Starter cranks but engine will not start

LILMANNYCHULO

MEMBER
CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

I crank the engine, gas is working fine but the starter is working but the engine is not starting. I let my dad attempt to start it but I think he held the starter down too long, cause smoke came off of it. The reapair man tells me that my starter is gone but it was working even after my dad caused it to smoke. When I first pulled the car into the shop the starter attempted to crank the engine and now they tell me it is gone (They fried it). Could the cause of this problem be something else? Im thinking the timing chain or the timing itself is bad. All my plugs are working but I had misfiring and hp loss the last few weeks. How can I be sure it is the Chain or just the timing

1 Reply

BACKYARDMECHANIC

MECHANIC
337 POSTS

Knowing the year motor size and mileage would of made it easier to help so please included it next time. :) Does the car have spark. If the motor cranks and you have fuel and spark then its the timing. If your car has a distubutor you can check if the timing is off using the following method. Remove the cap and observe the postion of the rotor. Turn the motor slowly by either tapping the key or by hand. If turning by hand turn it clockwise. When the rotor is pointing toward the number 1 tower on the cap, check the hormonic balancer to see if the timing marks line up correctly. For example if the timing is 8 degrees BTDC then the markings should be on or near that. If its off by alot then the chain has slipped and needs to be replaced. The only other way the timing come of gone off is if the distubutor is loose. Make sure it's tight first. Good luck