Random Dump Zone, part.. what? Kajillion?

[givemfitz]

yep

 

[sickboy]

how do you do it, my car won't start.
i had the battery tested and they said it was good.
my car sounds like it wants to start, but it won't.
i've never had problems before.
can you please help me, i know nothing about cars other than where i put the gas in.

 

[givemfitz]

Well what you're talking about only works if the battery is dead or the starter is shot. Sorry.

If the car sounds like it wants to start but won't then you either have a problem with the ignition or fuel. It's either insufficient spark or not getting gas.

 

[sickboy]

yeah, i didn't read this post until now.
you were right, it didn't work.
i'm not sure what you mean by insufficient spark, are you talking about the spark plugs?
as for the gas, my car has gas.
i think i'm going to go to barnes and noble and buy one of those books on my car, maybe that will help.
either way, it has to wait until tomorrow.
thanks for your help anyway.

 

[givemfitz]

Ummmm it doesn't matter whether or not you understand the specifics, Just understand that under the circumstances based on what you've said push starting it won't work. Don't wear yourself out trying.

And the fact that there is gas in the tank doesn't mean it's reaching the combustion chamber. The fact that your battery holds a charge doesn't mean that any spark is getting to the combustion chamber. Unfortunately either problem can be caused by a number of things. Pretty tough to tell from here but trust me it's either ignition or fuel.

 

[sickboy]

i tried to find that book, but nobody has one for my car's year.
i asked the guy at the auto parts store and he told me that if i can smell fumes then it's not the fuel problem.
is this true?

 

[dascoot]

If you're smelling fuel fumes, then there prolly IS something wrong with the fuel system. I mean I'm just a dumb girl and all, but you put the gas IN the car, you're not supposed to be smelling it.

 

[givemfitz]

If you smell them under the hood than I agree. What kind of car is it?

 

[sickboy]

1983 honda civic wagon.
i'm sorry for bugging you with this, but i have nobody else to ask these questions to, the guy at the autozone store seems bothered with me for even asking.

 

[givemfitz]

No problem but stay with me so this doesn't take all day. Lets start at the beginning. How was it running the last time you drove it?

 

[sickboy]

fine, i've had no problems up until sunday.

 

[givemfitz]

ok let me look some things up. Oh and was it by any chance raining? a lot?

 

[sickboy]

Originally posted by dascoot@Feb 27 2007, 05:08 PM
If you're smelling fuel fumes, then there prolly IS something wrong with the fuel system. I mean I'm just a dumb girl and all, but you put the gas IN the car, you're not supposed to be smelling it.

my car is full of so many holes that i don't think it can be helped.
nope, hasn't rained much here. the last time it did was friday, but it was light.
besides, it's rained more last year and my car worked fine.

 

[givemfitz]

The smell could also mean a leak which would starve the engine of fuel.

 

[sickboy]

is there a specific spot i should look at to see if there's a leak?

 

[givemfitz]

Yeah. The ground under the car. from there you can trace it backwards. So was it raining Sunday or did you drive through a bunch of water?

 

[sickboy]

no, it was dry.

 

[givemfitz]

Yeah. The ground under the car. from there you can trace it backwards. So was it raining Sunday or did you drive through a bunch of water?

Sorry glitch

 

[givemfitz]

Ok so there were no symptoms at all. the car was never lurching or4 acting like it wasn't getting enough power?

 

[sickboy]

no, not at all.
it drove like it always had.