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  • Not starting

    Ok, so I'm stuck and just a bit frustrated...

    I have a 95, 3.4 camaro... about 10 months ago, i got stuck in a flash flood, was driving through standing water (about 12", damned K&N FIPK), heard a clunk, and the engine shut off. Got it towed home. started to drain the oil, and about a gallon of water came out. Pulled all the plugs, and all of them had water on them. Tried to turn over the engine w/ new oil, and no plugs in the holes, to blow out any remaining water, and the engine wouldn't turn over... It appeared to be locked. I tried a bunch of things, including dropping the starter, and pulling the belt, but the motor was locked, even with a breaker bar on the crank pully.

    Fast forward to the past 3 weeks...

    New engine (well, junk yard... I checked it out.. it was in decent mechanical shape and spins freely)... New clutch, new starter, new battery... new lots of stuff

    Last night i got the last of it back together..

    Put the key in, let the fuel pump prime.. turned the key... engine starts to turn, but stops... like it's hung up (or rather, locked up...) or has a dead battery. Last time, the motor wouldn't turn over at all, and this time, it is at least budging, but not making a full revolution.

    I'm going to try another starter... (i hve 2 others, including the one that was caught in the flood) Everything looks good. I was starting the car with the clutch in (checked the slave cylinder, it is releasing) and with the trans out of gear. I'm also going to charge the battery to see if that makes a difference.

    Anyone else have any thoughts on what this could be? Is there some random sensor or something that I might have flooded out that I will need to replace? All the sensors on the engine are new to this car, so none of them got wet. Any sensors inside the cavities in front of the tires behind the bumper, that might be causing this?

    Any help anyone can give would be appreciated...

    Thanks

    Phill
    Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

  • #2
    Re: Not starting

    it is your battery most likely

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Not starting

      did the engine spin very slowly, or did you hear a hum from the starter when you cranked it?

      10 months is a hell of a long time for a battery to sit, i would expect it to be dead

      you can try jump starting the car before you go out and buy a new batery just to see if that is the real problem.

      your old engine wouldnt turn over because you hydrolocked it and mostlikely busted a rod or crank, i have severe doubts that this has to do with a sensor

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Not starting

        Originally posted by cam98aro View Post
        did the engine spin very slowly, or did you hear a hum from the starter when you cranked it?

        10 months is a hell of a long time for a battery to sit, i would expect it to be dead

        you can try jump starting the car before you go out and buy a new batery just to see if that is the real problem.

        your old engine wouldnt turn over because you hydrolocked it and mostlikely busted a rod or crank, i have severe doubts that this has to do with a sensor
        I bought a new battery already... load tested it right when I bought it too, to make sure it was charged and it good shape. it was.

        engine did not spin very slowly, it seemed like it spun enough to take up some sort of slack a nd then stopped (as if it were locked, or if the battery was extremely dead).

        I'm going to put the new battery on a charger and check all the wiring to the battery, to see if that fixes anything. I'll also throw a differnet starter on it.

        I agree about the old engine not being a sensor. I'm figuring on a bent rod, but I havent got around to pulling the pan yet. I'm wondering if there might be some sort of sensor that could be blown or acting up that might be putting the car in some sort of "safe mode" and not letting it start. I don't know of such a sensor, but there are some things in behind the front bumper cover that I'm not exactly sure what they do, that could have gotten wet, that weren't changed out.

        thanks again for the advice.. I'll keep everyone posted...
        Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Not starting

          there is no sensor that limits the cranking if the starter engaged but did not spin completely then it is of three things siezed engine, bad starter, bad battery/bad ground

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Not starting

            Originally posted by jrocstar View Post
            there is no sensor that limits the cranking if the starter engaged but did not spin completely then it is of three things siezed engine, bad starter, bad battery/bad ground
            i wouldnt go as far as saying a seized engine.. more like a spun bearing

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Not starting

              i'm going to check on this now... grabbed my voltmeter to see if I can find anything / low charge, excessive voltage drops, etc...

              i checked the engine before i put it in the car... hanging from an engine hoist, with no spark plugs, the engine spins over freely. The engine is not seized.

