I have a 1994 Chevy astro van I replaced the fuel filter ...


I have a 1994 Chevy astro van I replaced the fuel filter and put a new battery in but it still won't start Mechanic's Assistant: Is the fuel filter an external one, or is it inside the tank? It's an external one Mecha...

I have a 1994 Chevy astro van I replaced the fuel filter and put a new battery in but it still won't start Mechanic's Assistant: Is the fuel filter an external one, or is it inside the tank? It's an external one Mechanic's Assistant: Are you fixing your Astro yourself? What have you tried so far? Yes I am and I've replaced the battery and put a new fuel filter in

Automotive Expert
Hello and thank you for using JustAnswer. My name is \*\*\*\*\* \*\*\*\*\* I’ll be glad to assist you with your question today. I am an ASE certified technician and Service Manager with over 20 years of hands on experience helping to provide solutions for my customer’s issues. My experience includes both dealership and independent repair facilities in technical and customer facing roles, so I have the ability to handle the technical aspects and communicate them efficiently and effectively as possible. During this conversation you will receive an automatic offer for a phone call. This offer is not generated by me but by the website and is outside of my control. <u><strong>You may accept or decline the phone call offer at your discretion, but a call is NOT REQUIRED for me to assist you with your question.</strong></u> This is an optional service so if you’re interested I would be happy to speak with you instead of typing/texting back and forth. I’m sorry that you’re having unexpected issues with your vehicle and I will do my best to help you resolve them. Please understand that through this process we will be working together. As I am not there, you might be asked to work as my eyes and ears to help gather basic information to help identify and resolve your specific problem. As I don’t know your level of expertise, please don’t be offended if the questions I ask seem rudimentary, I am simply trying to guide you through the issue as simply and accurately as possible. My aim is to give you the best service possible by providing an accurate answer. Unfortunately, as you may be aware an accurate answer is not always a popular answer. Sometimes it will take me time to respond as I review your information, compare it to my resources and think through the potential options to ensure my answer is as accurate as possible. I appreciate your patience and remember even if I don’t respond immediately I am working diligently on your issue. Was the vehicle starting prior to replacing the fuel filter and battery or was this in response to the vehicle not starting?

