Help us help you. By posting the year, make, model and engine near the beginning of your help request, followed by the symptoms (no start, high idle, misfire etc.) Along with any prevalent Diagnostic Trouble Codes, aka DTCs, other forum members will be able to help you get to a solution more quickly and easily!
Good afternoon. My son't cadillac stalled out on the way home from work. He and a friend attempted jump starting it but reversed polarity. Of course he didn't tell me that this occurred for about 2 weeks.
It is a crank/ no start.
I had it towed home and the alternator was bad (replaced), the starter was smoking (replaced), battery is new, Fuel pump comes on, fuel filter is new, camshaft sensors are new, crankshaft position sensor is new, replaced the bad relays and fuses, Plugs are new. It is getting spark and fuel pressure is 55psi.
Not pulling any codes. Had is towed to mechanic and they said it experienced a catastrophic valve rupture and quoted me $7k. Does thier diagnosis sound plausible? I want to confirm before we discard the car. I thought it may have been a theft deterrent setting and they initially thought it had jumped time.
From your description the root problem is the engine had a major mechanical blow up out on the highway this should have been investigated before throwing parts at it was nothing to do with reversed polarity that may or may have caused other damage but it isn't your causal problem.
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
What method did they use to check timing? If they " think" it jumped time that's making an assumption. I usually check with a labscope. Here is a picture of a northstar that was incorrectly diagnosed as "jumped time"
The big clue is quote "smoke comming out the starter motor" that tells me to look for major mechanical issue causing parital seizure. As the alternator has been replaced it points to be engine internal. The first move in that kind of investigation is to try an turn the engine by hand with an auto trans put a large spanner ton the crank pulley nut, on a manual gesrbox car just jack a road wheel up and put in a high gear an fell the ressistance as you otate the wheel.
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
See if you can turn it with a socket on the crank. If you can't, take the belt off and try again. I just had a toe in last night that just made the engine locked up click sound with a charged battery and a fresh jump pack. Took the belt off and found the alternator seized.
