So the car was running for a week GREAT. I went on vacation for a week came back, and the car cranks but doesn't start. I changed the fuel filter, fuel pump still works. changed the spark plugs and still nothing. Would this be a cam sensor or timing chain jump?
Any help would be great, Thanks

Gee,could be 100 things

Crank no start lets see

I'd start with fuel pressure, because the pump turns on doesnt mean it has sufficent pressure, should be 55-60 key on engine off

You changed spark plugs, unless the gap is closed, of they are corroded badly it wont cause a no start, did you check for spark

A cam sensor wont cause a no start on GMs,it will on Nissans though,a crack sensor can cause a no start

Timing chains dont just "jump" after it sits for a week


- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new

I am having the same issue. I have a 2003 2.2 ecotec. It seemed like it was having a slight miss but was still running ok. Acceleration was still good and it was almost not noticeable. I went out to run to the store and it would not fire. The first couple of times it cranked but would sputter out. It has power and is turning over but will not crank. It has 108k on it and I have not had to replace anything major, yet. Any help would be appreciated.

Ya, i know they don't just "jump" out of no where, i still have to check for spark. When i do and if it is spark then i will check the fuel pressure in the fuel pump to make sure its running right. If not i think i may isolate the ECU and see if anything is going on with that. I know GMS are KNOWN for their ECU problems, seems like everyone i know has a no start and when the ecu was changed out, it would fire right up. BUt until i get a code/scanner tool, i guess i will have to wait till my buddy comes over. He has all those tools. I just changed spark plugs they are gapped correctly, and the other ones were fouled pretty bad. But i have new ones now.

Do you hear the fuel pump when you switch the ignition on? I think mine is the fuel pump. I am starting with the filter first, but I am almost positive it is the fuel pump. I'm starting with the cheaper of the two. Hopefully the filter is just clogged up.

could be passlock system failing it was big on olds and malibus

Ya i hear the fuel pump. I have to investigate it first. TOO many problems with gm cars these days. Least the ones i come across. So when i get this car fixed im selling it. Just bought a 2010 Evo X. So im happy.

My fuel pump went at 120 000 kms. I had the same thing, crank but no start.

lol fuel pumps out at 60 k miles for me. What a crock of @!#$. they should last longer then that. haha

Joshua Cooper wrote:lol fuel pumps out at 60 k miles for me. What a crock of @!#$. they should last longer then that. haha

mine's gone 130k+, and still works great keep the tank above 1/4, dont buy @!#$ty gas, keep the filter changed and you'll be fine.



JBO Stickers! Get yours today!

Bp gas all the time, never had @!#$ty gas in it. As far as Bp gas is concerned. Maybe went under 1/4 tank a couple times. BUT....... Its prolly the timing chain. Explained to my buddies who are mechanics and they said sounds like that. SO. im gonna wait for them to help me fix it. And unfortunatly Selling the car.

Sounds like a faulty "Crank Position Sensor", if you aren't getting any spark.

Just because a fuel pump is audible doesn't mean its producing enough pressure. Get a fuel pressure guage and try that out. Learned that just recently

the timing chain will not jump or break because the car has been sitting for a week. is the motor cranking evenly? a motor only needs four things to run. air, fuel, compression, and spark. check the basics (does it have spark? fuel pressure? compression? are the cylinders getting air?)

Pumps go out fast if you let it go past a 1/4 tank. The fuel acts as coolant for the fuel pump.
The less you have, the hotter it runs, the quicker it dies.


My wife's 2003 Ecotec 2.2 liter Sunfire:
* 2 1/4 inch in and dual 2 inch out muffler Trans Am muffler
* 2 1/4 piping to a very long 2 1/4 inch resonator
* 2 1/4 inch catalytic converter
* an AEM true cold air intake NOPI edition
* 8 gauge ground wire kit
* Toyz front strut brace
* Russell stainless steel brake lines all around.

Sounds like a crank position sensor to me as well. Get the codes checked before you jump to conclusion. Don't give up on the car its still good just needs a little tlc. My car has 163K and going strong. I've had a few problems but not that many.

mine just did a similar thing today. i was driving home from work and it started sputtering like it was starved of fuel, then it died and wouldn't restart. it cranks just fine and i can hear the fuel pump relay kick on and hear fuel flow through the fuel rail. and when it cranks it "teases" me and acts like its going to start and then doesn't? any suggestions on where to go from here?

Hey Guys,

Got the car tuned in October, put in an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and cobalt 36 pound injectors and brand new battery.

