Chrysler Repair: car wont start, flash pause, car wont start

Question
ihave a 1990 reliant that changed the battery in stated ran fine now wont start turns over i checked for spark nothing.

Answer
Hi Stan,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
It is good that you checked for spark and found significantly that you have none. If you have voltmeter, you could check the + terminal of the primary side of the coil (measure between the post and ground) to see whether you have voltage there for a full 5 seconds, 1-2 seconds, or not at all while you try cranking the engine for 5 seconds.
If the meter shows 'not at all' then the autoshutdown relay may have gone bad or the engine controller (but that is pretty costly to replace without futher verification).
If you get 12V but it only lasts for 1-2 seconds, then you will want to do a fault code readout of the controller to see if the distributor's reference signal is not being generated due to a faulty Hall effect sensor therein. The fault codes are stored in the engine controller memory for readout. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). Then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout". The code for the Hall sensor will be the first one to read out as it in the number 11 (one flash-pause-one flash-pause). The autoshutdown relay circuit fault is code 42, but the ASD relay itself could be bad without giving that code.
If you get 12V for the full 5 seconds of cranking then I would suspect the coil has gone bad (or the wiring from the - post of the coil to the controller is bad.)
The most likely cause of a no start is the Hall sensor, but if you have a voltmeter verify that the 12V drops away after 1-2 seconds of cranking, and/or that you get a code 11. The sensor is easy to replace and costs about $40 if you have the 4 cyl. engine.
If you need to send a follow-up question, tell me which engine you have so that I can be specific with any advice.
Roland