1997 Stratus won't start!

[MustangManiac]

I have a 1997 Dodge Stratus with the 2.4L DOHC motor. The car was driving fine the morning that it quite working. I parked it in my driveway and hasn't started since. I thought it might be the fuel pump, even though we just replaced it a few thousand miles ago...but it was under warranty so I figured why not. I also replaced the fuel filter. After getting that project done, nothing changed. I brought the coil pack into a parts store to get it checked out and everything looks fine. My question is....if the timing belt were to slip, would the cylinders build up compression? I checked compression on all cylinders and it read about 60psi on the two inside cylinders and about 40psi on the two outside cylinders. It wants to start but won't. Also, the crank time to start it was a little longer than normal cars before this happened. Please help me

[Akromix]

Um...that's pretty low compression. Take off the cam position sensor and have someone crank and verify the cams are actually spinning.

[Notch]

Those cylinder pressure numbers are very low.

[Turbohwagon]

I have a 1997 Dodge Stratus with the 2.4L DOHC motor. The car was driving fine the morning that it quite working. I parked it in my driveway and hasn't started since. I thought it might be the fuel pump, even though we just replaced it a few thousand miles ago...but it was under warranty so I figured why not. I also replaced the fuel filter. After getting that project done, nothing changed. I brought the coil pack into a parts store to get it checked out and everything looks fine. My question is....if the timing belt were to slip, would the cylinders build up compression? I checked compression on all cylinders and it read about 60psi on the two inside cylinders and about 40psi on the two outside cylinders. It wants to start but won't. Also, the crank time to start it was a little longer than normal cars before this happened. Please help me

It may have jumped, it would be worth it to pull the top timing cover and look, and what akromix said.

[Notch]

Um...that's pretty low compression. Take off the cam position sensor and have someone crank and verify the cams are actually spinning.

This.

[Akromix]

This.

Yeah, just two 8mm's and off it comes and you'll know if you snapped the timing belt or lost a few teeth.

It may have jumped, it would be worth it to pull the top timing cover and look, and what akromix said.

This as well.

Also stop throwing parts at it. Generally if you break the timing belt the ecm will throw a cam position sensor code.

[Notch]

IIRC the 2.4 is non interference until 2001 or so. Just remember to do a water pump at the same time if it does turn out to be a timing belt.

[MustangManiac]

That's the thing I don't understand...There is no check engine light on normally, only when you crank the engine over. Then when you stop it goes away again.

[Akromix]

IIRC the 2.4 is non interference until 2001 or so. Just remember to do a water pump at the same time if it does turn out to be a timing belt.

I just had a timing belt go out on an 01 2.4, it's non interference. Although did have a buddy have a timing belt snap on a 98 2.4 and somehow it kissed the pistons and he needed a head.

[Akromix]

That's the thing I don't understand...There is no check engine light on normally, only when you crank the engine over. Then when you stop it goes away again.

Just do what we suggested. It's proper diagnosis.

[Notch]

I just had a timing belt go out on an 01 2.4, it's non interference. Although did have a buddy have a timing belt snap on a 98 2.4 and somehow it kissed the pistons and he needed a head.

Weird. I thought it was early 2000's sometime that they went interference. But then again I don't see enough of these to know them that well. All I know from the last one I saw is the water pump is timing belt driven, as the last one we had in had a water pump somehow lock up and the owners kept turning it over in the parking lot when I kept suggesting they not do that

[Turbohwagon]

Weird. I thought it was early 2000's sometime that they went interference. But then again I don't see enough of these to know them that well. All I know from the last one I saw is the water pump is timing belt driven, as the last one we had in had a water pump somehow lock up and the owners kept turning it over in the parking lot when I kept suggesting they not do that

I've seen 3 stratus' with the locked up issue, both the 2.4 and the 2.5 v6, but they were still running. They just smelled funny and made an odd noise.

[Akromix]

Weird. I thought it was early 2000's sometime that they went interference. But then again I don't see enough of these to know them that well. All I know from the last one I saw is the water pump is timing belt driven, as the last one we had in had a water pump somehow lock up and the owners kept turning it over in the parking lot when I kept suggesting they not do that

Yeah, do the tensioner and idler, water pump, etc when doing the timing belt.

[Notch]

Yeah, do the tensioner and idler, water pump, etc when doing the timing belt.

I didn't want to state the obvious but for those who try and get by by doing the bare minimum I'd consider a water pump on one of these part of the bare minimum.

[MustangManiac]

Yep. This is all great advice. I will be checking into it more in depth tomorrow. Thanks guys.