Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here!

635 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by JNXtheband, Dec 2, 2001

Jett'in

Discussion Starter · Dec 1, 2001

I'm getting spark, air, and I think fuel.
A buddy of mine from Vortex has been helping me out with this and we can't figure it out.
The car is cranking but not turning over.
After trying to start it there is a heavy odor of fuel.
Any suggestions on what it could be?
Thanks

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Penguin

· #2 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (adias14)

quote:[HR][/HR]
The car is cranking but not turning over.
[HR][/HR]

This is impossible, if the starter pinion engages the flywheel and the motor cranks, then the engine is turning over.
As for the reasons it may not start, have you recently messed with the fueling system? When I took mine all apart, it failed to start when I got it back together. The solution was to set all the air box variables as close to spec as possible and have a friend rotate the mixture screw as I was cranking it. Eventually we hit a point where it fired up.
As for the fuel smell, you probably have a nice pool of unburned fuel in your cat by now. Expect a nice cloud of black smoke and a glowing cat when you do get it started.

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1988SCIROCCO16VW

· #3 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (adias14)

i had an 87 rocco 16v that when it started getting cold out i could crank it till the battery died. try a nice new 8 gauge wire straight off the battery to the head. solved all my probs on 2 16v's. if you haven't changed anything it could be your prob. how long you had the car ???????????1st winter with it??????

[Modified by 1988SCIROCCO16VW, 7:17 AM 12-1-2001]

[Modified by 1988SCIROCCO16VW, 7:18 AM 12-1-2001]

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Ted

· #4 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (1988SCIROCCO16VW)

Here's what to try. Try starting it. If it starts occasionally but runs perfectly, then everything else is good. Do it start on first try sometimes? And other times it takes forever to turn over before it starts? If so, the next time you have to crank the motor and you're on you're 7th or 8th time trying to start it, get out and pound the outside of the starter with a rubber mallet or something. Crawl under your car and bang it...really hard but do it only once or twice. Then try to start your car. If it starts, then your starter is the problem. the reason this works is because over time, the starter losens up on you and even if your engine is turning over, it's not turning over fast enough to overcome the kick back of the engine and thus start itself. When you knock it with a mallet, you sometimes knock things back to the right place or at least set things up right for a moment until it losens up again. Just give it a try...it may or may not work. This is what we did on my friends 87 GLI 16v and it turns out that it was the starter. Replaced it and starts up everytime. By the way, I am going on the assumption that your starter is the original one am I correct? Good luck. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

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Jett'in

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (Ted)

The starter is going when I turn the key but it is just NOT turning over.
The distributor is fine, and no I have not messed with the fuel system.
Just one day it decided not to start.
By the wqay it is the first winter with this car.
I got it from Atlanta

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lotus7

· #6 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (adias14)

If the engine is not rotating with the starter powered, you need a starter. How is it you have spark if the engine is not turning over

[Modified by lotus7, 9:15 AM 12-1-2001]

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mob my audi

· #7 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (lotus7)

Is that spark at the plugs? I had fouled plugs from all the rich gas (I could smell it) and that made the car stop running

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Jett'in

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (drive79rabbit)

I even tried roll starting at a higher speed
Did not work.
I dragged it with another car
I am going to try to change the plugs because when I took them out yesterday they were just black at the electrodes. Hopefully this is the problem

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Jett'in

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 1, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (adias14)

HELP!
Been working at it all day.
Changed the plugs, changed the ECU fuse, even used starting fluid, nothing
Can't figure it out

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JNXtheband

· #10 · Dec 2, 2001

Re: Car won't start, Help! Tried everything. Supply some expertise here! (adias14)

vdubs from the Golf/Jetta II forum suggested a good test to me, I'll try it for ya, when I wake up tommorow

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