Is there power to the accessories? NO - power distribution problem. Verify battery is good and power is making it to the central junction box and fuse box. YES – continue
Is the PATS light flashing rapidly? NO – continue YES – PATS problem. Key is corrupt or not programmed, reciever is damaged or disconnected. ECU is damaged.
Is the Clutch in? (if equipped) NO – depress clutch pedal all the way YES – verify that the clutch switch is working properly by measuring resistance across the 2 wires when the clutch is depressed, should be 0 ohms, then continue.
Is the transmission in Park or Neutral? (if equipped) NO – Move selector switch to Park or neutral. YES – verify that the lever is actually moving the selector switch on the transmission to park or neutral, measure the resistance of the safety switch when in park or neutral, should be 0 ohms. then continue.
Do you have an alarm or lockout? NO - continue YES – verify that the alarm is disabled and the lockout is working properly.
Is the grey wire near the coil pack connected? NO - connect YES – continue
Is your engine ground less than 100 ohms? NO – add a ground wire from a lift point to the chasis or batt-. YES – continue
Is there power to the starter? NO – repair broken wire or terminal. YES – continue.
Is the starter grounded? NO - repair engine to chasis ground wire. YES - continue.
Is there 12v on the key terminal when the key is in the "start" position? NO - check operation of the ignition switch, ignition relay, and fuse. YES - bad starter.
Clicks, won't turn over or start:
Are the battery terminals connected securely and corrosion free? NO – clean and secure the terminals YES – continue
Will the car jump start? NO - continue YES – bad battery or charging circuit.
Is your engine ground less than 100 ohms? NO – add a ground wire from a lift point to the chasis or batt-. YES – continue
Will the rotating assembly turn freely? NO – engine is jammed or seized YES – continue
Is the starter seated correctly? NO – seat properly and tighten bolts. YES – continue
Does the starter motor turn when power is applied and load removed? NO – bad starter YES – have starter bench tested.
Cranks, turns over, but won't start or run:
Is there gas in the car? NO – buy gas YES – continue
Are the spark plugs firing? NO – no signal from crank angle sensor or faulty coil pack/coil harness. YES – continue
Can you hear the fuel pump whir for 2 seconds when the key is set to “on”? NO – look under the passenger side kick panel and verify that inertia switch is not tripped and is working correctly. Fuel pump problem if switch is ok. YES – use a fuel pressure gauge to verify that you are receiving adequate fuel pressure during cranking. Continue if ok
With the oil cap off and a friend trying to start the car, can you see the cams spinning while the engine cranks? NO - Possibly a bad timing belt. Pull the timing gear cover off to check the belt and watch the cam gears. Replace belt if bad. YES - continue
Are the injectors firing? NO – damaged ECU or no signal from camshaft position sensor. (could be a broken timing belt) YES – continue
Is there adequate compression in all cylinders? NO – broken timing belt, head gasket leak, or damaged valvetrain componant. YES – continue
Is there a blockage in the air intake? NO – verify engine timing, have ECU tested. YES – remove blockage
do yourself a favor. grab a friend to do this.
on the end of the fuel rail for the injectors theres a fuel pressure sensor, should have a wiring plug and a vacuum hose on it. pull the vacuum hose loose and have the friend turn the ignition on (just turn on power, dont crank yet) leave it on for up to 5 sec (fuel sysem should build pressure). any fuel coming out of the vacuum fitting on the sensor(if so its shot, if not continue)? now crank it and attempt to start, any fuel now?
if you get any fuel doing either of these its toast. what happens is the diaphram goes bad and basically dumps fuel through the vacuum hose into the manifold.
my svt did this and acted the same. plugs were wet and could smell the fuel when i tried to crank it. replaced it and no problems
