Posted on 12/06/2012 5:34:39 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Can you beleive both cars towed home within 24 hours! Hers I think has a fuel starvation problem of some kind. It'll turn over but won't start. On my old thing the ignition won't turn with the key in it. Suggestions? I don't know how she'll be going to work until I get one fixed.
How about make and model to start....
hers: do you hear cylinder firing or is it just turning over ?
his: you mean you turn ignition to start and nothing ? like dead battery ? lights work as bright as always ?
Just start drinking. Try again in the morning. Tell your wife to start walking to work now. She’ll get there in time.
Budget? I’d recommend going through Craigslist or cars.com (private listings) and having a mechanic on standby.
Car 1: Out of gas
Car 2: Wrong key
I had a 94 blazer that would turn over but not start. I shot some ether into the intake and it ran for a while and quit. It was a fuel pump in the tank. If the key will not run in the ignition it sounds like the switch is shot. The tumblers in the switch could have come loose. Know knowing what you have makes diagnosis just guesses.
On the key deal, my brother has a Plymouth that has started doing this. I haven’t researched the replacement of the integrated lock mechanism but I’m betting it won’t be cheap. For now he inserts the key and gently taps on it while rotating the key. It seems to giggle the tumblers into cooperating.
Did her car just quit while it was running?
Hers: 1999 Kia Sephia .... mine: 1984 Mercedes 300D turbo diesel
Well, sounds like the fuel pump on her car.. maybe a lot of other things.. and, as for the ignition that won’t turn, I had that happen to an old chevy PU I owned. I stuck a big screw driver in the key hole and latched a pair of vise grips on it.. and I turned it. It worked after that.. didn’t need a key, but no one knew that...
If none of these are the problem you have an electrical problem and are screwed.
In all seriousness, I don't even know if cars have these same components anymore.
On the key problem. Try moving the steering wheel side to side while working the key. Sometimes the steering wheel locking pall will cause the ingnition lock to hang. Try using your spare key it might be in better shape than the one you have been using. Put some light lube on the key and work it around in the lock.
As mentioned upthread, give her (the Kia not your wife) a shot of ether.
If it fires, probably the fuel pump, especially if no “check engine” light is on.
Ethanol content I’d wager . . .
You may have to turn hard on the steering wheel to get the tension off of it to get the key to turn.
Agree the fuel pump might be the problem, but best to check fuel filter first. Always look at cheapest, simplest causes...
I had the check engine light come on in my Sentra, took it to the dealer, he put it on the computer and it said EGR valve.
So drove it home and started working on removing egr, and while getting ready, noticed that a rubber hose that did about a 90 degree turn going to the EGR had a monster crack in it.
Replace the four inches of hose, light went out, never came back on. Worked like a champ.
About a 75 cent fix. Beats the hell out of taking to a mechanic who would charge me 300 bucks for a new egr valve!
Make sure your car is in park all the way.
Here’s where I do mah searchin’...
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w123-e-ce-d-cd-td/1193444-steering-wheel-locked-key-wont-turn.html
I use google like this:
1984 300d ignition won’t turn site:www.benzworld.org/
Sweet! Did you patent that?
Hers: Makes a banging noise when it’s trying to start.
Mine: No, will not turn at all.
My mother pulled into the driveway to fast once and it tripped the fuel shutoff switch. Was running fine when she parked it but wouldn’t start. Tow truck guy look in her manual and found the switch. Reset it and fired right up.
Do you hear a click or clicking?
For yours, there might be nothing more than a strain on the ignition lock. Try slightly turning the steering wheel in one direction while trying to start it. If that doesn’t work, try turning it in the other and repeat.
Buddy, you’re going to have to get specific. As far as the older car, make sure your cables attached to the batteries are not green. The key issue on the other is a brake pedal vs tranny position vs steering column.
Some of the newer cars will also not start if the gas cap fails!
I had AAA put 3 gallons in it to see.
It’s the right key.
If you both bought gas at the same station recently, check for water in the fuel.
Yes, earlier in the day and also in a parking lot.
By 'won't turn' I thought he was referring to the engine too, but he's apparently saying the key literally won't turn.
Yeah. I had to re read that.
Hers is gasoline, mine is diesel.
