1998 Chevrolet Cavalier Starting

Tiny
BRYANFAIR67
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
  • 2.2L
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
The other day wife left and the drive belt popes off and she drive it back home not even 5 mins she said car never got got or anything when she got back I fixed the belt and started it right back up has to add a little anti-frezz but it ran fine. Next day it started having problems had to turn it over few time while giving lol has and it would start wife went to go to work today won't start any
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 AT 4:36 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
The first thing I would do is pull the spark plugs and see if any have coolant on them.

If not, proceed with these tests.

All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can ONLY be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem isn't present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That's what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the info required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the + terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

4) If all of these things check good, then you would need to do a complete compression test.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.
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Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015 AT 7:25 AM

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