2001 Saturn SC1 will turn over, but not start.
 

I've been doing some troubleshooting on a friends car but I'm realizing this can be any number of issues and thought I'd ask for some assistance.

So i'll give some back story on the car. Throughout winter the car would start no problem, however it would stall out after a short period of time until it had warmed up. Approximately a week ago my friend drove to her parents, car cooled down for about 2 hours then would not properly start. It would turn over, start for about 3-4 seconds, then die. Now it simply turns over but does not start.

I've done a fair amount of reading but the common consensus was the full pump is probably gone (i know how much of a game this can be to change so i'm looking at other alternatives to test first with my fingers crossed i can rule it out).

Suggestions i've come across so far.
- Crankshaft Positioning Sensor : This was a popular one so i changed this out last night with no avail.
- Filters may be preventing airflow to the engine causing it not to start (???), checked and cleaned. No dice.
- Try boosting in case battery is faulty (done, no change)
- Check spark plugs (to do)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And oh, the car has fuel in it :)

(ps. I found this site as a recommendation on how to test the fuel pump but I can't find specifics on where to find this on an SC1. Any tips if it's possible or other suggestions on how to test? http://www.wikihow.com/Check-Your-Fuel-Pump)

Thank you very much!

I would suggest reading a few of the stickys on this site. I would also suggest searching more. You'll come up with alot of info. We can only guess and rehash this another time. You need to take ONE thing at a time and remove it as a problem. Only you can do that, only you have the car.

Thanks sw2cam.

I've read through many threads on the forum here which are either not relevant to my issue or unresolved. In addition to that i've spent the past week reading many other boards and looking up many troubleshooting sites, which is why i've posted my issue with as many details as possible asking for assistance.

Ok so check the fuel pump ...... check to see if pump activates, check for fuel pressure, check for fuel delivery.





Home Depot

Checked the fuel pump, pressure and delivery. All checked out flawlessly. So about an hour passes and i sit down, try to start it.... turns over as it has been... and fires right up. Drove for about a half hour, shut it off, turned right back on no problems.

Tried again an hour later, again it started right up. So now i'm at the mercy of the car working until it wants to die again, oh well.

Thank you for the help, i appreciate it.

Im surprised, I thought the ECTS (engine coolant temp sensor) would have been mentioned 5 or 6 times by now hahaha
If fuel system checked out, that might be next - especially if the problem is when its cold.
Even if it isnt the problem, its a preventative maintenance must imo
Bad ECTS has been known to cause no start - amirite? Go to the nearest saturn authorized service center and get that and the connecter (it should be a two wire squeeze plug, make sure the sensor is brass tipped and use a little teflon tape). Youll find it right behind the upper radiator hose on the head. I did it 2 years ago and it only cost me like $60 I think

search ects to read up on it if you want

Excellent suggestion!! That never even crossed my mind and that makes perfect sense.

I'll grab a new sensor and connector after work tomorrow because like you said, even if this isn't the issue it's a great preventative measure. Thank you!

I figured he would have read the stickys on the forum before he posted, or at least by now.

I understand there are a lot of duplicate posts on forums, if you are able to find me a relevant post or sticky that outlines my issue and could assist my troubleshooting in the same manner i posted above, i will quite impressed. I have searched, i have checked the stickys. I found nothing, so i made a new thread. This is the purpose of a forum, to speak to a community of others.

It's reasons like this why so many members on this board as well as other forums you participate in think you're such a miserable person and a chore to speak to (so yes, i am capable of using google and the search function on this forum). These communities would likely be better with you absent from them.

Thank you Octavious and the other helpful members of SaturnForum.com for the PMs you sent me in rectifying my problem, you've all been fantastic and have saved me a great deal of time and money. Take care!

I would hazard a guess then, that the replacement ECTS has fixed your problem ??