1997 SC2 won't turn over
 

I have a 97 SC2 manual transmission that won't turn over. It started yesterday morning and the service engine light began to flash. I shut it off and let it sit for a few minutes. Tried to crank it back up and it tries to turn over, but can't quite do it. I checked the battery and it is fine. What else could cause this?

You may want to start by retrieving the trouble codes and posting them. You can get a scan tool for 40$ or so. Some parts stores will scan the car for free, but I don't think they make house calls.

Can the ECTS sensor cause it not to turn over? I've seen a significant loss of gas mileage the past few weeks.

That usually causes problems during a warm start up. Is the engine turning over via the starter? Turning over and starting do not mean the same thing.

The engine is turning over via the starter. It's chugging and trying to go it just won't start up.

Next you have to determine if it is a fuel,ignition, or mechanical problem. Hit it with some ether (starting fluid) to see if it is a fuel problem. Better yet, since you had a flashing check engine light, put a scan tool on it and see what comes up. When the check engine light starts flashing, it usually indicates an immediate problem.

I can smell gas like the engine is flooding. Maybe a fuel filter? I'm going to scan it tonight and will post codes. Thanks for your help. I hope you'll be on her again. This car is my baby and I said I would never get rid of her before 200K and she is at 190K. Can't give up now.

I was down 2 cylinders about 2 months ago and the engine light was flashing. I replaced one of the ignition coil packs and it's been good until now except for the loss in gas mileage. I think that may be attributed to ECTS so I can going to replace that as well while I'm in there.

Ok, keep us posted. I hit this site at least once a day.A bad ECTS will give you flood like symptoms, especially when the engine is warm. I have 30+ Saturn parts cars and I have been working on them for along time. I'll help you out if I can.

could be ects causing super rich starting condition...

I believe the flashing nature of the SES light usually happens when there is a misfire occurring.

I'd check for spark at all four plugs and check the spark across each coil pack to see if the other coil pack may have gone south on you.

Reading the codes should tell you which cyls the misfire (if it is indeed that) is on -- 1/4 or 2/3 -- or you may end up with the multiple misfire code.

Please post the codes and the spark check info if you can and we'll take it from there