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This is a new one for me...in the '98 SSEi, the starter is cranking like crazy, but the engine won't turn over. The only thing which has been wierd lately, 3 weeks ago, i let it sit for 3 weeks and had to jump the battery, been running fine ever since. I just drove and turned it off yesterday. There was nothing going on. It just wouldn't kick over today.

I put in fresh plugs, tested the wires, tested the primaries and secondaries on the coils. The battery is low at 13, but it still turns, and I also jumped it off of the SE battery at a full 14.4. No dice.

I'm getting 45 psi off of the front of the fuel rail. That's a little low for a '98, but it has always been that way.

Looked for a vacuum off or pinched, don't see any.

What's next on the list, and has anybody else had this specific problem?

I'll search around, but I need a hand. Thanks.

If the starter is cranking, but the engine isn't turning over, thats a broken flywheel.

But if by "engine won't turn over" you mean that it just doesn't start, thats a different issue.

Does the crank pulley spin when you try to start it?

harofreak00 wrote:If the starter is cranking, but the engine isn't turning over, thats a broken flywheel.

But if by "engine won't turn over" you mean that it just doesn't start, thats a different issue.

Does the crank pulley spin when you try to start it?

Hey Haro...

My wife just got home, so I could make sure. All of the belts are pulling as it cranks.. I'm not seeing/hearing anything which would normally tell me I have a miss. (I'm not ruling it out, and I might pull the plug/wire on each cylinder and see if I'm actually getting a spark.)

Hope that makes it clearer.

Could be a crank sensor?

harofreak00 wrote:Could be a crank sensor?

Yeah, the cam sensor, crank sensor, or ICM. I have replaced all of those on one car or another, but they always showed themselves while running, with an error code. I don't know how to check them, while it's sitting, besides making sure a millivolt will travel through them.

That's why I was thinking about checking for a spark. If a cylinder is not sparking, I'll swap in another Belden. If that doesn't work, then it's the ignition system and it could be any of the usual suspects. Without an error code, i would be flyin' blind.

I just feel there is something big I'm not seeing. It's just like if you take out the fuel pump fuse, and then try to turn it over to clear the line, so ya don't get doused when change the fuel filter.

Check for spark & fuel injector pulse.

If you have both then try unplugging the maf sensor. If it still doesn't start then try unplugging the cam sensor.

If you don't have spark or pulse then check all the fuses.

Mechanical Mike wrote:Check for spark & fuel injector pulse.

If you have both then try unplugging the maf sensor. If it still doesn't start then try unplugging the cam sensor.

If you don't have spark or pulse then check all the fuses.

Hi Mike...

Thanks for taking the time. I'm going to check the pulse at an injector in the morning, just plain ran out of daylight.

I checked the 1, 3, and 5 and they all sparked. That's good enough of a random check for me. After having my wife crank it and standing over the engine, I'm positive there is no miss. If one cylinder is missing, the engine wants to come out of the mounts.

My FSM is on loan, and I'll have it back in the AM. I think I am wrong, and I have run into this before, except on my '95.

On a '95 you are cut completely out of the start circuit. I'm guessing on the '96-'99, the computer just shuts down all of the injectors. Which is a really bad idea. Because a moron like me will run 30-40 ignition bursts of air, spark, and whatever is burnable or heatable at the plugs.

On the '95, the Security light behaved just as normally as the '98 is doing.

Does an out-of-sequence Security function shut down the injectors on the '96-'99?

Take a 194 bulb, pull the wires out and stick them in the injector plug. If the bulb flashes while the engine is turning over, that will tell you your injectors are getting signal.