              Hopefully its a loose connection, or a bad battery cable. The starter is a PITA due to the Ypipe being in the way... keep the ideas coming cause at this point, i'm stumped...

              thanks
              Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Not starting

                i apoligize to being unhelpful but same thing ocurred to me, i was caught in a flood in my 3.4, the water covered to the level of headlights, then the engine ****s off, i was near to my house so i called a buddy and push the car to my house, drain all the water from cylinders and plenum (like one and a half gallon, a lot) the oil was clean, i put some oil in the cilynders, try that, then, i put back the spark plugs and i started it, it start at the first crank and a cloud of smoke came out from the exhaust, the idle was at 3k RPM, i removed the IAC and unseize it, then i put it back and it idles at normal speed, i replaced the 02 sensors and now runs like a beauty, after that, i made a few 16 secons passes on local strip, i think i'm very lucky:), i not even change the oil, it was so clean, i change it every 3k BTW the car is 206k

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Not starting

                  Originally posted by HaroZC View Post
                  i apoligize to being unhelpful but same thing ocurred to me, i was caught in a flood in my 3.4, the water covered to the level of headlights, then the engine ****s off, i was near to my house so i called a buddy and push the car to my house, drain all the water from cylinders and plenum (like one and a half gallon, a lot) the oil was clean, i put some oil in the cilynders, try that, then, i put back the spark plugs and i started it, it start at the first crank and a cloud of smoke came out from the exhaust, the idle was at 3k RPM, i removed the IAC and unseize it, then i put it back and it idles at normal speed, i replaced the 02 sensors and now runs like a beauty, after that, i made a few 16 secons passes on local strip, i think i'm very lucky:), i not even change the oil, it was so clean, i change it every 3k BTW the car is 206k
                  you lucky b@stard! lol
                  Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Not starting

                    ok, so i went home last night and swapped the starter out (cursing the whole time at the ypipe that was in the way). Topped off the charge on the battery (it is registering 12.6 V). Checked all the connections between the battery and the starter - nothing loose or corroded that i could see. Obviously, I cannot see the corrosion if it is inside the insulation.

                    Tried cranking it up, and its the same issue..

                    Starter kicks out, tries to turn over the car, but the engine isn't spinning.

                    to reiterate, this is a different engine from the one that locked up, and it spun just fine out of the car with no plugs in it. The battery is new, and I've had two different starters in the car that both worked the last time I tried them. Only thing that is different from this engine to the last one, is that this is from an auto, so I removed the air pump (no hole in the manifold for the piping, plus that thing got in the way of plug changes)

                    This is starting to get annoying.

                    I'll have the starters tested to make sure they both work. I will also swap out the computer (just to try it) to my spare that I have lying around (i have a spare one for a manual and one for an auto trans).

                    Anyone think of something I might be missing?
                    Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Not starting

                      Originally posted by camaroman1181 View Post
                      you lucky b@stard! lol
                      i guess im lucky too,,,twice in flood ,engine sucked water but runs better then ever now,,,,damned moroso intake...........i wish you the best with your car

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Not starting

                        i guess you could try the old push start method, completely ruling out the starting system? its worth a shot

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Not starting

                          try oil in the cils too like me

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Not starting

                            i would get a big pry bar on the front of the motor to see if its spinning that way. If not, the junk yard motor may be just that......junk. Also if motors have been sitting they can develope a little rust where the ring meets the cylinder walls. if so a little oil and a big cheater bar on the crank will break it free.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Not starting

                              well, before i put the engine in, i rotated the engine a few turns and all checked out... Let me tell ya, its a heck of a lot easier without the spark plugs in to allow compression to build.

                              so unless I'm missing something, I beleive the engine is not locked up. Though what else it could be, well.. shoot.. i haven't the slightest clue. I'm going to bench test the 3rd starter i have at Autozone, before i try that one...
                              Phill<br /><br />95 camaro... need money for turbo project... <br />94 S10 Blazer - winter beater - infinity system to be installed soon<br /><br />\"The man who says it cant be done should not interrupt the man doing it...\"

                              Comment

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