A year or so ago, it suddenly failed to start. It was towed to the shop. Tapping the gas tank would make the fuel pump start working temporarily, so the fuel pump was professionally replaced. (Problem solved at that time.)
About a year later; roughly a month ago, the car would not start one afternoon. That night, still no start. Next morning, no start. Towed it to the shop-- immediate start as soon as it came of the wrecker. The shop cranked it periodically over two days. No failures, no problems-- nothing to "fix". (And no charge at all-- these are nice, honest people.)
My guess was moving the car got the pump going, like bumping the gas tank did before, but hated to arbitrarily replace the pump again after only a year. Took the car home, no further problems for about a month.
Yesterday morning it failed to start again. Likewise yesterday afternoon. I asked a mechanic to come here, in case moving the car would cause the problem to vanish again. No problem-- he would come out this morning. This morning, before he came, I tried again. It cranked right up. Now what?
To be clear, no other problems are known. Battery is strong. Voltage has been checked, and connections were recently cleaned just as periodic maintenance-- that is not a factor here. Engine spins properly and at proper speed. With the previous situation (a month ago) even after probably 20 or 30 attempts to start the car, when it finally cranked up after two days, it did so with no help (no battery boost needed, etc.) With the current problem, this morning (after not starting several times yesterday) it cranked right up also-- immediate start. No boost and it "hit" immediately when I turned the key.
The situation is absolutely typical as far as starting-- I'm starting it the same way, it sounds the same, etc, except there is no spark. It never hits at all when this is going on-- not once. No crank-then-stall. No rough running when it does crank, no fog of smoke like it had been flooded, etc. It sounds as if there is absolutely no spark at all, but that has never been verified because before anyone can look for the problem, it vanishes.
When the fuel pump failed a gear ago, is acted the same way. The only difference I can think of is that when the pump failed (last year), it had just been running. I parked, walked into my daughter's school to get her and within 5 minutes, was trying to leave, but no start.
Last month and currently, the car had been off over-night each time. This time, it was damp and raining, slightly coolish outside. Last month, it was dry outside but still slightly cool.
Last month, I thought I was smelling some unburned fuel-- just a bit when trying to start. That makes sense if no spark, but less sense if fuel pump failure. (Why would I smell gas if I had no gas going into the engine?) I smelled only a trace of gas this time near the tailpipe when it failed to start, but I have never had ignition failure on a car that was totally gone then back and running normal over and over either-- this is really frustrating!
I take my family out in this car. We drive it on trips and park it in downtown Atlanta from time-to-time. I have multiple children, including a three-year-old and a baby on the way-- in fact I'll probably need to take my wife to the hospital in this car in a few weeks for the delivery! Save to say that this car has to be reliable. I don't care what it costs (within reason)-- safety comes first here.
Suggestions? I was trying to think of a way to possibly monitor fuel pressure and ignition status, for example, but I don't want to do anything that would make the car unreliable or unsafe. Would there be a good way to mount a fuel pressure gauge permanently that would be reliable? How might I know I was getting spark all the time? I'm thinking some sort of monitoring device that would act like an inductive pickup for a timing light, clamped around a plug wire perhaps? I don't think an electronic tach would do it-- what would react to the slow firing as you crank besides a timing light? (Not a great solution having a timing light laying on the console really.)
I'd be happiest if this was just something that was on the car from now-on, so if and when this ever happens again, I can look and say-- "there we go, no fuel pressure" or uh-oh, "no spark". (I keep cars forever so I don't mind the investment in safety very much.)
Many Thanks!
Richard Holloway,
Tucker, Georgia
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Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006 AT 10:16 AM
