Why does a 1993 Chevy cavalier cranks over but it don't start?

Answer 1

fuel pump. electrical system. check for fuel first. you may have to go to the fuel filter and pull off the hose leading away. then have someone to crank it,stay away from the gas and do not smoke around this. if it is pumping gas then your fuel pump is ok.

then you will have to check to see if it is getting spark. move car away form gas area and then wash areas good on both car and ground. then take the number one spark plug wire off then with a pair of needle nose pliers pull out the snap inside the wire or it the metal piece that snaps on the plug. with rubber handled pliers have a friend turn over the car to see if it is getting a spark. check the wire going to the coil as well..

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Worst-Case Scenario Answer

Now that you've tried what should have got the car to work if it was anything other than a GM manufactured car, now it's time to try the hard stuff. I had to do all this with my 93 Crapalier and it finally worked (for a grand total of 2 hours). If this works for you, I recommend using your limited vehicle life to haul your car to the nearest pay-for-scrap-metal junkyard and then buying a Japanese car. Doesn't matter which one, they all work better than a Chevy.

First, take off your ignition module (the thing your coil packs mount to) and take it up to the parts store and get it checked. If they tell you it's bad, get replacements from a junkyard with warranty and have the parts store test each one you get.

Second, check the Crank Position Sensor. If you can pass some metal (anything that'll pull to a magnet) in front of the little metal tip while monitoring the Volts between the sensor's 2 terminals. This should make the volts reading pulse, if not, junk the sensor.

If the sensor was good test the 6 inch wire harness that comes from it (middle plug on the 3 sided side is just a neutral EM shield, it shouldn't have continuity to the other side.) Be careful not to force your meter's probes in too far and stretch the harness connectors. If you get no continuity or think that the connector might be loose, replace the mini harness.

Check the Idle Air Solenoid. Have someone crank the car over and listen under the hood. I heard a sound that I couldn't hear while turning the key inside, but once out of the car and under the hood sounded very loud. The Idle Air Solenoid at the back of the intake manifold had gotten stuck and was struggling to move. It can also be checked for resistance on A-B, C-D terminal pairs. It should be more than 20 Ohms, though I've never seen one below 50 Ohms... and some of those did and didn't work.

If all that fails, you'll have to do like me and find some wiring diagrams (All Data works best, if you have a friend that works in a shop get them to print out all the ECM wiring for you.) to trace and verify every single wire. Or you could just say to hell with it and replace the wiring harness entirely.

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Anyway, as you can probably tell, it's best to cut your loses and junk the car. GM cars go to crap after a few years. It's just the way they make them. If you get it running it will most likely run great for the next couple hours (as if you increased the HP by 25 or so) and then clunk out, giving you just enough power to limp to a safe parking spot, and never crank again.