Car won't start

[bctbct]

99 Chrysler Cirrus 140k

The battery seems fine. When I try to start it, it almost seems like the starter is working but the car is not cranking. It may be in my head but is sounds like the starter is not under load??? Seems to have more rpms...if that possible.

Wife thought she heard a pop when she went to start it in the garage this morning.

Any help appreciated.

2.5L v6

 

[bruceb]

If you are in fact hearing the starter spin faster, then the solenoid / bendix drive (which is a spring loaded gear that the solenoid moves to engage the flywheel) is defective .. either way, the starter must usually come out to change it.

 

[bctbct]

Any tips on how to diagnose that being the problem? So if I understand you correctly the starter is probably good, the solenoid is probably good, just the drive is bad. Is that repairable or can I replace the solenoid?

iirc starters many years ago...had a seperate sole/starter but then they started make them one piece?

 

[Black88GTA]

When was the last time you replaced the timing belt?

The Chrysler 2.5 V6 is an interference engine with a timing belt. If the belt snaps (the "pop" noise?), the valvetrain will not turn with the crank. No valvetrain operation = no compression = starter spins with significantly reduced load on it.

Hopefully this isn't it. A snapped timing belt in an interference engine usually (not always) means you have some destroyed valves, which means that engine will have to come apart and be rebuilt. New car time in that case, since the cost of this will far exceed the value of a '99 Cirrus with 140k on it, unless you do it yourself.

EDIT: NVM, I missed where you said that the car isn't cranking at all. If there is no movement from any part of the engine, then it is probably a problem with your starter drive, as bruceb said.

 

[bctbct]

bump

 

[LTC8K6]

Crank it and watch to see what's happening. See whether the engine is turning over or not.

That's what you need to know first.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: bruceb
If you are in fact hearing the starter spin faster, then the solenoid / bendix drive (which is a spring loaded gear that the solenoid moves to engage the flywheel) is defective .. either way, the starter must usually come out to change it.

maybe the 'pop' was the solenoid burning out? if when you turn the key you hear a WHIRRRRRRRRRRR like a higher frequency than a normal crank the starter isn't engaging.

if the solenoid's ok, maybe the gear is stuck and you could hit the starter housing with something?

 

[funboy6942]

If there was a pop, and it turns with no resistance, its the timing belt.

Open up the oil cap, and look down it, you should be able to see a rocker arm, a piece of metal that normally would bounce up and down and spit oil back at you sometimes if you open the cap while the motor is running, have someone crank the motor, of you see the mettal, and it aint moving, then 100% its the timing belt. Prey you have a clearence free motor and it didnt take some valves or the head with it when the belt broke

 

[bruceb]

That will not id the problem. Only IF the Starter is actually turning the Flywheel and the car is not starting, will that id a broken timing belt. What he can do, is take off the flex plate access cover (for an automatic) and look to see if the flywheel is turning when the ignition switch is on Start .. if it is then check the timing belt. If it is not, which is where I think the issue is, it is back to
being a bad starter.

 

[AMCRambler]

Originally posted by: bruceb
That will not id the problem. Only IF the Starter is actually turning the Flywheel and the car is not starting, will that id a broken timing belt. What he can do, is take off the flex plate access cover (for an automatic) and look to see if the flywheel is turning when the ignition switch is on Start .. if it is then check the timing belt. If it is not, which is where I think the issue is, it is back to
being a bad starter.

Why go through the trouble of getting to the access plate? If the engine pulleys are turning, then you know the fly wheel is turning. If they aren't, then you need to find that access panel.

Also if the pulleys aren't turning, before you even go through all the trouble of finding the access panel, try putting the car in drive and have someone push the car forward 5-6 inches(or reverse). If a tooth broke off the flywheel, the starter may be spinning but not grabbing the flywheel to crank the motor. This happened on my Ford Contour. I'd sit there cranking and it either wouldn't start or it would make this awesome scraping noise as the starter gear was trying to catch the next tooth on the flywheel. It was only one tooth and like once a year I'd be unlucky to have the engine stop at the point where that tooth was missing. So I'd put it in drive and push it forward 6 inches(WITH THE KEY OFF OF COURSE!) so that the flywheel would rotate and the starter would be able to grab the next tooth. Then hop back in and it would start up fine. Never bothered to have it fixed because it was a once year thing and would have cost me an arm and a leg.

 

[bruceb]

That is a good idea, which I overlooked.