QuestionQUESTION: hello need sum help, my daughters car at college and im 150 miles away,,,86,000 miles on neon,at recent inspection there was smell of fuel, so it was determined to be a crack in the fuel pump,we replaced it and ran great for a few weeks....the other day she ran out of fuel
and it was towed again to merchants tire and auto..after no codes
and sum gas,,it ran to gas station where she filled up (according to the mechanic there a sensor is not correct with the fuel gage
and that is a problem,,,reading wrong,,well no sensor has been changed,,told my daughter to make sure to keep gas in it...
after she filled the tank , the car wont start again....so intermintant...i dont have a clue now...please advise need help
for her and i...mike johnson
ANSWER: Hi Mike,
The first thing to do is get any diagnostic fault codes that may be stored in the engine controller memory. Turn the ignition switch: "on-off-on-off-on and leave on", doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the "check engine" light, which remains 'on', to see it begin to flash, pause, flash, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause. Then repeat the process to be sure of an accurate set of flash counts. Then let me know what she saw and we'll go from there. The last two sets of flash counts should be 5 in each because that is the fault code 55 which means 'end of fault code readout' (but don't tell her that so you have a check on the accuracy of her count). The counts that preceed the 55 will tell us what may be the cause of the no start.
I have a fall back if there are no relevant codes and that would be that the egr valve is gummed up and that can be loosened with some WD-40 spray and the tip of a screwdriver, but let's first get the codes. I assume this is the 2.0L engine, correct?
Roland
PS Please 'rate' my answer, and where you see the question about a 'nomination' for me to be 'volunteer of the month' consider a 'yes' response. Thank you
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QUESTION: Thank you for your swift reply!!!!! when i found your websight the 1st time
i asked her to do just that (she had a bad connection on the battery)
at that time she read me the numbers and they were 12 and 55....which by learning here were battery and end of diagnois(sp)...she had to leave the car there at gas station before i could get her to do thisd again(had a ride to new job)...so i will ask her to do this again as soon as she can...if i was there we would be ok...but i guess im going to have her tow it back to merchants,,, and get the code for you...and maybe /hopefully get this one figured out....your my online mechanic i can trust at this time!!!
will be in touch asap...thanks!!!
ANSWER: Hi Mike,
OK, assuming no new codes, then just to be sure ask if she hears the fuel pump run from inside the tank when she first turns the key to the 'run' position, for about a second. That would verify the fuse for the pump and the the controller are OK.
I would suggest she get a can of WD-40 and a flat tipped screwdriver. Then notice on the side of the engine facing the front of the car that just below the throttle body (the part that has a cable that moves when a helper steps on the gas pedal) there is a small iron pipe that initially goes toward the right but then bends and goes around the rear of the engine to an object that is mounted on the rear corner of the engine (closest to the driver). That object is the egr valve which is mounted to the pipe, sideways, and also has a round pill box-shaped top with a soft rubber hose attached to it that part. In between the round top and the body of the valve proper is an open flanged area that has a metal rod inside the flange.
That rod is the valve's stem and she will notice a slot in the stem that encircles the circumference of the stem. That slot is where she can insert the tip of the screwdriver to move the stem from side to side. She'll feel 'spring-action' that tries to move the stem to the left (closing the valve). If she will use the WD-40 with its straw applicator to spray the rod where it enters the valve body proper and then exercise the rod some more by means of the screwdriver that will free up the stem to move firmly to the left and thus close the valve. That will correct a condition that probably now exists that the valve is hanging up ajar. That leans out the mixture so the engine won't catch and idle.
This egr ajar is a very common cause of a no start with no codes, if that is what she gets on the next readout. Again, I have described the egr location based on this being the 2.0L engine.
Roland
PS Please 'rate' my answer, again, and consider the nomination question.
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QUESTION: So Sorry it has taken this long,,,just got the car back from her, it turned out to be ....so far, a defective fuel pump that was installed a month ago..
The garage replaced it for free, and than mentioned that they replaced the fuel filter which could have caused the pump not to work properly...
i am now doing what you said with the wd 40 ..just a a protective item.. my wife is driving the car around locally just to make sure that this problem doesnt rear its head up again....You are a blessing for being here and i rate your responses as a 10....thanks again. and hope you will still help
me and others in the future....Happy Holidays!!!!!
AnswerHi Mike,
That is good news, and I hope her problems with the car are over. Thanks so much for the kind words and wishes. I will keep trying to help others. May you have as well a wonderful holiday.
Roland
PS You are entitled to do another 'rating' of my earlier help at the bottom of this response if you would like to do that. Thank you.
