97 Stratus 2.0L 124K miles.

Just finished putting it back together after replacing the cam and crank seals. Made sure the timing belt was on correctly (timing marks aligned and I rotated the crank around 4 revolutions without a problem). It was sitting for about 2 months in the process. I don't have a garage and the weather/daylight was a real issue in getting this car fixed in a timely manner.

After everything was back together today, I went to start it - battery was dead as I had suspected it might after sitting for 2 months without being started. Jumped the battery with my other vehicle and let the battery charge a bit. I tried to start it but it just won't start (it's getting enough juice to crank the starter). It will turn over - the starter is working properly but either it had got a lot of moisture in the gas or no spark. The gas tank I had thought was nearly empty at the time I started work on it. The gauge reads 1/4 tank now for whatever reason. It doesn't seem to be due to anything I did during the repair process and I suspect it is something that has something to do with the fact that it has sat for so long. I double checked to make sure all the electrical was connected - the coil pack is connected as are the plug wires. Also, when I turn the key to the AUX position, I hear a buzzing noise that I believe is the fuel pump.

Any thoughts on this? Could it just be a lot of water in the gas tank from condensation? Should I add some gas and dry gas? How can I tell if it is something gas or spark related?

Thanks for any input.

 

Well, all I did was add 1.5 gallons of gas and turned the key to the run position and off many times to get the fuel pump to get the pressure up and it started right up. Thanks for the replies!