Alright, I'm stumped. My girlfriend drove her car (1997 Dodge Stratus ES; 2.5l V-6) over here a couple days after New Years...when she went to start her car to leave, it wouldn't start.

So, I get in the car, buckle up, close the door and all that...Turn the key into the on position, and the fuel pump powers up...That's good.
I turn the key to start the engine, and it turns over...kinda coughs and sputters, but doesn't actually start up all the way.

My dad and I sprayed starter fluid into the intake, and got no luck...when I pulled the spark plugs to check on them, they smelled of starter fluid, and a couple were still wet with the stuff. So, I pulled one of the plugs, and hooked it up to the wire to see if there was actually a *spark* going on, and there wasn't...which totally explains why the plugs were still damp with ether.

Now, the distributor cap and spark plug wires are less than a year old, so I don't think that's the issue...but, the garage that did those is known to be shady, so who knows?

But, like I said, I'm stumped at this point...Does anybody have any ideas?

 

I don't know much about these vehicles... my GF also has a stratus with a 2.5L. Howevere I have already had a problem with the Crank Position sensor(since taking over repairs). I believe the distributor is not the most reliable.

You were holding the plug on a ground so the spark had somewhere to go correct? I'm going to assume you did since you've got it narrowed down to this point.

I wish I would have written it down, but I ohmed out the new Crank Position sensor vs. the old one and it had a different resistance. I was hoping this would be one way to check if they were nearing or at the end of their life. I know the old had a high resistance(Meg-ohms) and the new one was much lower(K-ohms).

Not sure if any of that helps but at least some things to try. I have yet to find an ignition coil on the car, so that may also be something to look at. I believe the ignition module is built into the distributor so I'm not sure if there is a way to test it.

 

It could be a bad ASD (Auto shut down)relay killing the spark

 

I suppose I ought to add the solution:
The timing chain skipped...and, since the engine is an interference engine, the whole thing basically grenaded when we tried to start it.

Unfortunately, she had to be laid to rest. But, my girlfriend bought a Focus, then became my wife (pure coincidence).

 

I wish I could afford that solution. No offense but these cars are a little hard to work on IMO. There isn't even a port to test the fuel pressure.

 

Are you talking about the Stratus or the Focus?