Q: Car won't start and won't even crank when I turn the key.
Alright so I bought the cavalier in august for $300 knowing it had a leaking fuel injector that's it. It ran ok for 2 weeks then one day it just wouldn't start at first the engine would crank but not start now it won't even crank just clicks my neighbor who works on cars says it sounded like a bad starter so I replaced that and same thing just makes a loud click when I turn the key nothing else I don't know what else could be the problem please help
My car has 147800 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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You will need to see if you can put a socket on the front crankshaft pulley bolt and turn the motor by hand to see if the engine is free to turn over. Check the oil to see if it is overfilled and smells of fuel. If you have a leaking injector it could flood a cylinder and cause it to lock the engine from turning over with the starter.
If you cannot turn the engine then remove all the spark plugs and disable the coil. Then turn over the engine with a starter to blow out all of the fuel. Watch to see what cylinder had all the fuel in it. This is the leaking injector.
If all of the cylinders are full of fuel then your fuel regulator may be blown and needs replaced along with the oil and filter. To avoid any unnecessary repairs, consider YourMechanic, as one of our mobile technicians can come to your home or office to diagnose your starting issue firsthand.
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