Slash

Hi, Well 2weeks ago my battery died. i bought the car in early December and the car hasn't been actually driven since the night it was brought home b/c I am not registering it till end of march. I would turn it on and let it idle and warm up 1-2 times a week, up until the battery died.
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I got the battery charged up yesterday and the car will turn over now but it will not fire up and start. There is a smell of fuel under the hood when i do attempt to start it. I pulled the front 2 spark plugs and dried them off and sanded them down ( couldn't reach the remainder of them b/c they were out of reach ). the car still will not fire up.

I'm not much of a mechanic, truthfully i don't have the patience the car isn't registered and i don't really want to spend money on getting it towed to a shop, then the shop fee to fix, then the tow home. I am only a 17 yr old and still in high-school.

basically i need help lol, Any advice and help is nice. I have no idea when it comes to engines lol so i wouldn't even begin to start on how to diagnose this problem.
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I read on another forums about something simiilar to this and it turned out to be the ignition control module( could someone explain this scenario plz?) the car was a 1994 v6 however and i have an 88 5.7L. and i looked online these costs 200$+ -_-


Thanks,

Sean

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Based on the information you provided, it is not clear what your problem is. I strongly suggest that you take your time to troubleshoot this problem, as opposed to just throwing parts at it.

Since the car was running before the battery died, it is probably a relatively simple problem.

I have a couple of questions for you:

• Does it sound like the engine is 'trying' to start? Or does it just crank and crank without firing at all?
• How old is the fuel? Has the car been sitting for a long time?
• Has anything else been changed other than the battery?
• What did the spark plugs look like that you removed?

Based on your answers, I can tell you where to start troubleshooting.

Slash

1. sometimes it sounds like it's trying to start. others it's just cranking. ( or i jus can't tell the difference lol )it does sound like it will fire but wont at times others it just cranks.
2. theres 5gallons in it recently put in yesterday morning
3. Nothing was changed, the battery was charged, didn't replace.
4. They were wet and lil grimy, dried em off and sanded them.(couldn't reach the others as stated above) left car out all day today while at school so hopefully rest are dried by now.
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And there is a spark coming from the plugs, i tested the 1s i could reach and they all sparked wen it tries to start
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After the next 30mins i won't be able to see responses till 2moro morning my at home computer blew up and is getting fixed, so atm i'm using school comps

built91Z28

Do you have acess to a multi meter?

The battery might not be good any more.

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Your answer tells me that most likely you have to replace your spark plugs. There is a possibility that you have other issues, but at this point I would replace the plugs. I won't be surprised if that fixes it.

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Oh, and yes, they are tough to get at. I did mine from underneath. Still a bit difficult, but at least I could get to them.

Slash

no i don't :/ , Dad is a big car guy and works for Mopar Chrysler, but he doesn't have much when comes to tools, alot of wood working stuff but small amounts of automotive. Anyways the battery is only from 2008, shouldn't have gone bad in only 2 years and it still holds charge
i'll try that, but i can only reach the front 4 ( 2 on either side) any suggestions on how i can reach the remainder of the plugs? ( lol u answered this while i was typing it out, u read my mind)

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

see above post

built91Z28

I'm a tech at a dealership and replace batteries all the time under waranty. I was asking about the multi-meter to see what kind of voltage drop you were getting during cranking. I have all MSD ignition but my car is extremely picky on wanting over 12 volts to start up. It will turn over fine with 11.8, but will not start.

Slash

yeh i'l look into it, see if i can borrow one from his work or the automotive shop here at school.
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schoo bell rang be back tomorrow hopefully w/ some results

Slash

Wooo got the car started.

It sat in the sun all ysterday with the hood open to dry out the plugs, i replaced the front 4 plugs i could reach w/o having to lift the car. These must've given just enough spark to ignite and fire the motor, it turned over, then dried the rest of the plugs out.

Gonna replace the rest hopefully this weekend thanks for the help guys! Glad to be able to hear my 350 roar once again.

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Good show. Always glad to help.

My86'stitsRout

iTrader: (2)

the easiest way to get at the remaining plugs is thru the inner fender well, remove your the wheel and the plastic inner fender flap and WA LA! Instant access!