Any car techs in the house?

[lopxtc]

Hey here is one for you ….

Okay went to start the car this morning and it would sound like it was trying to turn over, but sounded like it wasn’t getting fuel. Spark, but no kick like it was actually trying to start.

Pumped the pedal several times to try and feed it fuel, and kept turning the key try to get it to kick over. It finally started after having to hold down the gas pedal and keep on the key.

Let sit idle for a few mins, then shifted into reverse and the car died.

Tried to start it again and this time nothing … no engine noise what-so-ever. All the electronics in the car seem to work, so I am not sure if it’s the battery or what ….

Any clues?

Aaron

[GT]

car?
engine?
tranny?

[lopxtc]

Okay update …. Let it sit for a little while and went back out … this time I am getting the sound of it trying to kick over …. Battery maybe?

Its a 94 Geo Prizm ...
1.6L inline 4 ...
Auto ...

Aaron

[jdev]

does it click, like the starter is trying to engage the flywheel on the tranny, or does it not even click?

things you may want to check are the following:

battery charge, see if you can get a jumpstart

terminal corrosion, make sure there is no oxidation buildup on the terminals

loose battery conenction, check to make sure that the cables are securely connected to the battery posts.

alternator, your aleternator may be shot, not charging the battery.

without actually sitting there trying to diagnose the problem, its hard to say..

anyway I can get shell access to it? I may be able to help out that way :D

[lopxtc]

Okay guys so far thanks for all the advice ...

Here is the next update ...

Went out and got the car to start ... little to no needing to press on the gas ... here is the results now ...

1 -- started, let idle for a few mins ..
2 -- Shift into reverse ... started to back out, shift into drive, car dies.
3 -- Start car again, shift to drive ... hold down brake and apply some gas to keep it from dying.
4 -- Drive around my block for about 5-6 mins, tries to die at stops ... apply gas keeps going.
5 -- During this time it felt slugish and like it was missing ...
6 -- After a little warm-up time, it starts to drive fine and act like normal ...


I am going to get a new distributor cap at lunch, and also a fuel filter ...

One other thing to add ... its been raining in my area since Friday, and we havent had rain in a couple months ... wondering if condensation could have something to do in this also.

Again thanks for all the help and advice so far.

Aaron

[jdev]

aaron,

another thing you may want to try is this:

seeing as i dont think the geo prizm is carbureted.. so you may want to try and get some fuel injector cleaner, prior to spending all sorts of uncecessary cash. just a though. besides, if that doesnt fix it, it never hurts to make sure your fuel injectors are clean.

:)

[lopxtc]

That was my line of thought also ... I am going to get the cleaner at lunch. I havent done a tune up in awhile so I think I am also going to change out the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires tonight ...

With the rain there may have been moisture that got into the system ...

Aaron

[rhetor22]

if your wires are bad enough the car will have problems in the rain.

to see if your wires are grounding, open up the hood and let it idle (if it will) at night or in a dark garage bay (if you have all the doors shut and the car is running, a nap is a bad idea.) and look for the spark jumping from the wires to the block. There's only four so look carefully, in the dark you should be able to see it pretty easily though.

Next thing, check your fuel pressure. If it isn't spark then its fuel, as getting an air feeding problem that bad is almost impossible, unless its something extremely noticable like the neighbor's cat hanging out of your airbox. Fuel filter is an idea, but its hard for it to get that clogged that fast without getting a real bad tank of gas.

If the car is TBI, i honestly have no idea, but since its a 1994 it's FI, check to see if the injectors are spraying a good amount of gas in there. They should be puting a nice cone shape spray, if not, your problem is fuel delivery. Could be a weak pump if thats the case....

let us know what you find.

[GT]

Hmm few things.

Are you getting any check engine lights? Reason I ask is because the car is runing real crappy in closed loop. While the car is cold it typically dumps alot of fuel.

could also be a MAP? Is it doing this with the a/c on? Check your air filter.

Do me a favor, disconnect your battery, stand on the break for about a minute and let the car sit for 5-10 mins. Restart the car and let it idle, if it does, for about 5 mins. Sometimes the computer needs a reboot every now and then. If you did this right you will lose all of your preset radio stations.

[Deep Sixx]

Could also be an EGR valve sticking... that would cause the bad idle. Also, your car is fuel injected. DO NOT pump the gas when starting, you'll only flood it beyond hope.

sixx

[GT]

Originally posted by Deep Sixx
Could also be an EGR valve sticking... that would cause the bad idle. Also, your car is fuel injected. DO NOT pump the gas when starting, you'll only flood it beyond hope.

sixx

Sixx I dont know if you can flood an EFI? I guess it depends on what the ECU will do.

[Lohman446]

It sounds like a series of issues... to not start nor crank and then run poorly is likely not related.

Heres an oddity that is not something normally suggested for this problem - Geos in particular have had a problem with belts slipping - a belt not spinning the alternator correctly could cause many of your problems - especially if the computer is not supplied enough power, however this should cause a alternator/low charge light on in the dash and belt noise.

Wires are likely considering the rain, most common problem to be affected by rain.

Some ideas... Im half asleep tonight anyways, but some thoughts to be put out there

[rhetor22]

I assumed the battery was dead only because you were cranking it for so long trying to get it started.


If the timing were thrown off too far in advance somehow, altho i bet its computer controlled, the engine would become very hard to crank because the ignition would occur way before TDC and actually be pushing back against the piston on the compression stroke.

If your battery is dead, it could very well be related. I wouldn't be suprised if a dead battery wrecked your Geo's ability to drive! the alts on those things can't be very strong at all... it may just be overwhelmed try to charge the battery...

[lopxtc]

Well everyone it turned out to be a tune-up was in order. Pulled out the cap and the rotor and contacts on the wires were corroded and the plugs were 1/2, 3/4 burnt ....

Changed out all the above and now the car is running great ... thanks all for the tips and what not.


Aaron

[Deep Sixx]

Originally posted by gtrsi


Sixx I dont know if you can flood an EFI? I guess it depends on what the ECU will do.

Yeah you can... quite badly and quite easily. All you have to do is pump the gas while cranking the engine... the injectors will blast fuel into the engine like there's no tomorrow. After about 30 seconds of that, the only way to start the engine is to remove the spark plugs and let the cylinders dry out (they'll be literally flooded) and change the oil (which is now part gasoline).

When I was in high school I worked in a garage. Every winter, there'd be at least 3 "no-starts" a day get towed in. We'd change the plugs and the oil and tell them not to pump the gas. They never listen.

sixx

[Zumina]

Originally posted by Deep Sixx
Could also be an EGR valve sticking... that would cause the bad idle. Also, your car is fuel injected. DO NOT pump the gas when starting, you'll only flood it beyond hope.

sixx

Ditto.

I had to almost literally bail my girlfriend's car out when she couldn't get her car to start.