Drove the car 5 miles to it's storage facility. In Dec, car was dead when I went to start her. Jumped it and cranked her up. End of Jan. Battery was dead (only had driven 15 miles with the new battery). instead of jumping it the same way as before, car to car I did a trickle charge or a quick charge and try to crank it apparently I could only start her a few times during this quick start stage after few times of cranking it I heard a loud pop:

Checked all the fuses and relays everything's fine. I have spark (took a spark plug out and checked on metal) and a brand new fuel pump which I can hear priming loudly. I have fuel pressure. Fuel squirts out from the fuel rail.

It cranks but won't start. when I sprayed and starter fluid it would run as long as the starter fluid was being sprayed in. Junior says that tunes don't go bad no matter how long the battery was dead for. I just feel like my new injectors are not working or I have a cam sensor issue. Any suggestions please!

only drove the car back from tuning haven't driven it since October


"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE STOCK"

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t1065063-discuss02_cavalier_will_not_start_passlock_problem_disable_.html

I did see ERROR ON the odometer when cranking. According to this I need a new PCM. Wonder if it was possible I fried it by quick charging it incorrectly perhaps...loud pop?


"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE STOCK"

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t1065063-discuss02_cavalier_will_not_start_passlock_problem_disable_.html

I did see ERROR ON the odometer when cranking. According to this I need a new PCM. Wonder if it was possible I fried it by quick charging it incorrectly perhaps...loud pop?


"FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE STOCK"

Had a problem with my 04 cav. Started missing one day then backed out of garage it stalled then wouldn't fire. Turns out the timing chain hydraulic tensioner collapsed and made chain jump out of time. Yes timing chains do jump! Especially if it loses oil pressure in the tensioner. GM flaw to put that tensioner on timing chain.

Hello, im new to the forum and new to the 2.2 ecotec that is in my 2002 grand am se. i bought the car a few days ago from my GF's brother. it stopped working for him one day and he is not mechanically inclined, so i bought it for $200, got it towed home and started working on it. first thing i checked was to see if it was getting fuel through the injectors, it wasn't, so i did the passlock bypass with the 2.2k ohm resistor. did the relearn procedure. and its now getting fuel. so then the next thing i checked was spark. the old spark plugs where bad so i put new ones in, before i put them in i put the into the coil pack and got someone to turn the engine over. they all get spark, and a pretty strong one too. so i gapped them to the .042 that it calls for and installed them. got into the car and thinking that all my problems are taken care of i tried to start it. no go. it just wont start up. so i got thinking and did a compression test on all cylinders, they all get between around 95+ PSI. so the rings are not bad, i then checked the timing, it all good. fuel pressure, right at 56 PSI.

so after all the basics, i checked around and then remembered that this is an electrical ignition engine, so that means that the crank position sensor might be bad and retarding the spark timing. but i have no absolute way to confirm this until monday so i can order the part. if anyone can give me any ideas on what the problem is today that would help alot. if it is the crank position sensor and after i replace it and it then fires up, ill have gotten a car that is in excellent shape, has a good engine and runs good for under $400, price includes the car, spark plugs, a new battery, and the crank position sensor.

but again, if anyone else thinks its the crank position sensor, id appreciate the help.

I have a 2004 chevy classic, I bought it with a blown head gasket,bad water pump and a stuck thermostat. I replaced the head and gaskets,replaced the water pump and the thermostat and housing. to be sure everything was covered I also replaced the balance shaft chain and gears and the main timing chain and gears. this car ran when I bought it, drove it 3 miles to my house/shop, after all said and done it cranks but will not start, checked fuel pressure (60) checked compression (145) all cylinders, unbolted the coil pack/modulator and flipped it over, put all 4 plugs in it and cranked it...no spark, pulled it off and removed the ignition module from it and tested the coils(there are 2) with an ohm meter bot gave me 2.1 ohms...which is good havent tested the module yet but I know how with a test light. then after doing some checking someone tells me it could be my crankshaft sensor...I'm wondering...you see I know the car does not have a camshaft sensor so I imagine the crankshaft sensor is what initiates the signal to the ecu to send voltage to the module to fire the coils, so my question is this...how do you test a crankshaft sensor? pulse width? anyhow I wi8ll test the ignition module first sine I already have it out, and check to make sure I didnt knock the plug out of the crank sensor. thanks for any advice someone might give. by the way I have a total of $540 in this car, it has 162,040 miles.