I've been reading the forums for a long time, and haven't posted much, but I've come upon a problem with my car for which I think only the pros at this forum might have some information.

My '01 C5 blew a starter last week. Replacing it was basically simple, with no major issues to speak of, minus some minor trouble with the exhaust manifold studs.

Once the install was complete, I re-connected the battery and the new starter cranked fine. However the engine refused to start. Troubleshooting revealed the fuel pump was running each time, and pressured fuel was found at the rail. The car simply has no spark. All fuses and relays had checked out alright.

I was at the end of my rope tonight when I ventured back out to pull everything back apart to see if there was anything I missed. Looking back at it, I found two broken/damaged wires coming out of a three-wire connector coming from the upper part of the oil pan. I'm assuming that they're related to the oil-level sensing circuitry on the car.

I won't have the time to repair the wires and try again for a few days, but I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on whether or not these wires could relate to the computer system cutting out ignition to the engine, perhaps as a safety precaution should the engine attempt to run without oil.

No other areas on the car were touched, and the battery was disconnected during all of these repairs.

I know common sense points to the fact that these wires were damaged during the starter installation, and I'm sure that they were. But, I can't find any information regarding oil level sensor wiring being connected to the car's ignition system.

I'd appreciate any information people might have.

Thanks in advance for a great information source in these forums.

Dave

 

A three wire connector leads me to believe what you damaged was the crank position sensor, as the oil level sensor(and oil temp) are only two wires. If the crank position sensor wiring is damaged, you will have no spark.

 

check the color of the broken wires.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/1545929...68332/sizes/l/

 

Here's the location- #1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1545929...53855/sizes/l/

 

Lucky,

Thanks so much for such a prompt and accurate answer. I was questioning why there would be a second oil level sending unit (aside from the obvious one), and I never knew the crank sensor was at the back of the engine.

Sure enough the colors on my wires match that of the crank sensor, and that's clearly going to be my no spark problem.

Looking forward to repairing it .....and sleeping with a clear head tonight.


Thanks again!

Dave

 

No problem...I like the easy ones.....