Stored for winter... now won't start

[waylandbill]

I had purchased a 97 Neon before winter (November or so) and stored the vehicle in my garage until now. It ran fine when I put it there, but now it just turns over and will not start. What should I check? Could it possibly be bad gas or something?

[das2123]

The battery may not be putting out enough juice to turn the crank over. Have the battery checked.

[waylandbill]

No. It does turn over. I fully charged the battery with a battery charger since it'd not been ran in a long time. The crank turns, but that's all that happens.

[das2123]

Originally Posted by waylandbill

No. It does turn over. I fully charged the battery with a battery charger since it'd not been ran in a long time. The crank turns, but that's all that happens.

The battery may have a full charge but still not putting out enough voltage. Can you confirm the voltage output?

[danielc22]

Originally Posted by das2123

The battery may have a full charge but still not putting out enough voltage. Can you confirm the voltage output?

plugs/wires?

[sheetmagnet]

When you first put the key in the ignition and turn to "ON," but not far enough to start it, can should hear the fuel pump turn on for 2 seconds to primer itself...

If not, then sounds like a voltage problem from the battery...

[allpowerful2]

I have a 98 dodge neon and i had the exact same problem check your spark plugs i had a valve cover leak that somehow drained into my spark plug tubes and caused the car to do exactly the same thing also check spark plug wires for rust or splits. hope this helps.

[TEXSRT4]

you might also think about dropping a fuel stabalizer into your tank when you store it for a while. you might want to check and make sure your gas is still good

[maykelcj]

Originally Posted by TEXSRT4

you might also think about dropping a fuel stabalizer into your tank when you store it for a while. you might want to check and make sure your gas is still good

Agree!!!!! fuel goes bad when storaged over time a 4-5 gal will go bad in about 3 months maybe less.

[das2123]

Originally Posted by maykelcj

Agree!!!!! fuel goes bad when storaged over time a 4-5 gal will go bad in about 3 months maybe less.

That depends on the storage, but generally gas will not go bad. I don't know where people get that notion from.

[sheetmagnet]

Originally Posted by das2123

That depends on the storage, but generally gas will not go bad. I don't know where people get that notion from.

I have to agree on this one... gas doesn't go "bad" at all. It cannot turn to water, or drop to 80 octane like some people rumor it to do. (Actually, this misconception is the opposite. If you fill your tank up with 87 octane and store it for a year or two, you will have 93 octane afterwards, or even higher. Sta-bil actually keeps the gas from "aging" and keeps the octane where it was when you filled your tank, and actually keeps the fuel from stabilizing itself into a slower-burning fuel... in other words, higher octane fuel).

The won't-start-because-the-gas-went-bad rumor is physically caused from a combination of things usually. The fuel in the injectors, when left for that long, can form a slight "varnish" around the needles and cause poor injection/atomization when trying to start it after long storage. Sedimentation can also play a role sometimes. Combine this with a low voltage going to the spark plugs from a dying battery, and it can be pretty hard to light that high-octane fuel.

The same notion applies to Ethanol... a certain percentage of Ethanol is used in most of our fuels now. Although the chemical composition of Ethanol is much different than straight petro-grade gasoline, and may not produce as much "power" in a regular 87-fed engine, it is much easier to achieve a higher octane rating with Ethanol (because it burns slower). The loss of power in an engine, or not getting a "clean burn" from running Ethanol (which can really freak out the O2 sensor) usually comes from the fact that it generally has too high of a relative octane rating when compared to gasoline, and does not release the same amount of gaseous mass that gasoline does under lower compression ratios. Just food for thought.

[maykelcj]

cool!!!! that is good food

[TEXSRT4]

um...i can personally vouch for gasoline going bad in my dodge dart. had it sit for 6 months or so and the car woudl not run. ended up having to dump the tank and refil it. gas turned to varnish, enough so that it wouldnt fire up

[HPNOTIQracing]

its the batt. chargeing a batt with a bad cell or any internal issue WILL NOT charge it properly. go buy a 35$ batt from walmart and be done with it. also check your connections for corrosion. my knowledge about bad gas is typically with cars from up north and only in the winter or when the gas goes from icey temps to warm and back and forth everyday, that makes condensation inside the tank.