Cranks but will not start

crad · 03-17-2008, 11:45 PM

97 mrtro will crank over til the battery dies but will not start. I can pull start it and it will run like a champ. Does anyone know what it can be?

lancekilgore · 03-18-2008, 07:11 AM

Wow I have never heard of that before, did you try to see if there was any codes? Ok just thought of something is the starter engaging the flywheel? when you try to start it does it spin real fast, is the main pully turning over? I'll bet you need a new starter that will engage the flywheel. check it out.

Lance

crad · 03-18-2008, 01:15 PM

The the starter turns the motor it gets spark and gas just wont fire. It will pull start just fine.

lancekilgore · 03-19-2008, 07:32 AM

got me stumped, does not make since. keep pondering on it though

Lance

j0k3rk1ll3r · 03-20-2008, 02:33 AM

does it idle high like 1500rpm and and rattle if you lead foot the gas? if anything check your timing, have you done any engine work, any backfires? check the plugwire? starter isnt loose! does it fall on its face after a certian RPM?

Newfoundlancer · 03-20-2008, 03:12 AM

Clean up your battery terminals, check the battery's ground connection to the chassis, etc... It sounds as thou the starter is draining so much juice from your battery that either the fuel pump isn't pumping enough, the coils aren't charging to produce a strong enough spark, the ECU isn't processing at full potential, etc. I am making this assumption based on a "pull start"? I guess that means a jump start? or do you seriously mean a pull start like a lawnmower? lol... Anyways... it sounds as though when you don't have the added power drain of the starter motor, it's getting enough power. A good way to test this would be if you have a volt meter. Put the positive on the positive battery terminal, and negative on an exposed metal area of the engine. See what kind of voltages you're getting to indicate any problem with the electrical system. Take these readings with the car off, and then while cranking her over. Finally, to test for a possible bad ground wire, connect a booster cable from the negative terminal of the battery to an exposed area of engine metal. It'll serve as a make-shift ground wire for testing purposes. Again, crank her over with that in place... Hopefully you can track down the problem asap! Good luck!

$400chevymetro · 03-20-2008, 09:40 AM

Ok...... does pull start mean jump start, or does it mean like a push start only from the front.

crad · 03-20-2008, 11:06 AM

By pull start I mean you hook a strap to the front and to another car and pull the metro and pop the clutch. You can also push it pop the clutch and start it. Once it is running it idles fine and doesn't die. It doesn't back fire and the starter is on good. It doesn't seam to have a bad ground. Does anyone know if this could be caused by poor compression in one or more cylinder?

j0k3rk1ll3r · 03-20-2008, 11:32 AM

Well if you can only bump start it check your timing, Rotor and Cap, pull your Plugs they could be fouled, maybe you have clogged injectors, new battery, have you tried checking your alternater to see if its putting out?

lancekilgore · 03-21-2008, 07:43 AM

OK back to the starter, does it turn over fast or slow? It could also be a loose wire some where that will not give juice to a device that needs it when you try to start it normal but when you push start it it gets it.

Lance