Q: Fixed timing belt and harmonic balancer, now car will not start? 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT
My drive belt got shredded due to a harmonic balancer that went bad, and in the process, a piece of the belt had gotten tangled up in between the timing belt and crankshaft. The timing was about 90 degrees off at the camshaft so after getting the timing corrected I tried cranking it to see if it would turn over and start, but nothing yet, other than just a couple little noises from exhaust on the first try, then nothing after that. The only thing I can think of to do is replace crankshaft sensors??? If the sensor is bad or not plugged in all the way, will this cause the car not to start?????
My car has 186579 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello - there are several possibilities here for this "no-start" problem, but they will have different symptoms. If you are getting no spark at the plugs, that could indicate a failed or incorrectly-installed crankshaft position sensor. If you get spark at the plugs, but the engine isn’t catching and starting, this could indicated bad spark timing. It is possible that the harmonic balancer has slipped (timing marks relative to the keyed slot for the crankshaft). This can happen without the balancer completely failing. If this is the case, camshaft and ignition timing will still be off because your timing reference marks on the harmonic damper are incorrect. It may be necessary to remove your harmonic balancer and compare it to a new one to verify that this is not a problem. I would recommend an engine no-start inspection by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
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