Wont Start!!

getexpress · #1 10-28-2006, 05:07 PM

Hi all...This is my first post...I have a friend with a 1997 Buick Lasabre 3.8l engine.
The car wont start...its getting alot of gas and there is spark but it wont start. Turns over fine but we need to stop the gas pump and dont know how...The manual is useless and we tryed all the fuses. Can anyone give any ideas as to why it wont start.
Thanks all....Cool forum.

GringoPete · #2 10-28-2006, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getexpress

Hi all...This is my first post...I have a friend with a 1997 Buick Lasabre 3.8l engine.
The car wont start...its getting alot of gas and there is spark but it wont start. Turns over fine but we need to stop the gas pump and dont know how...The manual is useless and we tryed all the fuses. Can anyone give any ideas as to why it wont start.
Thanks all....Cool forum.

Just out of curiousity, how do you know the car is getting gas?

I dont know much about resilving this problem other than bringing it to a mechanic and them hooking it up to a computer. I'll look in search engines and see if i can find something helpful for you.

GringoPete · #3 10-28-2006, 05:51 PM

This might be of some help---->http://www.ehow.com/how_112584_troub...-car-wont.html

GringoPete · #4 10-28-2006, 05:53 PM

Here is a list of websites that may help you and your friend. Best of luck!!!!

Pete

http://www.google.com/search?q=car+w...en-US:official

getexpress · #5 10-28-2006, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GringoPete

Just out of curiousity, how do you know the car is getting gas?

I dont know much about resilving this problem other than bringing it to a mechanic and them hooking it up to a computer. I'll look in search engines and see if i can find something helpful for you.

Thanks for your response....Its getting gas because the spark plugs were wet when we removed it.

getexpress · #6 10-28-2006, 06:49 PM

Well it turns out ....It was a blown head gasket. Which means, no compression, which means no start.

HotZ28 · #7 10-28-2006, 08:22 PM

Blown head gasket?

This is very rare on a 3.8! It would take extreme abuse to “blow a head gasket” to the point of (0) “no compression”. Did someone do a compression check and do you have a copy of the compression check?

Even with a blown head gasket, you should have enough compression to start the engine unless, you have coolant in the combustion chamber. Coolant will “put out the fire” on the plugs. Are you sure that the car does not have a UIM (upper intake manifold) failure? This is a very common problem on the cars with the plastic intake where the EGR tube burns a hole in the intake coolant passage near the TB (throttle body) opening.

Keep in mind, the pressure in the combustion chamber is far greater than that in the coolant system and if the head gaskets were blown, the combustion gases would overcome any pressure from the coolant system. You need to provide further diagnoses of the problem. This simply does not make sense!

Was the problem resolved by replacing the head gaskets?

getexpress · #8 10-13-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotZ28

Blown head gasket?

This is very rare on a 3.8! It would take extreme abuse to “blow a head gasket” to the point of (0) “no compression”. Did someone do a compression check and do you have a copy of the compression check?

Even with a blown head gasket, you should have enough compression to start the engine unless, you have coolant in the combustion chamber. Coolant will “put out the fire” on the plugs. Are you sure that the car does not have a UIM (upper intake manifold) failure? This is a very common problem on the cars with the plastic intake where the EGR tube burns a hole in the intake coolant passage near the TB (throttle body) opening.

Keep in mind, the pressure in the combustion chamber is far greater than that in the coolant system and if the head gaskets were blown, the combustion gases would overcome any pressure from the coolant system. You need to provide further diagnoses of the problem. This simply does not make sense!

Was the problem resolved by replacing the head gaskets?

Yes there was coolant in the combustion chamber and yes replacing the head gasket solved this issue. Sorry for the year late response but I have not logged on this site since then.

BNaylor · #9 10-13-2007, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getexpress

Yes there was coolant in the combustion chamber and yes replacing the head gasket solved this issue. Sorry for the year late response but I have not logged on this site since then.

Thanks for your belated reply almost a year later. Since you have resolved the issue and this is an old thread it has been closed.

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