Yours, with the key thing....this can be a lot of things. I have found that ignition interlock keys or chipped ignition interlock keys can begin to operate a little intermittently as they age. Maybe the teeth on the key wear down; sometimes it is a matter of the steering wheel being left in a too-extreme position...imagine turning really hard to get into a parking place and turning off the engine right when the wheel is all the way at one end of its rotation. Try not to do that. Get into your spot, then un-turn the wheel back in the direction of the center. If the key is worn, maybe it’s just not activating the tumblers enough. If that is the case, you may need to get a new key made. Cheap, if it is just a vanilla key, and I would try that first for $1-2-3. More expensive if it is a chipped key. Some auto parts dealers can make chipped keys for $40 or so...dealers usually want hundreds of $$.
Not to leave any stone unturned for you, have you tried inserting the key the other way up? On my old Ford, the key is a mirror image on each side. Over time one side wore down just enough on one side to not properly engage the pins. Inserted the other way, it worked just fine. If you have another key, try that as well. Sometimes the simplest things will work. Otherwise, I dunno.
With the Kia, turn the key to “on”, not start. You should hear a whine which is the electric fuel pump in the back of the car kicking in. I doubt the Kia has a mechanical fuel pump.
If there isn’t a whining sound, either the emergency shut off switch clicked off (happens to prevent fires in an accident) or the fuel pump needs to be replaced.
As far as the MBZ goes, I’ve owned four of them and never had a Key issue. Best guess the key is worn, since they used a regular type key back then rather than the electronic plug in type they use today. Either than, or the ignition switch needs to be replaced.
The only other option, have both cars towed to their respective Dealers and have them do the work.
Here in NJ Home Depot is now making chipped keys.
The independent M-B shop where we have maintenance (very seldom) done, diagnosed the trouble as "crankshaft position sensor". Now I suspect that is basically similar to what we oldtimers used to call "distributor rotor". Anyway, it's a solid state device which I am told does eventually become sensitive to heat and consequently fails. Easily accessible and not too expensive to replace. Just another wonderful "advancement" in automotive science.
I think this is the problem. BAD FUEL!
Last week a couples Lexus stopped in front of our business and wouldn’t start. They bought a fuel additive for water and put it in the gas tank. They let it set overnight....and bingo the car started the next morning an drove off. Sorry I didn’t get the name of the treatmentt any automotive parts store should know what it is.
Batches of bad fuel have been popping up quite regularly especially in California. Best of luck!
“Put some light lube on the key and work it around in the lock.”
Locksmiths tell you not to do this. Use powdered graphite instead.
Keys do get worn and I’ve had the same problem before myself.
! Hers I think has a fuel starvation problem of some kind. It’ll turn over but won’t start.
Jumped timing chain/belt
Actually, does the banging noise when she tries to start it sound like a missfire, or mechanical noise (like hammering on metal). If it sounds like a missfire, it might be something like a bad crank position sensor. If it's mechanical, it could be something broken in the engine (not good).
Does anyone know a good (inexpensive) mechanic in North Dallas/Lewisville/Denton, etc?
Do you have a spare key for the Merc? That would eliminate the key. You might also call around to an auto parts store to see if they can test the key for you.
Your wife’s car sounds like the starter motor is bad. It would be helpful if you could pinpoint the location of the banging noise.
The last time I gave car repair advice, three different fire stations had to respond. Have you looked at those cheap leases with no money down? Your cars have probably reached the age where repairing them is just repairing a car that will have another problem real soon. I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but it seems I saw some kind of lease deals for Volkswagen and Nissan. I don’t like to lease, but if you need reliable transportation for your wife, then a no-down lease with a good warranty might work for you. Or trade in one or both cars. Some guy was on FR claiming he got a no-down lease on a Chevy Volt for like $177 a month. Maybe it would make sense for you. Good luck.
My solution to car problems - a 1957 Bel Air and a 1967 camaro which I can trouble shoot and fix and don’t need smog.
Yes, the original key fell out of the door when the car was unloaded tonight by the tow truck (I had lost it in June in another state!) but it didn’t work, either.
How heavy is the keychain for your car that has the lock problem? A heavy keychain causes excess wear on both the key and the lock, to the point that one day it just stops working. This is usually first seen in the ignition though.
On the wife’s car, could be clogged fuel injectors. Could be debris in the tank or bad gas. Depending upon the age of the car, I’ve had a catalytic converter go bad causing excess back pressure in the exhaust, which caused the engine to die almost as soon as it was started, so it could be that too, I suppose.
Been decades since I’ve experienced any of that. Car trouble these days for me is invariably electronics related. Sensors, reflash ECU, that sort of thing.
Kia - probably fuel filter, but a 99 could be fuel pump. Lot easier to change the filter for first try.
The Benz - try WD-40 into the ignition switch then giggle the key, might free it up.
Are you a mind reader? That is EXACTLY what I was going to post.
TT
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