Black51

It sounds like a similar problem I ran into last year. I thought the battery was bad. Wrong, even though when trying to crank, it showed very low voltage. The starter was bad. By all means, make sure the battery is/isn't the problem first, then I would look at the starter.

ali4

I know it's premature in the diagnosis but I'm curious, does the car crank if the starter is dead?

Black51

The starter is what turns the motor over when turning the key. So if the starter is dead, the car doesn't turn over when turning the key.

The starter is not the first link in the chain however. Verify the battery isn't bad first.

ehall

The current flows to the starter solenoid, which is the small cylinder on the side of the starter. If the solenoid is going bad, it could work intermittently. Additionally if the hot lead to the slenoid is old and frayed, which is common on our cars, the lead itself could be failing to send a consistent current to the solenoid.
NOW, if there is no issue with the hot lkead or the solenoid, and you KNOW the battery, hot lead (as well as the other leads off the battery) are good, then you have a starter problem.
If that is the case, replace the starter. Both lart and damizia have great deals on good used starters, if money is an issue. You can trust both for good, guaranteed parts.
Replacing the sloenoid isn't worth the money. Just get a new starter, as they come as a unit.

ehall

Oh, and even with a bad alternater, the car should start and run for a about 20 minutes to 40 minutes with a bad alternater. If it starts and runs (IN YOUR DRIVEWAY!!!!) and then just slowly dies, it's your alt.
ps sorry I couldn't respond earlier. I have very busy. I have a dead alt you can use for a core, if you need one.

Tedro951

A voltmeter won't tell if a battery is good or not. Bad batteries can show 13V. Carry it in to a parts store and have it load tested.

The biggest obstacle to troubleshooting your car is terminology.

"Cranks" = The engine is spinning with the starter provided the fun.
"Turns over" = Same as cranks.
"Turns on" = A phrase you've used in previous posts. Not to be confused with "turn ons"! This really applies to electrical devices. "The radio turns on" "The key in the "run" position turns on the fuel pump", yada yada.

If you don't own a battery charger, you need to get one. The battery should ideally be fully charged before troubleshooting.

Like elliott says, methodical. Nail something down.

Make your next post something like this:

"I took the battery to autozone. It tested good, and they did a quick charge on it. I brought it home and put it in the car, then hooked my new charger to it. It was cheap at harbor freight (or some other cheap store). The engine now cranks really fast. I cranked it for 15 seconds and I still don't smell fuel in the exhaust. Help."

ali4

Going to az to have battery tested. IF it's bad will a duralast 84 (dl84) work?

ali4

Update:

Took battery to Autozone and they said it was too weak to test. So they charged it for a few hours and then it was reading 12.5 volts, and had 84% charge. So they told me the battery is fine.

Hooked it up today to the car and it cranks. I had forgot to jump the dme relay so I did that and the Fuel pump turned on and it cranked. I had someone turn the key while I was behind the car to smell any fuel and the muffler was blowing out some air during crank and a slight smell of fuel but nothing over powering or unusual. At the end the car still cranks but will not turn on.

What do I do next?

ali4

Any help would be greatly appreciated since it is the weekend and I'll have some time to devote to this.

I also pulled all of the spark plugs which were replaced and the cables and reinstalled them to verify they are in correctly. All spark plugs were dry and I also opened the fuel rail with the pump running had a friend crank the car and the fuel didn't squirt out as I had expected with the new fuel pump instead just drained out like a weak water fountain. But no formal pressure test was done. I'll follow the diagnostic steps you guys provide.

ehall

So by cranking you are saying the engine is turning but it won't fire up?

ehall

First thing to check is spark.

ali4

Yes you are correct. By cranking I mean the car makes the sound of starting "vroomvroom..." it goes 90% towards starting but won't go that extra 10% and actually "turn on" and by turn on I mean 100% where I can drive around.

I checked for spark in one spark plug and the ignition cable and spark was there.

ehall

Check in a different plug. Unless it is a relay related issue, it's time for fuel. You really need a way to test the fuel pressure, and you ALSO need to make sure that you injectors are actually firing. Bad injector harnesses are extremely common on our cars.
That goes back to the electrical side of things.

ali4

Ok I will check another spark plug for spark and another cable. I have an autozone fuel pressure kit I rented. Where on the fuel line should I connect it? At the end of the rail nearest to the front of the car? Or at the bolt on the side where the hose is coming into the rail?

Also is there instructions out there on how to check if the injectors are actually firing?

ehall

Check at the end of the fuel rail, where the U shaped hose is attached. I've never had an injector issue, so check Clarks-garage for info and ask these guys.
If I read right, you bought a new fuel pump and filter. Unless a relay, (DME fuel relay) isn't operational, you should have plenty of pressure coming into the rail. If you have low pressure I would first think my fuel pressure regulator was bad. It's on the end of the rail closest to the driver.