QuestionQUESTION: Hello my friend. It's Miro from Bulgaria. I have not written to you in a while. I've been on board of a vessel for some time and my father decided to charge the battery of my Chrysler LeBaron '84 with VIN 1C3BC56E6FF202836. But by mistake he had connected the cables of the charger in the opposite way to the battery(+ to - and - to +). As a result the car won't start at all. We've put in the Chrysler a normally charged battery. The result is the same. It won't start. It's a stupid mistake, I hope it'll not be a big problem. I haven't checked the fuses yet. Pls help. Thanks!
ANSWER: Hi Miro,
Sorry to learn of your problem. I assume that the starter motor is cranking the engine.
When you first turn the ignition key to the run position do you hear the fuel pump run for about a second and then stop? If not then that would be abnormal and suggest that there is either a blown fuse or a damaged logic or power module (those are the solid state devices that control the engine). So listen for the fuel pump.
Also, have you checked for spark at one of the spark plug wires? If not, remove the cap from one of the plugs, insert the tip of a screwdriver with an insulated handle into the cap so its tip touches the wire at the bottom of the cap. Then hold the screwdriver by the insulated handle with the metal shaft of the screwdriver 1/4" (~6 mm) from the cylinder head while your father tries the starter. See if you see any spark jump across the gap from the screwdriver to the head. From the VIN, I deduct you have a 2.2L turbo.
Let me know what you find.
Roland
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QUESTION: Hi Roland. How are you my friend? I have tried out these tests and everything is normal. The starter motor is cranking the engine, the fuel pump is working and there is a spark. Please help. Thanks!
AnswerHi Miro,
I would suggest that your problem is then a mixture problem, too much fuel or too much air. The item I always question is the exhaust gas recirculation valve which is located in a small pipe the runs from the exhaust manifold back toward the air intake/throttle body area of the intake manifold. The valve body is bolted into that pipe and as well it has a vacuum operated round top and a flange inbetween the two parts. Inside the flange you will see a rod which is the valve stem. It has a circumferential slot into which the tip of a screwdriver can be inserted to allow you to move the rod back and forth, against a spring action in one direction that is trying to close the valve. It the valve gets dirty inside or along the stem it will not always close tightly. There is an electrical solenoid on the right strut tower that also tries to close the valve when the engine is cold (i.e. when you need to start the engine). The gray/yellow wire on the plug side of the wire to the solenoid is supposed to be grounded by the computer when the engine is cold and you are trying to start it, as that too is a "closing" signal to the valve.
I would suggest you familiarize yourself with that egr valve and so you can be sure that it is closed when you are trying to start the engine. If it were slightly open then too much exhaust gas would be returned to the intake manifold which then dilutes the mixture so the engine won't run. Spray some lubricant on the valve stem and move the stem back and forth to make sure it moves freely. Then verify that is stays closed by sight when the engine is being cranked. If the wire that I mentionned is not actually being grounded then valve may not close. So check
that there is no voltage on the gray/yellow wire when you are cranking and that the valve stem appears to be at the closed position based on where the slot is sitting.
possibilities are that the injectors are clogged up somewhat. Do you smell fuel on the spark plugs when you remove them?
You may have to find a diagnostic readout box from the early '80's to see if there is any fault code stored in the memory of the logic module. It is called a Chrysler DRB I, such a code will indicate where the problem might be located.
Roland
That would be my first idea. Let me know.
Roland
