Hi, New member looking for a little much appreciated help..

My wife's 04 Stratus SXT sedan won't start and I have a few quick questions..

Long story short:
My kid borrowed the car for the past month. He knows nothing about cars. He calls and says it won't start. I go down to look @ it and ask if it was acting up on his way to work he says no just the oil light was on. I check it and it's 3 quarts low. Trying to stay calm , I send him for oil.. Fill it up, still no start.

It cranks over fine just no ignition.. It doesn't sound like there's any internal damage..

I've replaced 2 cam sensors already, would a bad cam sensor cause it to not start? It ran (poorly) before with bad sensors but never failed to start..

Would doing self diagnostic test (key on off on off on off on) show codes or is that just a gauge test? In other words, will I need to grab an OBD scanner from autozone to check for ecu codes when I go back down tomorrow??

Anyone know where I might be able to download a service manual pdf?

It was dark and raining when I checked it so I couldn't check much. Any suggestions for things to look for besides the normal checks for fuel and spark? Crank Sensor maybe?

I'm pretty mechanically inclined but this car has never given us a problem so I'm not too familiar with common issues with the Stratus.

I greatly appreciate any suggestions or help..

 

Are you getting any codes at all?

Stupid question....how's the gas level?

Not so stupid question...How does the timing belt look? It's easy to take the top cover off (two screws) and just check to make sure it didn't break.

 

Looks like the cylinder head is shot.. Opened the timing belt cover and the cams don't turn when cranking it over.. Time o start searching ebay for a rebuilt head..

 

Before you do that, give the belt a good tug. Make sure it isn't broke below. I have heard of the belts snapping and looking fine on top but the bottom is broke (and everything topside doesn't turn). The last one I did just obliterated itself.

If you need to remove the head, you'll need to remove the timing belt. Check out post #13 and I hope it helps.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-s...e-2-4-a-2.html

 

Thanks for the link Matt. Lots of good info and pics in that thread..

The TB most likely did snap down below. I pulled the cover and it has some slack in it..

Which manual would you recommend for this job? Haynes, Chilton or Factory service manual?

Thanks again for your help! Much appreciated!
-Steve

 

No problem Steve. I have a Haynes manual, but its okay at best.

Example: Taking the motor mount off. They show a picture of it and printed "unbolt these three bolts". Umm...what about the other 3 holding the engine side of the mount on to the engine? Oh, have fun taking it off without removing the frame side part of the mount first.

So manuals, unless it is the manual from Dodge, I think are a guide. Sometimes they show everything you need to know, other times its very general. Even in the same procedure.

If the shop will do it for around 500, I would let them do it. If they're like the shops around here and want 1200+ for it, it's up to you (I did it myself). If you decide to tackle it, let me know. I'll help you out any way I can.

EDIT: FYI. Steve, I see you're from the Scranton area. I'm from Bloomsburg, but live in Vegas now. If you need a good mechanic, I know one who's shop is near Catawissa (Just before Numida raceway on the right). I know it's a bit of a drive, but just trying to help you out. His name is Dale and his shop is Dale's Service Center. He's a very good mechanic and most importantly, HONEST. I've known Dale all my life.

 

when i had my 04 used alldatadiy.com, was subscription for a year 16.95 or longer periods ,basically a dodge shop manual had everything you could need step by step instructions,diagrams,amount of labor involved ,recall and tsb info etc. you could print off pages you needed

 

Yea it's tough to find a good honest mechanic around here..

I started to dig into it last night. My kid said he's gonna pay for the parts and help me wrench on it. I'd rather let a shop fix it but my wife wants me to get him out in the garage and teach him about why it's important to maintain his vehicles and check the fluids regularly.. And why they call it a dummy light!

Thanks for the link Bill.
I might go that route over a manual..

 

That's awesome to hear that your kids want to help out. I had my oldest daughter out there when I was changing oil and gapping the plugs. I was explaining how to do it and why.

No need to have her get taken with turn signal fluid and muffler bearings. I would love to see someone try to do that to her in the future and her school them on how things work.