Ok thank youNo it lost power as I was driving into my driveway before I replaced the battery and fuel filterNo thank youNo I don't want to switch to a live call
Automotive Expert
Hello and welcome! My name isCustomerand I can assist you with your question. I am a former master tech and I have worked in this field for 20 years. I specialize this type of problem you are experiencing so I am confident I can assist with this issue. I am sorry you are having this issue and I understand this can be frustrating so I will try my best to help. While we are working on this issue together, please allow up to 30 minutes (or more) between replies as I might be online helping other customers or offline spending time with family. Please understand I can only see what is on this page and what you have already shared with me. Please keep in mind, I don’t know the history of the vehicle and I don’t know your mechanical ability, however, I will try my best to help. The phone call prompts are automatic and are coming from the web site, not from me. If you would like to speak on the phone, please request a phone call on your end and I will call you right away. I am going to start by asking some basic questions to get up to caught up to where you are at with this situation so I can assist you in a timely manner. I appreciate your time and patience while we are working together on this issue. My goal is to provide you with a pleasant experience and ensure all of your questions are answered. Please reply back at anytime so I can fully answer or address any questions or concerns you may have. _Please download or save any documents or images I may send you as they will automatically expire after 7 days._ Can I start by getting your first name? Thank you
Automotive Expert
Without knowing all of the information like the vehicle history, the components that have been tested or replaced, the results of any tests that need to be run and without being there myself looking at the vehicle, it is hard to say exactly what is going on. I can only give you a general answer, but I hope this helps. If all fuses are good but there are no codes in the computer, we will have to pinpoint what the [engine](/topics-engine-chevy/) is missing when this no start condition occurs… Spark Fuel Compression First is the fuel system. There are two way of checking the fuel system. First, there is the fuel pressure up to the fuel rail. Normally this is checked using a fuel pressure gauge. You simply hook it up to the fuel rail, turn the key on or crank it over and take a reading. Most older vehicles have a fuel pressure test port. This means you can simply screw the fuel pressure gauge onto the fuel rail with ease to check fuel pressure. If not, you can tap the fuel pressure line going to the throttle body or fuel rail (depending on your system) and take a reading that way. The newer vehicles use a fuel rail pressure sensor. It will take a pressure reading off of the fuel rail and turn it into a digital signal that the computer will see and understand. You can see this under live data in the ECM or PCM using a compatible scan tool under “live data”. The second part of the fuel system would be the injector pulse. This is the signal from the computer to the injectors to tell them when to open up to allow fuel into the engine. Normally this is tested using a tool called a noid light. You simply plug the noid light into the injector connector after disconnecting the injector connector from the fuel injector and watch it while an assistant cranks it over. It should blink if it has power and a ground signal trigger from the computer. This is a good signal. Both parts of the fuel system are very important and must be present for the car to start. Next would be the ignition system. On a standard ignition system, the secondary ignition components should be able to deliver strong bright blue spark that can jump at least a half inch of a gap while cranking the engine over. You can check this on more than one cylinder to be sure the ignition system is working normally like it should. Depending on your set up, you could have ignition wires that send the ignition to each cylinder or you could have coil over plug (which is very common). Either way, simply access the wire or coil and insert a spark tester or screw driver in place and ground the other end. Watch for night blue spark while an assistant is cranking the engine over. There is also the primary ignition system too. This is the engine speed sensor or sensors (cam or crank sensor). Some vehicles use just the crank sensor and others use both the cam and the crank sensor to produce spark. On some more complex vehicles and engines, there might be 2 or more [camshaft](/topics-camshaft-chevy/) position sensors that can affect spark. Both the primary and secondary ignition system can fail (and even intermittently) causing a no spark condition. If there is no spark while cranking, be sure to check for power to the [ignition coil](/topics-ignition-coil-chevy/) or coils with the key on and while cranking the engine over. Yes this could be a blown fuse or relay causing a no spark condition. Some vehicles or ignition systems use an ignition module as well as the coil or coils, and others are triggered directly from the engine computer but will still need a separate power source for the ignition coil(s) to work. As far as compression goes, low or no compression could be caused by base engine mechanical issues such as a broken camshaft or timing chain. You can check engine compression, remove the front timing cover and take a look at the timing marks or possibly pull the valve cover to see if there is any visual damage that you can see. Checking compression requires a compression gauge. Simply screw the tester into the [spark plug](/topics-spark-plug-chevy/) hole after removing the spark plug and crank it over to take a reading. While the compression specifications vary a bit depending on the engine, basically you want to ensure compression is relatively the same in all of the cylinders. All three of these are tested when the engine is being cranked over. A compression tester, spark tester, fuel pressure gauge and noid light are all accessible at your local auto store or online. All three tests play a very important part in diagnosing a no start condition. Be extremely careful when doing these tests. You could also see if it runs on starting fluid once you know the engine has spark. If it does, then you know you have spark and compression and you simply have a fuel delivery problem. Here is a video explaining how to check for spark and fuel on a car that cranks but does not start. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=064Ilsz8Fzg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=064Ilsz8Fzg) Glad I can help. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks and have a great day! .

What others are asking

Door lock not latching properly.
If the mechanical portion of your door lock does not fully latch, you may just need to move the latch to its original position. This can be done by unlocking the door, pulling the handle and inserting a screwdriver into...
Cylinder misfires
Sometimes an ignition coil failure may be due to outlying causes like oil on plug wires or plugs with too large of a gap. If the coil has to work too hard to jump the gap, the spark plugs can...
Transmission problem 3rd gear
Hey there. This is something your car will do when going into "safe mode" which can happen when the ECM detects something is wrong with any of the car's systems. This is a safety feature to keep you and the...
Oil light is on and my car won't turn over
The issue your having is going to depend on the details of what happened when it overheated (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-is-overheating-inspection). If you were running the vehicle without any coolant, the engine could have reached 280°. When a vehicle reaches this extreme or...
Security system is activated and is not letting me turn the car on
Hello there, the security system is an important safety feature with your 2004 Nissan Xterra. You will not be able to disable the security system as it is integrated into the ignition system. Common causes for the security system to...
Brake Pad on passenger side is heating up.
The brake caliper and/or the sliding pins in the caliper bracket, are sticking. Typically, when brakes are refurbished, if the existing calipers have 75,000 or more miles on them, they should be replaced with high quality remanufactured calipers to avoid...
Power steering and overheating
Hi There, This may be related to a failing power steering pump (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/power-steering-pump-replacement) or low power steering fluid (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/power-steering-fluid-service) levels. As you may know, the power steering system uses a pump, normally driven by a belt. The pump supplies pressure...
Car will start but wont move
Hi There, It sounds like your car may be low on transmission fluid (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/transmission-fluid-service). Since automatic transmissions use pressurized hydraulic fluid to change gears, every time a gear change is required, the car's computer activates a transmission solenoid, which directs...
I have no 3rd or 4th gears
Hi Robert. We understood your inquiry correctly the first time you submitted the question. The truth is that without completing an onsite inspection, telling you the exact reason why you are not getting third or fourth gear to shift is...