Breakdown blues (starter cranks, but engine wont run/start) - SOLVED

[MetroMPG]

Yup, plugs & filter are in OK condition. (But I didn't pull a plug at the time to check for fuel on it.)

I'm still curious if a car can stay flooded that badly for 36 hours, or is it more likely to be an ECU bug. I've never had a fuel-injected car do this before.

[Wallythacker]

My Saturn vue stayed flooded.perhaps 48 hours.. it was in the winter, I know I screwed up trying to start it and waited 24 hours. It didn't start. 24 hours after that it started. So sometime in the 48 hour.window it cleared itself. This is the 4 cyl. 5mt Vue. Its my giant.Mirage. with 37mpg on the highway I won't complain.

[Fummins]

Get new plugs, I had one in the shop for a few days that was flooded. Cleaned the plugs, still wouldn't go. Put new plugs in fired right up like nothing was ever wrong.

On the other hand I've had drivers come get me when their car wouldn't start. I go outside, hold the throttle down and they fire up after a few seconds of cranking. Turn key to run, then floor pedal, then turn key to start. Sometimes it'll work but lately I've had to just replace the plugs.

[MetroMPG]

I wish we had some members around here who knew what they were talking about.

[Fummins]

Might have to have it towed to the dealer? I hear they have the best factory trained technicians in the industry. I'm sure they'll have you fixed up in no time and probably have it covered by warranty

[Dirk Diggler]

Get new plugs, I had one in the shop for a few days that was flooded. Cleaned the plugs, still wouldn't go. Put new plugs in fired right up like nothing was ever wrong.

On the other hand I've had drivers come get me when their car wouldn't start. I go outside, hold the throttle down and they fire up after a few seconds of cranking. Turn key to run, then floor pedal, then turn key to start. Sometimes it'll work but lately I've had to just replace the plugs.

You pulled some spark plugs at like what 200kms and thought they looked decent, wasnt that right? Ive never replaced spark plugs before 150k miles, maybe for the Mirage its around 125k miles?

[Fummins]

Yeah. The ones I pulled from the flooded cars mad me hangry. I probably coulda left them sit out overnight and spray with brake cleaner and put them back in but I was in a hurry and had zero patience.

When it's humid outside and an old 2.2 mazda doesn't start, I've learned to go straight to the distributor cap. Easiest and fastest fix is replace cap and rotor. Could just clean them up and limp it by for a while too though. It doesn't take much to stop the spark plugs from making the magical amount of spark needed to make explosion happen without being blown out first. You can have spark with the plug sitting out in the open and still have it not fire in the cylinder.