Engine fails to start after accident even though car has been repaired.

SJ08H9

MEMBER
2009 HYUNDAI ACCENT
18,000 MILES

Recently I was involved in an accident where the the oil pan was broken and the engine turned off. I didn't try to re-start the engine after and instead pushed the car off the road and had it towed. The damaged parts have been replaced but the engine refuses to start. A friend told me that some cars have sensors that prevent the engine from starting after an accident to prevent an explosion. Could this have happened? I can't seem to find anything like it.

Thank you in advance for your help and input.

8 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,269 POSTS

How long did the engine run after the damage?

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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 AT 4:35 PM

SJ08H9

MEMBER
4 POSTS

On collision, the engine shut down immediately. After it was repaired we tried running it a maximum of 4 times. For less than 5 seconds on each attempt.

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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 AT 4:42 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,269 POSTS

Okay. There are engine shut down sensors that are designed to stop fuel and spark to the engine in the event of an accident. Chances are it needs reset.

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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 AT 4:57 PM

SJ08H9

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4 POSTS

Thank you Jacob. Do I need to take my car to a licensed Hyundai mechanic to do the reset or is it something I can do myself?

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Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 AT 5:05 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,269 POSTS

If you are able to locate it, you could do it. However, they placed them in different locations, so I don't even know where to tell you to look. Contact a dealer and have your VIN available. Maybe they can look it up with the vin and tell you where yours is located.