QuestionOk, I'm going to start with the beginning. We got an eclipse from a friend. It worked great no problems for a while. Then one day, a yellow light in the console that looks like a house or something turned on. My dad put that fuel additive stuff and it would go away. This went on for some time and every time it would turn on we'd put that stuff in it. We thought it was just a reminder or something to put it in. After that the light turned on and stayed on all the time. We thought something was incorrectly reading. One day my dad was driving and it started going stupid, it started stalling and sputtering and it died. We towed it home and couldn't figure it out. We left it there for about a year, and I realized that the culprit had to be the computer. It had been making a ticking noise before it screwed up(engine off, key to on) because my dad told me about that. I took it out and sure enough, it smelled burnt and the capacitors had oil stuff around them and components near it. SO... we bought a reman computer and I put it in. It cranked, but wouldn't start.Hmmmm...... we got confused. We bought the Haynes edition book for the car and read it. My work on lawnmowers told me that all the engine needs is spark, air gas, turning. So we went through that and found there was no spark. I know Linda, a lot of reading right....sorry, but it might help you, almost done.... Anyways, I checked the distributor and I believe one of the coils went out. So I bought a used distributor that the guy said worked, put it in and still nothing. Ok, before I replaced the old distributor I cranked it, and the starter sounded weird, and slow. I turned the engine but it sounded like it was going straight, not how a cranking engine sound Dr..rrrrr..dr..rrrrr. you know. It sound like Drrrrrrrrrrrrr. After I replaced the distributor, timing the same. It sounded almost like usual, but it was turning slow. Battery is new, but just in case we recharged it. Still the same. And not to mention it still had no spark. I think that's it, please help me out Linda. I need your expertise. Thanks......and special thanks for making it this long.
AnswerAlejandro: Have you ever had the car coded? Though the computer was bad, you could have sensors out. The computer is only as good as its sensors which are all over the engine on your car. You said you bought a distributor from some guy. Are you sure it is the right one for your car? Because in that distributor is something called a crank angle sensor. So if this distributor does not go with your car then your car's computer is not going to be able to read this crank angle sensor. You could have broken, loose or disconnected wires at the ignition coil or faulty coil. But hey please buy the one for your car and not off some guy who is sure it is right. But it could be wrong... It does sound a bit like maybe your starter is old and should be replaced too. I thought the light you talk about as the one for water or the car being low on water. But I could be wrong. You work on lawnmowers then surely you know how to use a voltmeter? You need to get that Haynes repair manual, your voltmeter, start with the battery and work yourself around that engine till you see if you might have a short someplace. Because it could be something as easy as a short but the voltmeter will show you what out put you are getting and the manual will explain what readings you should be getting. You can code your car that way too, useing that voltmeter. If you have a AutoZone close, they will code your car for free. But with it not starting you would have to pull it there, so try the manual and the voltmeter. That manual will explain to you about all kinds of sensors that your car has. With the year your car is, it sure could be sensors that are causing your problems. But then you let the car for a year, can you hear the fuel pump kick in. How old is the fuel in it? I know you are working on no stark. Think about it for a minute... when you jump in the car and turn that key. What has to happen for that car to start? How old are the cables that run from the battery to the starter? How old is the starter? The starter is what gets your engine going, it turns the engine to get things going. Could be your solenoid is bad. Hey when it the last time you did a good tune up? How old is the rotor? Stark plugs, wires and oh yes the distributor? Could be one of your coils are out, but again that voltmeter test should shoot you as to what is wrong and what should be replaced. I mean think about when you work on a lawnmower that has sat for a year, the things you have to replace to get that thing going. Sorry I work on lawnmowers too. I can remember some nasty mowers to work on after what people had done to them and then thought a stark plug oh maybe a bit of new fuel, so they should start now. Oh but let's worry about that it run better without the air cleaner so that is how they ran it all Summer. You know where all that dry grass went to. And so they just never ran so good after that. But then that is not what is wrong with your car. So try the voltmeter and that manual, but keep me posted would you? Oh yes a lot of reading but still ideas to try. I really hope you get that car going, it could be just a very small things to fix but still keep at it. I know you will fix it and in no time be zipping down the road. Any other questions write me at oppedal50@yahoo.com and maybe I can help. Good luck!
