Cranks but will not start

Tiny
WHITING2416
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 90,890 MILES
Car was running fine until I put it in park then it shut off. My car now will not start. It tries to start but seems as if it is not getting fuel. I tried replacing fuel pump relay, but no luck. Any ideas or suggestions? Please help.
Tuesday, July 26th, 2016 AT 10:47 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can only be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem is not present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That is what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the information required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the positive terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

4) If all of these things check good, then you would need to do a complete compression test.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 5:10 AM
Tiny
WHITING2416
  • MEMBER
  • 22 POSTS
The car has electrical problems so I do not think it is a mechanical failure. It has a bad computer.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 6:37 AM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
Have you had it diagnosed?
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 7:25 AM
Tiny
WHITING2416
  • MEMBER
  • 22 POSTS
No, I do not have it diagnosed. I am going to check the fuel system out and then check for spark. I will let you know what I find.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 7:38 AM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,757 POSTS
Please follow all of the tests because as the first sentence states, combinations of problems can point to specific systems so we need the entire picture.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 7:45 AM
Tiny
RENEE L
  • ADMIN
  • 1,257 POSTS
Hi WHITING2416,

Thank you for visiting 2CarPros. Com. Please get back to us with the results of the test. We are always happy to help.

Kindest regards,

Renee
Admin
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 AT 2:27 PM

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