Car wont start all the time

mc5ivepctech · 09-08-2008, 10:25 AM

I have a 1989 porsche 944 recently i have been having problems starting the car, the battery is fully charged and there is a full tank of gas. It all starts when I turn the key, it makes the noise like it going to start i guess they call it cranks, but the car just keeps cranking and the engine does not turn on and in the end i end up with a dead battery from trying to start the car. If anyone has a solution please help I would really appreciate it.

ballysdad · 09-08-2008, 11:41 AM

are you getting fuel? Make sure you are getting 12v to the fuel pump..Are you getting spark? Could be a few things..Does your tach bounce when trying to start? DME relay? Fuel pump relay?Bad fuel pump...you will have to start ruling some stuff out..

hpservertech · 09-08-2008, 11:43 AM

Read & bookmark www.clarks-garage.com for troubleshooting steps, then come back and let us know what you did to troubleshoot.

mc5ivepctech · 09-08-2008, 11:54 AM

I am not all that familiar with this type of car, i dont know where most of these parts are located. I had tried the ingnition relay but nothing was wrong with it, I had tested the spark plugs and i did get a spark, those are mostly things i know where they are located. as for the other stuff i dont know where to find them.

hpservertech · 09-08-2008, 11:57 AM

Take it to the shop.

mc5ivepctech · 09-08-2008, 12:02 PM

I would like to take it to the shop but it is imposible to tow it from the location it is stationed

phoenix_iii · 09-08-2008, 12:05 PM

Don't take it to the shop. Just take your time to format your posts, make them good, people will flock to help.

So you are getting spark? How did you confirm this? Does the Tach bounce when you try to start the car? Are you getting fuel?

People asked you questions but you didn't answer! Did you read Clarks-garage? Good information there on the manual side.

hpservertech · 09-08-2008, 12:08 PM

I say that in the kindest way that I can. no start isn't that easy to troubleshoot. Espcially if you dont know the car.

Where is the car at that's so impossible to tow? if it can't be towed, how can it be worked on?

No start is either fuel, spark or electric.
Fuel - dme, dme relay, wiring, injectors, injector harness
spark - dme, dme relay, distributor, rotor, wiring
electric - starter, ingnition switch, lots of wiring possibilties

Again, go through the web site I mentioned. It has the troubleshooting steps you need to follow and let us know the results about.

mc5ivepctech · 09-08-2008, 12:29 PM

The car is parked in a lot full of other cars work space is about 1 foot all around. I am not by the car at the moment - I tested the spark plugs by removing them and checking to see if they give a spark in which they could do because i can actually see it. I will look into that website further and let you know how it goes thankyou for all your help i will get back to you as soon as i have some solid information.

porschejeff95 · 09-09-2008, 04:05 PM

ok, here's what I just recently did..had the same issue. car would start for days in a row, then would not start for days in a row, some days yes, some no. Tried talking nicely to it..didn't help....had spark, had gas, good pressure, full tank of gas, dme good.....I started with cleaning all the related sensors, plug connections.....amazingly when I took a soft brass wire brush and some air and cleaned the MAF sensor terminals...WALAA!!!! it has started 9 days in a row now morning, noon, and night on the first turn of the key. Hey, give it a shot.

MrWrong · 09-09-2008, 05:21 PM

Check that you are getting fuel next.

Crank on it a few times then loosen the cap on the end of the fuel rail.

If gas comes out, then obviously you have fuel.

many944s · 09-09-2008, 05:26 PM

With these cars, one of the first things to check is the reference and speed sensor connections.

Here is a link to a quick "no-start" page I put together on my website, "Section 4" will show you the location of the sensor connectors among other things to check.
http://www.benms.com/944nostart.html

Let us know what you find! There are tons of people here willing to help!

-Nick

firefighter7128 · firefighter7128's Garage

starter

dangerous · dangerous's Garage

Check your DME relay using a jumper wire described in this instruction. It's a quick and easy check.

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/fuel-05.htm

PXJ800 · 09-11-2008, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by many944s

With these cars, one of the first things to check is the reference and speed sensor connections.
-Nick

From time to time mine won't start, but after a quick jiggle of these connectors it fires up just fine. The odd part is the connectors themselves are clean, relatively new, and snap together crisply.

many944s · 09-12-2008, 05:12 AM

They are very finicky connections! Of course the male side of the connector is on the sensor portion of the cable, so the female connector on the car's harness is what wears out. Like any "spade" style connection, the outer part eventually spreads open and creates a marginal connection at best. There have been several cars that I have worked on with this issue, and have contemplated replacing the connector with a more serviceable unit.

-Nick