I have an '89 probe. It’s reasonably nasty. However, typically it starts.
I’ve been home sick for about a week and the last time I started the car was Wednesday - no problem. Fast forward to yesterday when we got 60 cm of snow. It’s a tad damp outside.
So - today I go to start my car. It’s turning over no problem, but it wont catch. Occasionally it makes a little hicup like it’s going to catch but doesn’t.
Obviously, if it had a carb I would just stuff a screwdriver in there and fireaway, but being as my car is fuel injected - no carb.
So, oh kind and wise dopers - does anyone have any suggestions? (Of course “get a new car” is top of the list. I was thinking of things other than that.)
Probably not. If your car is cranking strong, a boost won’t help.
I suspect it may have water in the fuel. Parts stores sell little bottle of stuff that will absorb the free water in your fuel system. I know we used to sell a lot of it over the winter.
When was the last time you changed your spark plug wires ? They develop cracks, and become sensitive to moisture over time. That can result in a weak spark, and failure to start.
My immediate suspicion from what you describe is condensation in the distributor cap, if it has one. Especially if it’s an old car, and sat through a temperature/weather change. I sincerely doubt it is water in the fuel from what you describe.
To check/fix, you will need to pop the cap off, and either spray the inside with cap dryer or electrical parts cleaner, or else wipe it out with a clean rag (not paper towel). Then put it back on and try starting it.
My 97’ Accord just had the same problem. Anthracite and Squink were on the correct track.
I needed new spark plugs and a distributor cap. $250 after all was said and done at the dealer.
Sounds like your not getting any fuel. The vacuum created when when the engine is turning over will suck in a bit of fuel causing the occasional hiccup of the engine attempting to start. This can be caused by a plugged fuel filter or worse, a bad fuel pump. To check the fuel pump, let the car sit for about 4 to 6 hours for any pressure to bleed off. Loosening your gas cap will speed up the process. Also try this when it is fairly quiet, turn off all other electrical stuff like the radio and defroster. Turn the key to the on position, do not turn it to the start position. You should hear a humming or clicking sound in the area around the fuel tank if the pump is operating. If you hear nothing, you will need to have the fuel pump checked out. Mazda had problems with coils of vehicles built about that time and the Probe, being a Ford badged Mazda, had the problems too. Whatever the problem is, it sounds like the services of a mechanic will be required to determine the exact problem.
A car which does not start is fairly easy to troubleshoot. The motor needs three things to start and run: Fuel, itgnition and compression. Since it is cranking we will assume it has compression so you basically need to check for two things: fuel mixture and spark. If the spark is there and the fuel is missing the motor will make an attempt to start when you pour a little fuel in the carb. You can check for ignition by pulling one of the wires and checking for spark to the block. Once you have determined if it is the fuel or the ignition then you can go on from there.
If it is the fuel then check the fuel pump, carb etc. If it is the spark check the ignition system. Not too complicated.
I put in some gasline antifreeze.
Checked the distributor cap and all the spark-plug wires, as well as the spark plugs - dry, clean, happy.
All belts are running fine.
Reset the fuel pump - just in case.
The fuel pump is getting an electrical signal.
Boosted the batery, just in case.
The last time I drove the car was Wednesday and it ran like a dream.
Today - I’ve got shit.
sailor - my car is fuel injected - it doesn’t have a carb - if it did, I could fix it myself.
Basically, I’m thinking that one of my sensors - perhaps the fuel injection sensor - is shot.
Groan. I’m currently letting the car dry out and then I’ll try it again because it is possible that some moisture has snuck in somewhere.
Anyhoo - I’ve confirmed the bus routes around here, just in case.
BTW - if anyone has any further sugestions, please - offer em up.
250 bucks for plugs and a cap and a (30 minute job)…to hell w/that :eek:
Alice remember…timing IS everything. You know that little hiccup you mentioned. That is usually a pretty good sign of trouble there. No guarantee, but it sounds like you’ve checked out most of the other possibilities.
Same thing happened w/ me recently. The distributor had become loose and had moved a few degrees off. Wouldn’t crank for shit…finally after sitting on the side of the road for about an hour :smack: it hit me. Turned the damned cap about an inch…fired right up, no problem since.
Just remember where it is now so you can go back…on my truck I simply turned it clockwise about an inch to advance the timing enough for it to fire. It popped right off, then eased it back a little until the idle smoothed out. When I got home I put a timing light on it but it was fine.
BTW try turning it a bit either way, I didn’t mean to imply clockwise only. BUT usually if it’s trying to backfire it’s not firing soon enough. The vehicle will act like it’s flooded if it’s slow. It’ll act like it’s outta gas if it’s too fast.
IF the distributor is loose enough to turn by hand, it might be worth rotating it some, but otherwise DON’T TRY TO CHANGE THE TIMING. Ignition timing VERY SELDOM gets off in modern cars.
If the outside temperature (ignore wind chill, it’s irrelevant, we’re talking about the actual temperature) is below freezing it’s possible to get ice blockage in the fuel system. The gasline anti-freeze typically takes care of that in 5 minutes or less. If the temperature is above freezing, I seriously doubt water in the fuel would prevent starting.
It’s not always possible to see moisture that is affecting a distributor cap or plug wires. Spraying those components with WD-40 or some other moisture displacer normally alleviates the problem temporarily.
Try some starting fluid (ether in a spray can) in the air intake duct. (Reconnect the duct after adding the ether.) If the car runs for a second or two and then dies, that indicates no gas getting into the engine. If starting fluid makes no difference, it’s likely an ignition problem.
On most cars, you can hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds when the key is switched on (not start, just “on”).
Badly worn spark plugs often work OK in mild conditions, but show their weakness in more demanding conditions.
Damn. I was getting ready to sound smart and suggest this.
Seriously, this is the easiest, quickest way to tell if it is a fuel or ignition problem. Though if you have been cranking on this thing all day for long times, if you are not smelling any gas by this point, thats a pretty strong indicator that you have an issue in your fuel system.
Hope its not the fuel pump because the in-the-tank style pumps are neigh impossible for you to change in your driveway. It’ll run you a couple hundred to replace that. Change the fuel filter before you try anything else with the fule system.
Carburator or injection you still need fuel. Injection systems are subject to getting some air in the system and it has to be bled. You can bleed the system and check for pressure.
Currently, I’m taking the wait-and-see approach. I’m reasonably confident that when the beast drys out a little it will start. It was running perfectly fine on Wednesday, then gets burried in 4 feet of snow and won’t start. It FEELS like the two might be related.
A quite reasonable assumption (though not a certainty). If the snow is still there, make sure it’s not blocking the engine’s air intake. If the problem is because of moisture, spraying WD-40 on the distributor cap, plug wires, and coil may shorten your waiting time.
