Why won't the car start?

[VCthuglife]

I just bpought an 89 coupe yesterday and the only mod is a K&N air filter i put in this morning. the car was running good for its age, temp was steady and everything.

I was driving home on a local two lane highway and i dropped into 3rd to pass a truck...then instead of shifting to 4th i stuck it in 2nd for like 2-3 seconds like an idiot . I put the clutch back in and shifted back to 3rd, the gear seemed to work but i was losing power fast even though i was holding the accelerator in. I didn't hear any strange noises from the engine bay but my check engine light and battery light both went on. the car was stalled out by the time i pulled over and wouldn't start, cranks over but won't start and sounds like the starter motor is working really hard. there is also sort of a buzzing sound coming from the driver side engine bay when i turn the key.....i need to get this car back on its feet asap, any suggestions.

[Thee 240sx Owner]

Check compression asap....

[silkk]

It could be the starter, starter solinoid, and the alternator.

Do a compression check and then check out those.

[TheOne]

check compression.did it hit the rev limiter or something?.after 6500 rpms.......the engine itself is probably dead.

[VCthuglife]

most of my friends are saying that its either the alternator, starter or distributor because the windows and radio all work and the engine turns but won't ignite. what do i need to run a compression test?

One - i might have hit the limiter but i doubt it. it is a KA24E though so i could imagine its a little fragile. hopefully its a starter or alternator problem.

oh and do these cars run on 87 or 91, i couldn't find an octane sticker

[skydragoness]

oh and do these cars run on 87 or 91, i couldn't find an octane sticker

for the ka24de 91 is recommended, however, for the ka24e you could probably get away with 87, but 'plus' would be a better choice imo (89 octane is plus--depending on where you live)

good luck with your car. i just installed my 2nd bosch reman starter motor today (under warranty at least). aaargh.

[VCthuglife]

thanks for the info sky.

i'm going to start by installing a new alternator and working from there. i also have the engine vibratipon problem so i'll prolly do a tune up while i'm at it

[silkk]

You should find out what is wrong first before spending money buying new parts.

[VCthuglife]

oh, i'm having a bunch of my friends come over and take a look at it since i don't know much about trouble shooting. I was just saying that i'd look at the alternator first because i don't think its the starter. someone also suggested that it might be the distributor cap.

is there some way to test the alternator without having access to a shop?

[VCthuglife]

I have the master mechanic from subaru of thousand oaks coming over tonight to look at my car.....he doesn't think the alternator is the problem. I'll post up his synopsis and the fix when i get all the parts next week.

- lj

[VCthuglife]

Update:

i pulled out the MAF plug and there was a white crust on the plug. i'm going to have a friend steal; a shop manual from his school and try and test to see if the ECU is ufcked, if the comp is ok then its just the MAF and i can get one for like a hundred. we tested the alternator belt and checked compression and fuel delivery, the problem is almost fixed i think

[mackdaddy240]

Did you run that compression test yet? sounds like you toasted it to me.

[VCthuglife]

i have compression, spark, fuel supply.....the MAF had white crust on it becuz i blew it to hell, also the MAF had ghetto soldering work. i'm just hoping that is all i need to replace.

[benemorius]

How much compression have you?

White crust doesn't sound like a particularly good thing, but you can test the maf to see whether it is fuxored enough to keep the engine from starting. All you need is a multimeter. Turn the key on and set the multimeter to dc voltage. Ground the black probe and use the red one to probe the connections coming out the back of the maf connector. One should read close to 0v, one close to 12v, and one should be a little under 1v with the engine stopped.

[slipnfall]

^^ I'm with benemorius - did you actually measure the compression, or just assume it's there on all 4?

Have you checked the fluids? Any mixing or loss of level? How fast were you going when you dropped to 2nd? Depending the speed, you could have spun a bearing or threw a rod(reason the starter is having such a hard time). Did it smoke coming off the freeway?

BTW, what codes did the ECU throw? (you can check this FYI from a connector under the dash, rather than digging out the ECU, by shorting two pins - search for details).

Keep us posted,-Jamie

edit:: now that I read back over your post, I see the brake light came on too - this is indeed indicative of the starter, but that doesn't explain loss of power. Start with the basics, you could have bigger problems than just a starter.