Q: Car won't start up, but starter and battery are working fine.

asked by on December 06, 2016

I spent the day yesterday trying to diagnose my issue and didn't get very far. Simply, the car will crank at full-tilt, but never catch ignition. The I have a reason to believe that the fuel system is the culprit, either at the pump or I am just in need of a new fuel filter.

For further information, I had considered it to be an electrical issue, i.e. no spark in the engine, until this morning. This morning, when I tried to start the car again, it sputtered for a half-second before going back to just cranking, so I think that the engine just isn't getting fuel.

Is there anything else that you would recommend that I try before I dive in to a replacement of both parts? Also, when YourMechanic comes out to perform service, do they replace the fuel filter before replacing the fuel pump, so we could try the cheaper solution first, before going to the $500 repair?

My car has 117000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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