Car will not start

Your comment about the diagnostic tester is incorrect. A scanner is exactly what we use for crank/no-start problems. Its use has nothing to do with whether the engine will run. In fact, about eighty percent of the time we do not need the engine to be running for the tests we need to do.

The first thing you need to do is read and record the diagnostic fault codes. If you are lucky, there will be a code related to the crankshaft position sensor or the camshaft synchronizer, but the codes for them often do not set just from cranking the engine. They typically set when a stalled engine is coasting to a stop. If a code was set previously, it got erased when you disconnected the battery to replace it.

If there is no fault code related to this problem, the scanner will show the sensor readings in real time, and you can watch the crankshaft position sensor and camshaft synchronizer to see if their signals are showing up during cranking. If one signal is missing, that sensor is the best suspect, but first we have to rule out wiring and connector terminal problems. If both signals are missing, we know it is not likely both sensors failed at the same time. A broken wire feeding both sensors is the better suspect.