Hi, I got in a minor accident but fortunately was close to home. Next day I drove it and the steering was way off and I panicked.

I then used another car while the MCS sat because I was totally broke and knew I couldn't fix it. I started it a couple times but neglected it and after about 4 months I tried to start it but it wouldn't turn over. I tried to jump it but that failed as well.

I purchased a brand new battery and tried it but nothing. I used a jump pack and my brother's Explorer but still nothing but a slow turn over and even a minor puff of smoke but thats it! Recently I had a few guys push the car and try to jump it that way but was still unsuccessful w/a puff coming out the exhaust but not enough to get it going. We tried twice once in 2nd and another in 3rd gear.

My brother wants to drag the car using a pulley w/his Explorer to get it going. Any ideas? The car was in an accident previously and has the engine light on but has worked for a while after that incident so I dunno. Also replaced the spark plugs the other day and tried to push start it but I couldn't get much speed and nothing happened again.

 

well ; check your basics ; fuel pressure, spark , look in intake to make sure no mouse nests . if mice got in it (and they do ) you need to look for chewed wires etc . hope not .

 

Any reason you didn't let insurance take care of the repair right away?

 

Lol, yes a very good reason. I couldn't afford collision

 

If I were you, I'd borrow a code reader and find out what's up.

 

Don't forget to check the oil level and condition. Don't try to start it on old sludge; or oil-less.

Good luck!

 

Depending exactly how long it was, and who your insurance company is, you MIGHT be able to still make a claim.

 

Who was cited for the accident?

 

I called the day of and they said I am out of luck, I slid into a curb going like 15 miles an hour.

Anyways, the oil has been changed also. The cylinders look dirty inside and spark plugs looked to have oil on them. (the brand new ones)

Borrow a code reader? From where?

 

if the engine wont even turn over well , you need to get that resolved . cant tell from what you post as to exactly how well it cranks over . post a vid if you can . was the accident on the passenger side ? maybe the belt is obstructed ? just throwin crap out there . trying to nail it down . see plugs can look oily when it's really fuel not burning due to no spark . i had mice nest in mine after 1 month of sittin . look it over good for wire bites .

 

ok thanks, we checked for spark and there was spark from plugs, actually when he pulled out plug and i turned it over a flame came flying out of cylinder about 6 inches high! Don't know what that is about, my brother did spray some starting fluid down there but he thinks that after 2 hours and he also blew inside cylinder w/air to clean it out that shouldn't be the reason for the flame.

 

who knows why the flame but likely the friction sparked it ? low oil pressure and sittin' = no lube on walls . ? just guessin' . so now you gotta establish fuel pressure . put a gauge on end of fuel rail and check it .

 

Maybe the pyrotechnic charge (you know the little box next to the battery in the boot!) is disabling the starter as it is supposed to do after an accident...that is it sole purpose in life. MINI does not sell a rebuild kit (last time I heard about it) , but the rebuild kit BMW sells for their the car with a trunk mounted battery like the MINI is rumored to work (if you don't want to buy a new one from MINI)..there is a thread here somewhere.
Remember the S has more than one positive battery cable...1)Unfused, from the pyrotechnic chargebox next to the battery to the starter, and the second one from the battery to the rest. Also possible that the anti-theft system is preventing the start..... I would check for voltage at the starter cable in the engine compartment to narrow it down.
Good luck!!

 

opps sorry just saw you said it turned over slowly...scratch what I said.

 

lol, thats ok. Any response is appreciated.

 

Turning over slowly? sounds like you have more then one issue going on here.
Before you do more damage you may want to bring it in to someone who can look it over real well. There could be plenty of damage that we can't hear or see on this thread, causing you to do more harm then good.I have seen minor hits to curbs totally disable cars, little things like flywheels sensors, or fuses and relays can pop and prevent the car from starting.

 

well the thing is, the car started after the fender bender w/the curb. I started it a couple of times to prevent battery from dying but then let it go too long and it no longer started because of dead battery I believe. It then sat there quite a while before attempting to jump it and eventually buying a new battery and trying it again

 

You may want to find someone with a code reader and see what is going on. Right now you are just guessing, and even if you do get it started again you may do more damage to it.

 

I had a no-start situation after a dead battery; turned out the immobilizer went out of sync with the ECU. Only fix was flatbedding it to the dealer and having them realign it with their fancy-schmancy-computer.

 

dont they just $uck? sure sounds like somethin wacky like that

 

how much did that cost at the dealer?

 

$ 100...a fairly standard charge for an hour of diagnosis/computer attention.

 

I guess a reminder to us all to use a battery tender (about $30 or so) on our cars if we put them into storage for any length of time. At least it was a pretty cheap fix......

 

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense - why would it turn over slowly with a new battery AND being jumped? Check the wiring to the starter.

 

Update.

Today I siphoned the gas from the tank and replaced it with fresh premium fuel. I let the car charge for about and hour from the Explorer, removed the air filter and shot a tiny spray of starting fluid in the intake manifold.

Got in turned the key and it started right up, Great!!! but...............

There was a horrible metal like, grinding, binding, squealing sound coming from the engine. I immediately shut it off, waited a few minutes, and restarted, same result. Then removed the spark plug wires to prevent it from starting and cranked it over in an attempt to get the oil flowing, sounded the same way. Decided before causing any damage to do some more research. The sound appeared to be coming from under the supercharger / valve/ pulley regions.

Is there a way to get the oil flowing without cranking the engine, my brother said he had to prime his oil pump on his 1980 Corvette after replacing his engine? Does the supercharger get dried out? Can I get oil to my valves directly?

Happy it started, but........ :OI

Thanks to everyone for all your help so far!