My Max hasn't started for months. It used to just start slow. As it neared the end of its life it also began to miss a little after it was started.

I have gone down the list in the Haynes manual. I have determined that cylinders 2,4, and 5 don't spark. I tried switching the coil packs, and each one of them worked in cylinders 1,3, and 6. Each coil pack connector was getting power. I am in the process of checking the crankshaft sensors and the camshaft sensor. Would these sensors possibly cause this problem? I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to electrical issues, but I tried the backprobing of the (POS) Crankshaft sensor. It says when the magnet is touching something metal it should read 5 Volts and when the metal is pulled away 0 Volts. Not sure if I am getting a good backprobe, but I read 1 Volt with metal contact and 0 without. I am thinking about replacing this sensor. AutoZone says it cost ~ $70

Still have not tried the Camshaft sensor.

Could there be a computer or wiring harness issue? If that was the case how would I figure it out/fix it? I think the car used to have knock sensor and oxygen sensor warnings, but those are gone now that the battery has been disconnected so long. I wouldn't imagine these would keep it from starting though.

 

Maybe you should do an ECU test to pull some codes, much easier to diagnose that way.

Its probably some dumass sensor that cost 8 bucks.

 

There are no codes, because it has been dead for so long with battery unattached. It only gives me the 0505 code for no faults.

I will try and see if more codes pop up after I try and crank it a few times. I am not aware of any sensor that is cheaper than $50. This car has a rediculous number of sensors.

 

No Advice from anyone. The guy that had valet parking and a bad battery got like 7 replies. What's up with that? Well, I have ordered a new crankshaft sensor. Mine was only giving a 1 volt signal and the book says it should give a 5 volt signal. Considering that coil packs 2,4, and 5 are the furthest out on the wiring harness. Maybe the weak signal just doesn't make it that far.

 

I'm surprised the ECU doesn't blip at a bad CAS sensor. Anyway, aside from the coil packs being bad, which you've tested already. Looks more and more like a problem with the CAS.

Good luck.

 

are you sure its 2, 4, 5?


looking at the engine bay, these are your cylinders


1 3 5
2 4 6

front of car

when the car was down, did it juss sit there or was there work done to the car? timing chain/cover related?

 

Just a thought, but what could be in common to the three coil packs that would cause them not to fire? A common ground?
Sometimes multiple devices are grounded at a single point.
Worth a look.

 

Alright, finally got some responses!

I am sure it is cylinders 2,4,5

If you look at the wiring harness, it goes to 1 then 3 then 5 on the one side. On the other side, it goes to 6 then 4 then 2. This is why I am hoping for a weak signal from the sensor.

The only work that has been done on it by a shop was new clutch, and before that, a new starter. The slow starting which eventually led to no starting didn't start up for several months after the new clutch. Even during the slow starting, I didn't really notice it missing too often, however in the last two to three weeks before it quit starting it would miss while driving until it got good and warmed up. Could the timing have gotten messed up on the clutch replacement? I would like to check the timing chains next if the crankshaft sensor doesn't work, but the procedure in Haynes said I had to pull the engine.

As far as the common ground. I thought of that too. To test it out, I probed each connector on the black wire with the other end on the + terminal of the battery, I got a light indicating a good ground. The Haynes also tells how to test the middle white wire, which is the signal wire from the ECU. When I performed this test, I didn't get the flashing light that I would have expected, however I did get a light. This makes me think that a signal is there, but it is not working properly.

The ECU could have given codes before, but it doesn't give me anything now. I didn't know how to check the codes until recently. It doesn't keep the codes now, because I am constantly unhooking the battery to work on this problem. I have not tried to attempt to start it and then check the codes before unhooking the battery, but I don't know if the ECU would have time to set a code. The last few times I checked it had 0505 which means no codes. The new sensor should be in today or soon. I hope it helps the problem.