1997 Plymouth Breeze Won't Start

Tiny
GREGVERNON
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 PLYMOUTH BREEZE
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
My car won't fully start. I'll leave the ignition on for maybe 5 seconds, while the engine struggles to fully start.

The car shook, not exceedingly violently but enough to worry me, and there is an odd smell now emanating from the engine and exhaust.

I do live in the Northeast and we had a minor ice storm last night, however it is about 37*F right now so not terribly cold.

Will my car live?
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 AT 1:03 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
ISLAND_PRIDE71
  • MEMBER
  • 62 POSTS
Check for spark and fuel and then come back with the results.
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 AT 4:53 PM
Tiny
GREGVERNON
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
Thanks,

How would I find out this information?
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Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 AT 6:35 PM
Tiny
ISLAND_PRIDE71
  • MEMBER
  • 62 POSTS
Disconnect a sparkplug wire and ground it to the engine and get a helper to crank the engine over. Are you getting a blue spark? If you are, then you need to check the fuel pressure if it's within specifications to verify that the fuel pump is working and producing pressure with a fuel pressure gauge.
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Thursday, January 8th, 2009 AT 3:37 PM
Tiny
WALLUS
  • MEMBER
  • 13 POSTS
Actually if you are having a problem with damp or wet spark plug wires the you will have more trouble starting when the temperature rises above freezing because the water will allow the spark to short to ground.
Try pulling the plug wires off and look down into the spark plug wells for water droplets or mist.
Try blowing them out with compressed air if you have a compressor. If you don't have one then try a hair drier or heat lamp. (Be careful with heat lamps, they can get hot enough to melt plastic or even start a fire)
Do the same at the coil side then try to start the engine. If it starts good then you should consider a new set of wires.
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009 AT 4:31 PM

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