QuestionI have a 2002 Hyundai Accent GL with 90,000 miles on it. I have kept up will the maintenance, it will probably need a tuneup soon. I don't know if this is important or not, a little over a week prior to my problem now the battery died. A garage gave me a jump and replaced the battery for me. About a week later I drove to a store about 15 miles away, when I returned to my car it would not start. It would crank, but didn't seem to fire. I had it towed to a local garage (I'm in a rural town outside Raleigh, NC) and after keeping it 4 weeks, they have not been able to resolve the problem. They ordered and installed a new cranking sensor but that didn't help. Before I have have it towed to a dealer which is about 25 miles away, do you have any suggestions this local mechanic can try? Any advise would be greatly appreciated, I can't afford the dealer's prices.
Thanks
Betsy
AnswerHi, Betsy. There's little probability this has anything to do with the battery.
Presuming the shop has determined that you're not getting any spark or injector pulse (normally the things that would make the crank sensor be a suspect), we're looking at an issue somewhere with the computer controls.
First, let's revisit the crank sensor. The new sensor comes with an o-ring on it to prevent oil leakage. If the old o-ring didn't come out with the old sensor and the new sensor was installed without removing the o-ring, the sensor will be too far away from the tone wheel in the engine to read it.
Second, it's possible there's an issue with the computer itself. When the key is turned to the on position, the check engine lamp should illuminate. If it doesn't, then things that supply the computer with power (ECM fuses and relays) should be checked.
If the shop has recommended to you that you take the car to the dealer, then that's probably a good idea. If they felt they were capable of finding and repairing the problem, they'd be likely to continue working on the vehicle.
