Q: Car won,t start.

asked by on January 28, 2017

I have replaced the battery and spark plugs on my 94 Corolla. I've sprayed starter fluid in the intake. I checked all the fuses, still no start. I don't know if it's the timing or not. The car had overheated while being driven, after being parked it will not start.

My car has 143527 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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You mention the car being "parked". If, by chance, the car has sat unused for "months", the gasoline in the tank is usually bad and that alone will cause a no start condition. In a scenario such as that, the tank would have to be thoroughly drained and there might be additional work required on the fuel system, the exact work just simply dependent on how long the car has been used. Gasoline has a relatively limited shelf life. If the car has overheated, that raises additional concerns such as the integrity of the cylinder head gasket. You might want to check cylinder compression just to verify that there is sufficient compression. Broadly, in a no start scenario, if the starter motor is turning the engine over rapidly, at sufficient RPM, but the engine does not catch and run, that means that there is an ignition, fuel, air induction, or mechanical fault in the engine that will have to be repaired. If compression is found to be within factory specifications, and there is fuel being delivered by the injectors (not just "to" the injectors) and the ignition system is working, that means that the air fuel ratio of the mixture delivered to the cylinders is so far off the mixture won’t ignite. Such could be due to an air induction fault like a stuck idle air control valve or, considering fuel, could be due to a failed temperature sensor that must be working properly to signal the PCM to enrich the mixture on cold start. Regardless of the underlying cause, if you request a no start diagnostic the responding certified mechanic will get the problem diagnosed and repaired for you. Please let us know if you have further concerns or questions as we are always here to help you.

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