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1992 std Saturn SL2 won't start Headlights and blinkers work Headlamp radio and trunk light no Battery is new Car cranks but wont start Tested fuses they fine tried neutral start no go.180k mls.?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
When the starter functions properly but the engine doesn't start, there are only 3 possibilities:
- Fuel delivery
- Spark delivery
- Compression
If all three of the above are normal, the engine MUST start.
First, check the fuel delivery. Use a can of starting fluid to test the hypothesis that the problem might be related to fuel. Remove the air cleaner and have a friend attempt to start the engine while you spray a good, healthy stream into the intake. Only spray while the starter is cranking or while the engine is running. If the engine tries to start when you're spraying starting fluid into the intake, but it stops as soon as you quit spraying the starting fluid, you almost certainly have a fuel delivery problem. The common causes are; fuel pump, pressure regulator, fuel filter, injectors or crankshaft position sensor.
Next, (since starting fluid didn't find the problem) check the spark. The Saturn "S" series uses a coil-pack assembly, meaning that one coil is used for two cylinders, and each coil fires when the associated cylinders are at TDC of the compression cycle and the exhaust cycle. Use a timing light to verify that there is, in fact, a spark, and that it is relatively close to TDC as expected. Also, connect a spare spark-plug to one of the plug wires, set it on a solid metal part of the engine, then have your friend "crank" the engine again while you watch the sparkplug to see if you're getting a strong spark. If not, find out why. Usually a faulty coil-pack assembly will result in only 2 of the cylinders misfiring.
Last, run a compression test. Pull the spark-plugs (mark the wires so you'll know where they go), then use a compression gague to find out what the compression is for each cylinder. The compression should be around 85-110 PSI for each cylinder, and ideally the compression shouldn't be more than a few PSI different across all cylinders.
If ALL of the tests looked good, you have done something wrong, since as I indicated above, if you have proper fuel delivery, good spark delivered at the right time and good compression, the engime must start.
Good luck.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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