No Start!

[gabkwong]

This morning my 99 won't start . I would crank strongly but no firing at all. I did not have time to look if the fuse was blown or something else. It drove fine the past week since the timing belt was done 2 weeks ago. Other than fuse, what else should I look for?

[OZMDD]

CAS wiring connection? I know that it won't start if it is off.

[sammm]

Does it live inside or outside? It has been really humid the past few nights. Something get wet...maybe?

[gabkwong]

Does it live inside or outside? It has been really humid the past few nights. Something get wet...maybe?

It is always inside. I guess this is some electrical problem. I will check the harness and etc..

[goofygrin]

When mine did this it was the fuel pump. You can jumper the fuel pump under the hood and see if you can hear it to test.

[ken o]

Is this after your 13b or 6 speed conversion?

[shortshift]

You need three things to run an engine - spark, fuel and compression. Pull a plug wire, push a screwdriver into the sparkplug clip and hold the insulated end, with the screwdriver shaft maybe one-half inch away from the cam cover while someone cranks the engine. If you don't see a spark, that's your starting point. Next would be to check the fuel pump (as stated above) and finally the compression. Somewhere along the line you'll find a symptom.

[gabkwong]

Is this after your 13b or 6 speed conversion?

So ... can you do both the 13b AND 6 speed conversion! I heard that this would be the 'killer mod'.

Thank you for the suggestions. I will start tricking it down once I get home!

[wrx74]

Outa' GAS??

[cam76034]

I'd check the timing belt first, check through the oil fill opening for cam movement while starting.

[black roadster]

Broken key way? We have seen a rash of these lately.

[OZMDD]

Outa' GAS??

Winner!!

[gabkwong]

Winner!!

May be! I have a full tank! However ... I finally able to get it to start by turning the key and hold it for a few seconds before all the way to crank the engine and listen to the fuel pump running. I was able to duplicate this after the car cool down again. Again it won't fire until I hold the key for a few seconds before cranking. So ... what could be my problem? I know if I don;t get this fixed, sooner or later (more of a sooner) I will be stranded.

Could this be my fuel pump getting weak? The fuel filter is only 6 months old, therefor it can't be the fuel filter. What else is left on the fuel side? Could that be I have bad gas? I did fill it up on Monday coming back from work and drove it w/o problem on Tue. Today, Wed, it won't fire.

[Matt V]

I recall reading a thread of a member that was having the same issues as you, turned out to be his fuel pump.

[OZMDD]

You sure the fuel filter seals are tight? If its pulling a little air into the filter, it could behave that way after sitting for a bit.

[jakepkoe]

It's prolly the pump but don't completely discount the filter just because it's only six months old. Some dirty gas could foul a filter pretty quickly.

[gabkwong]

None of the above! It was neither the fuel pump nor the filter. It was the 'engine relay' which is located under the hood in the fuse box next to the windshield washer bottle (for the non-ABS car). The lesson learned here is that if the car cranks and positive clicking noise from under the steering Colum (the fuel pump relay) but no humming noise from the left fender area (the fuse box), it is possible the engine relay is toasted! This is a hard to find part, but Gary at TDR again came to rescue! Thanks Gary! Also thanks Gary R. helped me diagnosed the problem. Gary R. accidentally stumbled upon the diagnosis for me!

[motorollow]

We were very lucky to find the problem. We had the fuse box open while he started the car. I happened to close the fuse box since the car started, and closing the lid to the fuse box killed the engine.