QuestionQUESTION: Hi Roland, my 1998 sebring 2.5. v-6 will crank but not start.I have had this problem on several occasions and usually after cranking the starter over several times the car will start . At one point the car would not start at all so I changed the cap and rotor out, it ran for about a month and then it went back to the same symptom. I ran a code check with a ODB-II with the ignition in the on position and it said there were no stored codes in the PCM. If the crank positioning sensor was bad would I get a code back using this method?
ANSWER: Hi Carlos,
The code reader would indeed have detected a problem with either the crank or the cam (in the distributor) sensor because the engine controller would notice the lack of signal when you were simply cranking the engine over with the starter motor.
One of the first things that I would check, in the absence of codes would be the egr valve which may be stuck ajar, which leans out the mixture too much to sustain an idle. Here is how I have instructed others on it:
"I would check the mechanical function of the egr valve which is located along a pipe that runs from the left exhaust manifold (on the side of the engine facing the front of the car) to the intake manifold area (where the incoming air in the large rubber tube enters the throttle). That valve is metal and has a round fitting with a vacuum hose attached, mounted on the top of the valve, and the round part is attached to the main body of the valve by a sort of saddle. Inside the open saddle you will see a metal rod (with a slot) that connects the round top fitting to to the valve body. That rod is a stem on the valve and it is supposed to go in and out in response to the engine vacuum which varies with RPM and throttle opening (gas pedal position). Take a spray can of WD-40 or other penetrating lubricant and spray the stem where it enters the valve body and then use a regular screwdriver blade tip inserted in the slot to lever the valve in and out to try and free up its motion. Also check all the rubber vacuum hoses associated with the valve and a nearby vacuum solenoid valve. If the valve seems to open (against the action of a spring) and close firmly by the spring action when using the screwdriver blade to facilitate the motion, then you should be able to now start the engine. You can, once it is idling, check that the valve stem moves when you rev the engine from idle to 2500 rpm and back to idle. If it still won't start, then removing and cleaning the interior of the valve, or buying a new one if it seems too crudy and corroded inside, is the next step to getting the engine to start. In the absence of any code other than 32 this is the best approach to getting the car to start."
The other item you might want to check if you have an ohmmeter is the coolant temp sensor located next to the coolant filler neck. It should read about 10,000-14,000 ohms across its terminals.
Please feel free to ask further questions/report progress by using the "thank/rate" tab below. Also while you are at that page please notice a question about "nomination to be expert of the month" which I am in competition to receive, being only 2 votes behind the leader. I would truly appreciate your entering a "yes" for me where you see that question.
Roland
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QUESTION: The EGR valve moves freely,but the car still won't start however the coolant level is pretty low. I do not have a ohms meter i s there any other way to check the sensor?
AnswerHi Carlos,
No, unfortunately the resistance of the sensor is the primary value of the device which changes as the coolant heats up (its value decreases and thus causes a leaning out of the mixture) so what would be wrong would be if it had a reading of around 1,000 ohms when the engine were cold it would cause a too lean mixture to start the engine. The only way to know that is to measure it. You could buy a simple 10,000 ohm resistor and put it across the socket pins of the sensor's plug and fake out the computer, if it was in fact the case that the sensor was inaccurate/broken. That would be a very inexpensive way to see if that was why you have the no start. And if it then started you could replace the old sensor with good assurance that it was why you don't get a start.
I wonder about your low coolant situation, however. Is there any signs of leakage? or have you noticed an excessive amount of white smoke when you started the engine successfully, recently, coming out the tailpipe? That would be a sign of a head gasket leak. Or does the oil in the crankcase appear cloudy/milky?
So try the resistor and let me know about the other possibilities. Please consider the "thank/rate" request for a nomination of me to be 'expert of the month' which concludes tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks in advance...
Roland
