Hey guys..i was parked in front of a costco a couple of nights ago waiting for a friend and after sitting there for about 15-20 minutes, my car wouldnt start anymore. When the AAA tow truck came, the guy tried pouring gasoline into the throttle body and the car would briefly start then die. The car has been at a very trusted mechanic for 2 days and he cant find the problem. Spark plugs are practically new(10k miles ngk coppers), Air filter is new, fuel filter is new, battery is new, starter is new. These were all changed within the last couple thousand miles. The mechanic has tried running codes and hasnt found anything, there is also no records of any error codes. There is pressure in the fuel system so its not the gas pump. He said it seems like there is no signal so the ecu might be fried? My car has 72,000 miles...why is it like this! Has any had this problem be4???? PLZ HELP!

 

check the crank position sensor

 

If the crank position sensor malfunctions or fails, wont the CEL light up and have a trouble code?

 

we need a sticky for trouble shooting on starting issues.

 

How's the CEL gonna light up if you cant start the car :P

 

my guess woulda been fuel pressure but u said that was fine.

 

well obviously, your mechanic is a mechanic. not a technition.

first thing you want to check it spark.
then you go to fuel. and then you go to igntion(pcm grounding signal)

 

Vacuume problem?

 

NO START CONDITION, SO NO VACUUM

 

I had a similar occurance....It ended up being my Camshaft Sensor

 

hooked on phonics works for this thread.

 

Is it cranking, or is the starter just clicking?

 

Yes it is cranking. What I meant to say that the CEL did not come on the 10 minutes prior to shutting off the car. The mechanic plugged the diagnostic computer in and found no trouble codes. He checked oil pressure and spark and everything was fine. If there are no error codes...am I supposed to change out the different sensors and basically "guess and check"?


THANKS!

 

we call that the shotgun approach. usually costs alot of money. this is what happens when a mechanic is not competent enought to properly diagnose a concern that a customer may have. i advise not to do this, and get a proper diagnoistic tool such as a DMM and tests the sensors and compare to OEM specs.

 

check the following sensors

ECT
CMP
IAC
MAF
TPS
CKP(REF)(POS)
BARO(if equipped)
IATS

 

Thanks for the replies. Is there a place online that has a diagram showing the locations of these sensors and the factory specs so i can do this myself?? I understand electronics very well and since the mechanic cant find anything i might as well give it a try before giving in and taking it to the dealer. Does anyone know of any good technicians or someone who can trouble shoot my car in the southern california area?? THANKS

 

anybody else catch the ("guy tried pourin gas in the tb, car would briefly start and die?") not sure but i never had any luck runnin any car without the maf and other sensors disconected and a open wide open tb.

 

Everything was still connected. He just unlatched the air box and then poured some gas through the MAF screen

 

If putting a small amount of fuel or starting fluid into the throttle body made the car start for a second, then your getting spark, but no fuel.

The Camshaft angle sensor controls the timing of fuel delivery. I think, as nycspudz03 mentioned, that sensor is most likely to blame.

 

no error codes? that is really weird.

 

If your not getting fuel, typically the culprit is a relay buried up in your dash. It is on the firewall almost behind the gauge cluster. That is probably your problem. Its a PITA to get to. It has happened to three of my friends 4th gens, and that was the problem every time.

 

I finally took it to the dealer and they told me the weirdest thing. They said my ECM was losing memory so they reprogrammed my keys and now the car is working fine??!!! Has anyone had this problem before because i thought the ECM should be one of the strongest part of the car since it controls everything

 

Wow, a dealer finally did something right???

 

how much did that set you back?