Car won't start
Asked by UMesicIT Feb 11, 2017 at 10:04 PM about the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu LS FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
After applying brake pedal in snow the traction control kicked in and the car stalled. Tried to turn the car back on but it wouldn't however the engine was turning over for the first couple of tries and then just clicking sound. Had it towed home and pugged the OBDii scanner to it. It showed P0016 (crank sensor) code. Installed a new sensor without success of engine turning over at all this time. Removed the starter and found that it was bad (most likely due to me trying to crank the engine way to many times) Installed a new starter and once again no success of engine starting but once in a while the engine would turn over. Did the key relearn process (three 10 minute key reprogramming) without any results of car starting. Checked the fuses and tested the relays OK. At this point I am stuck and need help.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
7 Answers
Did you charge the battery back up? May be a low or old, or bad battery.
Thank you for your response Rowefast. Yes I did. I've charged it for couple of hours. Matter of fact I have even tried starting while I had a charger pluged in just to make sure.
I think you are going to have to do some checking on some things, or may just want to take this to a garage. Timing I believe needs to be investigated.....P0016 CHEVROLET - Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation Bank 1...Possible causes; Mechanical timing fault, Blocked oil passage, Low oil level, Faulty Intake ('A') Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor, Faulty Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor....If this DTC started after recent internal engine repairs, inspect for proper engine mechanical timing. With the camshaft cover removed and the #1 cylinder at top dead center, make sure that the darkened chain links are lined up with the alignment marks on the exhaust and intake cam sprockets. If a P0016 is resetting without any engine performance concerns but the above information did not isolate a cause for the DTC, replace the Cam Phaser Actuator sprocket....Description The Crankshaft Position (CKP) sensor is a permanent magnet generator, known as a variable reluctance sensor. The magnetic field of the sensor is altered by a crankshaft mounted reluctor wheel that has seven machined slots, 6 of which are equally spaced 60 degrees apart. The seventh slot is spaced 10 degrees after one of the 60 degree slots. The CKP sensor produces seven pulses for each revolution of the crankshaft. The pulse from the 10 degree slot is known as the sync pulse. The sync pulse is used to synchronize the coil firing sequence with the crankshaft position. The CKP sensor is connected to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) by a signal circuit and a low reference circuit. The Camshaft Position (CMP) sensor is triggered by a notched reluctor wheel built into the exhaust camshaft sprocket. The CMP sensor provides 6 signal pulses every camshaft revolution. Each notch, or feature of the reluctor wheel is of a different size for individual cylinder identification. This means the CMP and crankshaft position (CKP) signals are pulse width encoded to enable the PCM to constantly monitor their relationship. This relationship is used to determine camshaft actuator position and control its phasing at the correct value. The PCM also uses this signal to identify the compression stroke of each cylinder, and for sequential fuel injection. The CMP sensor is connected to the PCM by a 12-volt, low reference, and signal circuit.
The first thing I did from your list to do is removed the camshaft cover and noticed that I am in deep trouble. Not only is the timing chain out of alignment but sadly I have found pieces on top of the motor. I have attached some pictures for you to see. The red arrow show where the pieces came from and there are 7 of them.
Not good. I wonder why this happen? When applying the brake and the traction control kicked in, did you notice anything abrupt happen? The engine rpm's must have come down fast, the momentum of the crankshaft must have broke this stuff. A sharp transition of movement.
Exact same issue. 2016 malibu. Just parked at my parents and went back out after nearly 5 minutes and brake seemed to lock, batteries fine, car wont start. Didnt want to flood it so I stopped trying.
It has been some time since I posted issue about the Malibu not starting. I'm adding some info since I see people are still reading this post and hope it helps. The car is still in my name and alive:) If you have experienced the same symptoms as I did the last thing you want to do is keep cranking it. You will just keep destroying your engine even more. My problem was caused by timing chain skipping couple of teeth. The problem could have been minor at first but most likely made it to major problem by cranking it until I bent most of the valves. Chain tensioners get loose and give enough play for chain to skip. Checking if a chain is loose and if timing is off should be one of the fist things to check if this happens.
