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Hey Guys, My friend’s Cav wont start. His car got broken into one night and now his car wont start. When we turn the key, I hear the engine spinning over but it wont start. Fuses in the Cabin all work except the cigarette lighter. Battery is good. My friend thinks it’s the fuel pump but I think it could be a fuse. What should I check next? Any help is appreciated.
Hey, Anthony. Check for spark first. If you don’t have a spark tester, unplug one of the spark plug wires and plug another spark plug into the wire. Take a length of wire and secure it to the threaded part of the spark plug (I use a hose clamp) and fasten the other end of the wire to a good ground (the body of the car works well). Have your friend try to start the car while you watch for the plug to spark. Let me know if you’re getting spark and I’ll guide you from there. Good luck!
If you determine that the fuel pump isn’t running and the fuse and relay are both good, the fuel pump itself could be bad. Additionally, the vehicle may be in “theft mode.” Typically when the car is in theft mode it’ll start for a second and then shut off. You said it won’t start at all, but I feel like it should be worth mentioning since it WAS broken into after all. I found this procedure online: turn the key off for at least 30 seconds.turn the key to the run/on position and let all the bulbs do their self-test (about 5 seconds)attempt to start the vehicle… let it start then stall… leave the key in the on/run position for 12 minutes.after 12 minutes turn the key off for about 20 seconds then try to start it normally. If it starts and runs normally, you will have to have the lock cylinder and theft sensor replaced.
