Main Issue: I went to start my car after it's been raining/drizzling/pouring all day, the engine turns but the car won't start. My fuel light came on as I last used it so I assumed it was the gas, I put more in but it still won't start, and as my friend was turning to key I started smelling fuel under the hood (I was standing there with the hood open) so we assumed it wasn't that. My Stepfather believes it may be a spark problem.



Some of the issues with this car(there's a lot):

-Recently power steering fluid has been very slowly dripping out of the steering rack via the inner tire rods.

-Both the front ball joints were shot, but I recently had that fixed

-(My assumption of a huge issue) at 156,000 miles, this being my first car and therefore no idea how to maintain it, drove it until the oil burned up and I was driving bone dry. My Uncle checked it, realized I was far from all out, grabbed the closest quart of oil he could find (Saying it was probably the wrong kind but it was better than no oil at all) And while driving, my car died, I bought the right oil, put it in, it ran fine, immediately got the oil professionally changed, but the oil light still turns on for all of two seconds when I turned the car on

-My Check Engine light is on, a code reader I used said:
"P0410
Secondary Air Injection System"




Any ideas or experience with stuff like this? My main objective is to get it to start, any help will be appreciated.

 

You may have moisture in the distributor cap. I've seen this keep these cars from starting lots of times. Take off the cap, spray some WD-40 in there, then dry it out with a paper towel. Put it back together and see if it starts. If so, make sure there's an o- ring on the little gray plastic cone under the distributor cap, around the rotor. If so, change the cap. If not, or the cone isn't there at all, get a new o- ring, or a cone.

As for the oil pressure light, get oil pressure checked. If it's out of spec, you could need oil pan o- rings, unless the bottom end of the engine is really worn out.

P/S fluid leak- common problem. Need a new rack and pinion- you can let this wait if need be.

Code P0410- also a common problem. Likely, the air injection pump failed. This is more of an emissions issue... but it still needs to be fixed. If the pump failed, replace the air pump check valve at the same time, or you're asking for the new pump to fail in short order, too.

 

Just to add to what Carrots said..

At that mileage, if the plug wires are original, then they're due; that could be the no-start problem as well; new cap and rotor while you're at it. Bad plug wires can run fine when it's dry out, but still cause no-start when damp/wet weather is about.

Also at that mileage, and especially since you may have run it out of gas, I would ck the fuel pressure; i.e. you may have stressed the fuel pump enough (by running it out of gas, again possibly..) to give it the final coffin nail. Just because you smell gas under the hood does not indicate adequate fuel pressure; the gas could be dribbling out the injectors which will give very poor atomization, etc.

 

So I'm sorry for being off topic, but I noticed when checking my main fuse box today, I dont have the big main fuse for the air pump, could this be a problem? It has been a fantastic car for the last 2 years...

 

Tyler, if you do not have a owners manual use the one online. Look in the maintenance section and do the maintenance unless you want to kill the car and get another one.

There are threads on hear called STAGE 0. You want to do this asap.

 

Air pump fuse is missing? Someone got tired of the jet engine noise a failing air pump makes! Put one in and see what happens- AFTER the car is running.