986 Half Start and Now Won't Start At All

Hoping someone can help... have a knot in my stomach.

I started up my '01 986 this afternoon and it fired up but did not sound like it was fully starting so I turned the key back to off before it got running. I then tried to turn the key to start it again (this has worked without issue in past) and all I get is the normal sound of the starter but the engine does not start. I removed the key and tried again with same result -- starter sounds fine but engine does not start. Any ideas? Please tell me I have not completely bricked my motor.

Thanks,

John



'01 986 SG/GG/BK
'08 957 V6 BB/HB

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "did not sound like it was fully starting"?
How many miles on your car?
Have there been any other symptoms lately?
Do you have any codes?
Have you done any recent service?

There are lots of possible causes and most of them are not difficult or particularly expensive to fix.

As Boxsterra asks; What do you mean, "did not fully start?".

Next, when you say "the normal sound of starter motor"... i'm confused. The "normal" sound is not the starter motor, its a little starter motor and a lot of motor turning but not (yet) starting.

If its only your starter, the solenoid is not engaging. I think this is not what you mean. If its the "normal" sound of an entire engine cranking, then you very likely flooded it by starting it and stopping it so quickly. It does happen. if it *is* flooded. just keep cranking, foot to floor, a fairly LONG time.

Beyond that you'll need to do some diagnostics, beginning whit the questions above.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Quote
phatryd
Hoping someone can help... have a knot in my stomach.

I started up my '01 986 this afternoon and it fired up but did not sound like it was fully starting so I turned the key back to off before it got running. I then tried to turn the key to start it again (this has worked without issue in past) and all I get is the normal sound of the starter but the engine does not start. I removed the key and tried again with same result -- starter sounds fine but engine does not start. Any ideas? Please tell me I have not completely bricked my motor.

Thanks,

John



'01 986 SG/GG/BK
'08 957 V6 BB/HB

You did not brick the motor. Reads like the fuel pump died. If you try to restart the engine and the engine just cranks with no indication of wanting to run that's probably a fuel pump. They can and do just up and quit. (Your experience is sort of lilke mine. Started the engine as I have a zillion times before and engine fired right up and was running fine. Started to back out of the carport and engine died. Tried to restart but the engine just cranked. At the dealer tech loaned me his fuel pump bypass relay and I tried that No luck. Not the fuel pump relay. Not the fuel pump fuse. Flat bedded the car in and the tech disconnected the fuel pump from the car's electrical system and supplied 12V shop power. The fuel pump didn't run. He replaced the fuel pump.)

About all you can do on your driveway is check the fuse. Unless you have access to a fuel pump bypass relay I'd be leery of trying to mess with relays. You can buy a new one -- I don't think they are that expensive -- but I think you'll find you will have a spare fuel pump relay after the dust settles. Frankly I don't hold much hope the fuse is bad nor the relay. Almost certainly you'll have to arrange to get the car on a flat bed tow truck and get the car to a shop that can confirm the fuel pump is bad -- or that it is good and the problem lies elsewhere -- and then address the problem.

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Thank you all! Filling in some of the details... 77Kmi, no recent service, I read codes last night and there weren't any stored. As for the 'not fully starting,' if I release the key a split second too soon when I'm starting it up, it will start but just barely -- it runs really rough and sounds terrible. I guess I'm not sure the difference between the sound of the starter and the sound of the engine cranking. What I'm hearing is exactly the same sound I hear after turning the key to start it but before the motor actually starts. Maybe that's the sound of the engine cranking? I checked the fuel pump fuse which was fine. That said, I don't recall ever having changed the fuel pump and after 16 yrs and 77K, I imagine I'm overdue. Planning to flatbed it to my mechanic later this week and I'll make sure he looks at the fuel pump.

John

Quote
phatryd
Thank you all! Filling in some of the details... 77Kmi, no recent service, I read codes last night and there weren't any stored. As for the 'not fully starting,' if I release the key a split second too soon when I'm starting it up, it will start but just barely -- it runs really rough and sounds terrible. I guess I'm not sure the difference between the sound of the starter and the sound of the engine cranking. What I'm hearing is exactly the same sound I hear after turning the key to start it but before the motor actually starts. Maybe that's the sound of the engine cranking? I checked the fuel pump fuse which was fine. That said, I don't recall ever having changed the fuel pump and after 16 yrs and 77K, I imagine I'm overdue. Planning to flatbed it to my mechanic later this week and I'll make sure he looks at the fuel pump.

John

The sound of the engine cranking is a pretty distinct sound. With a healthy engine and fuel pump, et al. the engine only needs a few seconds of cranking. The engine should fire right up and RPMs climb to a bit over 1K and if the engine is cold remain a bit elevated until the engine gets warm. Well, more than that until the DME is able to rely upon its O2 sensors to monitor fueling and converter performance. My observation is this coincides with the engine RPMs dropping to near nromal hot idle and concurrent with the secondary air injection pump shutting off.

If the engine needs lots of cranking time, or it fires but runs rough, there's a problem. In your case the "start but just barely" and then runs rough and sounds terrible could still be a bad fuel pump, one on its way out. Sometimes they just up and quit, other times they seem to linger between working right and death.

There's not much you can do on your driveway. The fuel pump maybe bad and a fuel pump R&R is something an experienced home mechanic can do but it is a risky job. Anytime the fuel system is opened up... Well, the person working on the car should have 100% confidence in that he knows what to do. An open large container of gasoline is nothing to take lighlty.

The problem could be something else. But eliminating the fuel pump and then tracking down the real source of the problem is probably a job for a professional tech. The fuel pump could be ok but there is a fuel line, fuel supply pressure problem. Or an air leak which can include the AOS. There is the possibility -- probably small but not zero -- of perhaps a bad (or just loose) crankshaft position sensor. Or there's the E-Gas and throttle body, the MAF to consider. An bad injector is possible. Even a bad spark plug or coil. There are more serious, deeper problems, that while they don't necessarily mean the engine's toast -- I don't thiink the behavior you report is due to the engine being on death's door step -- the problem is quite serious (VarioCam solenoid/actuator related maybe) and will not get any better.

In fact I think it is time that no Boxster engine acting abnormally ever got better on its own so there is no need to continue to try to start the engine in the hopes the behavior will be gone.

It boils down to the engine needs air, fuel and spark to run and at least one of these is not present or not present in the right amount or is not being recognized as being present in the right amount. Time to get a qualified/professional mechanic involved would be my recommendation.

Quote
phatryd
What I'm hearing is exactly the same sound I hear after turning the key to start it but before the motor actually starts. Maybe that's the sound of the engine cranking?

John

Yes, that is the sound of the engine cranking. Most of us have never heard the starter on its own. It would be a low whine. Just a small motor spinning.

Marc's suggestion (fuel pump) is a good one. Could also be bad gas, clogged fuel filter, ... anything that disrupts the flow of fuel to the motor. Without hearing it I cannot entirely rule out a spark problem either, but i think that is somewhat less likely.

In all my cases of fuel pump failures, however, they gradually came on, being intermittent. I also heard a louder than normal whining during the weeks before failure -- and not one coming from the passenger seat :-) IN fact, i later learned (on Audis) to turn the key, before starting, and listen for the fuel pump to either a) do nothing, b) be normal, c) be too loud. a is bad abnd c is bad.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com