QuestionI'm trying to help an elderly woman with her car, after she's tried to save money and been ripped off by several shade-tree mechanics. The last time she drove it, it died on her after a few blocks and she was told it was the fuel pump. I tried starting it with a fresh battery, it cranked fine but would not start. I could hear what sounded like a fuel pump running for a couple of seconds after turning on the ignition. I want to check fuses first, but they're not where I expected to find them, based on my past experience with other GM cars, mostly Cavaliers.
Where are the fuses, and how should I proceed from there? She's also had the harmonic balancer replaced but it sticks out too far, is clearly too deep,and the serpentine belt will not stay on long. Are these balanced for each individual engine, or to put it another way, is there more than one balancer for this engine/?--Thank you!
Ray Mac
AnswerRay,
First off sorry it took me so long to get back to you . To be honest off the top of my head I can't remember where exactly the fuse box is and doubt this would be the problem.
The fuel pump humming with key turned forward is normal and a good sign . Fuel injected engines can be a pain to diagnose especially without the proper equipment hence the reason why the "shade tree" mechanic could not fix the problem . A simple fuel pressure test will diagnose whether or not the pump is malfunctioning or a simple clogged fuel filter is the culprit. And the list goes on -->dirty fuel injector , throttle body , ignition system.
To have the car properly diagnosed and given a safe bill of health I'd personally take the car to a certified ASE technician and have that shop look over your two problems. ASE's site lists qualified shops and actually rates them via consumer reports .
The serpentine belt/harmonic balancer can turn into a can of worms . My brother brought me his 94 Lincoln that had a a similar problem . The belt came off and ripped off two pulley's in the process, extremely expensive to replace depending on the damage .
I hope it was "shade tree" mechanic that installed the harmonic balancer and not a legitimate business . If a shop installed the HB then they should replace it for free.
Ray sorry I couldn't of been of any more help to you . Its a very noble gesture for you to help out someone in need. Go to a mechanic and explain your situation , some but not all will understand and knock off a few bucks . But replacing the harmonic balancer will not be cheap .
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask . Don't forget to rate my response/post me a followup
Happy 4th ,
Ed McKenna
