1998 Dodge Stratus 2.4L, Turns Over But Will Not Start

My 98 Stratus 2.4 would not restart after reaching normal temp and then being shut down for 20 minutes or so. After it cooled down it would start fine. This only happened during the summer months. I had the timing belt replaced after it broke and the restarting problem went away for about a year. The problem reappeared about 2 weeks ago. Now the car will not start at all. I did replace the cam position sensor a long time ago and it had no effect on the problem. I have read that it could be the crank position sensor but it is behind the timing belt cover and to hard to replace on a guess. I have never seen the check engine light come on, so not sure if an error code would be stored. I think I hear the fuel pump come on when the key is rotated. I am at the end of my ability with the troubleshooting. Any help would be appreciated!

Steve Says,

It sounds like you have checked the basics. Now what you need to do is to figure out whether you don't have spark or you don't have fuel. You just need to check the fuel pressure with the key in the on position. You can check the spark with a spark checker available at most auto parts stores. Simply hook up the tester and try to start it. This will tell you if it is sparking or not.

After you have figured out whether the fuel system or the ignition system is the problem you will have a much better idea of what might be going on.

It is virtually impossible to tell if the crank signal is working without a scan tool or scope.

It would be a good idea to have the codes checked to see if there are any. Some codes will set even though the check engine light does not come on. Most auto parts stores will do this for free.

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