my car wont start. i dont know why. its turning, but it wont catch for some reason.

i need a decently affordable place to take it, preferably one that will tow it for me.

7/13/2006 11:23:49 AM

Year, make model.

I swear, this board needs stickies so everybody would have to read this.

Can't tell you much unless we know what you drive.

7/13/2006 1:11:12 PM

nissan sentra i think, prolly like a 1990

[Edited on July 13, 2006 at 1:13 PM. Reason : .]

7/13/2006 1:13:03 PM

a little off man.

1997 Nissan Altima

7/13/2006 1:32:04 PM

u try jumpin it?

7/13/2006 1:34:41 PM

yeah. when it first died, it wouldnt turn at all, so i tried to jump it. at that point, it turned but wouldnt start. i brought the battery into advanced and got it tested, they said i definitely needed a new one. i put the new one in, and its the same problem i was having while jumping it, turning but not starting.

7/13/2006 1:37:06 PM

if it's turning, then you likely didn't need a new battery

the next step would be to check your distributor

7/13/2006 2:40:27 PM

check for spark at the plugs

7/13/2006 2:41:55 PM

i did check for spark and there wasnt any.

so thats about where my knowledge of cars ends, how do i check the distributor?

7/13/2006 2:46:54 PM

There's not really an easy way. I actually have a low voltage/current test light that I use to check ignition pulse at the coil and from the crank angle sensor.

The absolute best way is to measure waveform with an oscilloscope, but I don't have one any longer.

The big deal is this: no signal to coil? check the crank angle sensor. If I remember correctly, and if the KA24DE remains the same as a lot of the Nissans I've worked on, there's a power transistor on the coil. The computer fires the coil directly through the power transistor.

The crank angle sensor is optical and resides in the base of the distributor.

First things first, though. Does your check engine light illuminate when you switch your key to the "ON" position? If not, then the ECM is not getting power or it's fried.

7/13/2006 4:06:19 PM

yeah the light's on

7/13/2006 5:06:31 PM

the light on the test light never lit up, but it shocked my friend that was holding the circuit tester.

soooooooo??? how do you see if its the crank sensor or the distributor?

7/13/2006 6:24:14 PM

Methinks this is better left to somebody who knows what to probe with the test light. The high tension terminal (with the plug wire coming off it) is NOT the thing to probe.

Not to mention, you need to have a special test light designed for very low current and low voltage. I have an LED test light made especially for this purpose.

If yer friend got a huge shock, that at least tells me the coil is working.

What does the inside of the distributor cap look like?

7/13/2006 6:27:40 PM