESTION: Hi Roland,
I wrote to you on monday for problem on chrysler sebring lxi but I accidently deleted it. Today the car was hard to start it took about 10 turns to get it started went to autozone. The guy tested the battery & starter said it was ok. He thought it was a Fuel or Spark problem. When I got car home I turned it off then minute later tried to start it did not want to start so I left it sit in garage. The car has 109,000 miles on it a few years ago it sort of had a similar problem & throttle position sensor replaced.
I tried turning on the air conditioner earlier today but it does not seem to help with the starting. On Monday it felt like a starter problem cause had that click sound & was able to cancel tow truck when car started.
>>While writing this about an hour later I decided to go start car it started right away on the 1st turn. Roland do you feel this is a fuel or spark problem? I wrote you twice before & you said to spray wd40 on egr valve & wiggle with a screwdriver but I did not know what I was doing & the problem seemed to go away even though the engine light remained on for almost a year.
Last night the car not start but turn over unhooked the black battery cable did the lights like you said but did not dim.
The car does not have the engine light on now is that because of unhooking the black battery cable if so why did the engine light not pop back on after a 13 mile round trip to autozone? Please let me know what you think is wrong roland with the car.
Thank you,
Michael
ANSWER: Hi Michael,
After disconnecting the battery the fault code that was stored in the engine controller was cancelled out and thus no more check engine light. You will need to drive it further to see whether the check engine light returns. If it does then stop, turn the ignition key: "on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch to odometer window to see if the mileage reading is replaced by a 4-digit number preceded by a P. If so let me know the number and we'll go from there. It may be the cause for difficulty in starting the engine.
The starter motor now seems to be functioning, correct?
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Roland,
I took the car to Autozone a week ago when the service engine light was not on the manager had to hold the tester cord to get a reading he said the only code that showed was power steering sensor he said to check back when service engine light comes on.
Today the service engine light on the car had trouble starting after leaving dept store to go to dairy queen a block away. When in for few minutes came out car was a little difficult to start.
I topped at autozone on the way home. The employee at autozone could not get a reading. I told him the manager had to hold the cord to get a reading he tried again it would not work.
I went in the store he looked on the store computer. I went out to start the car it would not start. He came out open hood I ask him about EGR valve I pointed to where I thought the egr valve was he said the was the purge outlet. I asked him where he thought the egr valve was he said under the manifold. He went inside the store came out with a power pack. I turned the key it did not start he said the power pack gage dipped down to 30. He went in the car said to watch the gauge while he turn the key it was at 80 it went down to 70 then the car started after 3 turns.
He said when I turned the key the power pack went way down to 30 so it has a short somewhere he thought the fuel pump. Before he did that he heard the fuel pump working when I turned the key half way. I asked him it he heard the fuel pump work why he think short in fuel pump he said it could just not be working right. Please let me know what you think
Thank you,
Michael
ANSWER: Hi Michael,
I am having trouble understanding what is the problem at this point. I am not sure what the 'power pack' numbers mean, nor what 'holding the cord' means. So please tell me again what is the present problem?
Also, is this a Sebring convert, sedan, or 2 door coupe model and which size (L) engine do you have?
What is the most important difficulty that you are having?
Also, try checking for fault codes using the ignition switch as I explained in my last answer. Are there any fault codes showing up on the odometer window?
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Roland,
Holding the cord~ means I go into autozone ask em to check the check engine light they come outside go underneath the steering wheel to hook the cord into the socket so they can check for a code. Holding the cord in is what the manager did to get a reading. When I brought car back the next week the socket must be stripped because a different employee could not get it to work holding it to get a reading.
>>Power Pack numbers mean when I went in car turn the key with the power pack connected to battery the number on the power pack dropped briefly down to 30 so the autozone employee assume there maybe a short coming from fuel pump.
>>Present problem is it cranks does not want to start easy or it will start then problem develop after driving go into store come out not want to start.
This is a 1999 Chrysler Sebring LXI 2.5L V6 2 door coupe model.
I did the ignition switch but the odometer is a dial rolling type Not digital so there were no fault codes.
The battery is fine the starter is fine. It is a cranking not start problem, however but on october 12th I had bad luck when I drove the car I went into CVS drug store came out car would not start felt like dead battery or broken starter I had a tow truck called I tried to start the car little later somehow out of the blue it started & was happy to get it home.
Please let me know what you think
Thank you,
Michael
AnswerHi Michael,
Look for the egr valve again. On the rear exhaust manifold you will see a narrow diameter exhaust pipe that branches off the center of the manifold. Follow that pipe around toward the end of the engine and you will find the egr valve attached to that pipe, mounted sideway near the thermostat housing. It has a round top with a vacuum hose and between that top and the body of the valve proper there is a flange that partially conceals a rod which is the valve's stem. It has a circumferential slot into which you then insert the tip of a screwdriver that allows you to move the stem back and forth. Spring-action closes the valve so you will feel that. Spray some WD-40 or similar solvent on the stem where it enters the body of the valve, then move the stem back and forth to loosen up the action to be sure the spring-action closes it to a dead stop.
If you have no fault codes, then this is the most likely reason for hard starting.
As to the code reader, on pin #16 of the plug there is a red-blue wire that provides the 12v to power the code reader that comes from fuse 10. Check that pin for 12v. It could be the wire is loose at the pin socket and needs to be reconnected firmly so as to have access to the codes if any. But if one reading found nothing related to the engine functioning then I do think you need to do the egr valve lubrication as I have described.
If you would do another rating and nomination of me that would be very much appreciated.
Roland
