Help: Cranks but doesn't start?
 

Hey everyone,
Im pretty much a nubie to the forums.
I was driving my GS430(04) on the fwy and the car loss power and a couple of seconds later it shut down on me. Ive tried to jump it but it didn't want to start, it just kept on cranking. Im thinking it could be either the alternator or the fuel pump. I did a quick test on the fuel pump by putting the key in the on position and it did make a lil nosie as if was to power up.. but stil idk...

Has anyone been in the same situation or can somehow point me in the right direction.

thanks

Not likely to be the alternator, that wont stop a car from starting, especially if the battery has enough juice to crank the engine over. Certainly possible to be a fuel pump, you could take the line loose and turn the key on to see if you get pressure (the line should be on the driver side of the engine). When you have the key in the on position, does the security light turn off?

It can be the followings:

- insufficient fuel (i.e. fuel pump)
- ignition (spark plugs, coil)

was the check engine light on prior to this?

with a newer vehicle, it may help to pull the codes from the computer - not all the time, but many times when a vehicle just dies like that, it leaves a failure trail of codes just before it dies in the ECU... cam sensor, crank sensor, air flow sensor, so on and so forth...

of course, it also may not be any help at all :)

when was the last time the timing belt was changed? always a good place to start and check first...

Thanks everyone you your input.
I had a friendly mechanic come over to help troubleshoot the problem. and it cam out to be the timing belt.. ahh there goes a cut into my savings ....