[CruiserJman]

My nephew's car isn't starting & I'm trying to help him diagnose the problem. It sounds like it
has enough power but just won't kick over. He said it actually flashed a code on the dash cluster
that read: p0445 and something about emissions. Anyone know what this code is and what
problems it's causing? TIA.....

 

[ImperialCrown]

Welcome to Allpar. P0445 is an evaporative emissions fault code, like a leaking gas cap, cracked fuel vapor hose etc. It won't affect the car's starting or not starting.
Check for spark, fuel and compression while cranking. The spark plugs could tell a story as to why (carbon fouled, wet with gas, etc).
Some sensors may not throw a fault code and still be the problem (crank position sensor, etc). Diagnose before replacing parts.

 

[CruiserJman]

Welcome to Allpar. P0445 is an evaporative emissions fault code, like a leaking gas cap, cracked fuel vapor hose etc. It won't affect the car's starting or not starting.
Check for spark, fuel and compression while cranking. The spark plugs could tell a story as to why (carbon fouled, wet with gas, etc).
Some sensors may not throw a fault code and still be the problem (crank position sensor, etc). Diagnose before replacing parts.

Thanks for the info, & good to know about the fault code. I was just there this morning but was only able to check a few things. The battery has plenty of juice (12.5v) & goes all the way to 14.5v when the ignition is turned on. There's no coolant to be seen when I opened the cap which concerns me. The car has 108k miles & to my knowledge has never had the timing belt replaced. Are the spark plugs fairly accessible? I've worked on some cramped cars before but this one takes the cake lol...

 

[coyote2781]

with that many miles the timing belt could be broken, the spark plugs are on top of the engine under the intake plenum which has to be taken apart to remove. There are lots of explanations online on how to remove the plenum, it's easier than it looks. Good luck on your troubleshooting.

 

[CruiserJman]

Thanks, I'll have to do more investigating.

 

[coyote2781]

go to ptcruizer.com, on the left under engineering is a link to a good explanation on how to get to the plugs.

 

[Pluminator]

Check the camshaft sensor, fuel pressure *should be above 50psi*.

Spark plugs are simple to get to.

Remove the air cleaner box top, elbow. Intake Temp sensor relay,.

Remove the 3 botls holding the throttle body in place

Remove PCV hose, disconnect the wires/hoses going into the upper intake.

Pop off the throttle line cover, and move the wires back.

Take out the 5-6 bolts on the front of the upper manifold, and pull it on out. *be careful not to break strech the throttle and Cruise lines*

Take care not to lose the seals inside the upper manifold or get anything down into the lower manifold

Then youll have open access to the plugs .