Hello everyone...I have a 2003 Alero. I have never had trouble with it
until last night. It has plenty of fire (battery is fine), but it will
not start. I checked the fuses regarding fuel pump, ignition, etc., and
they seem fine. It is my only car and I am limited with funds after
being laid off work. I would like to know what types of troubleshooting
you folks suggest that I can try myself. I am a novice, but not afraid
to try. Being a novice, I need instruction on special tools and where I
could possible find them...any help will be greatly appreciated...Thank
you...Tim.

if the battery is fine do you absolutely know if it is getting spark?


how many miles does it have on it?


it could be the timing, the timing belt may have went.Edited by: 85cutlassupreme

checking for spark is simple and free. remove one of the front sparkplug wires from the sparkplug only, and insert a metal screwdriver into the end of the plug wire. then lay the screwdriver near a metal part of the engine (motor mount, altornator bracket, etc), then crank your engine over, watching to see if the screwdriver arcs to the metal. if you get a good spark, then your problem lies elsewhere.


a very common problem in the gm v6''s was the crankshaft sensor. its a little bit of a pain to get to, but not expensive. the crank and cam sensors tell the computer where the internal parts of the motor are while its spinning, so the computer can tell the injectors and spark plugs to fire at the right time. if one of those two sensors goes out, it wont allow the injectors to fire, leaving your car with no fuel. remember, you need three things to run: Fuel, Spark, Compression.


so try to check for spark first, then move slowly up the chain, replacing the cheapest parts first. fortunately that usually catches the problem before you get to the expensive stuff