The problem...
It just Cranks, will not turn over let alone start. The battery is like new and the starter works just fine(obviously).

The story...
It's a friends car and I've done the work on it off an on for a few years. This most recent problem has been going on for 4-6 weeks. When it initially started doing this, it would eventually start after trying to start it a few times. Sometimes it would fire right up. Other times it would take some cranking. Now it just cranks and doesn't fire up.

Things I have replaced on the car...
I was about 99% sure it was the fuel pump mainly because I didn't think it kicking on when turning the key. So while that was on order I thought I would do him a favor by doing the sparks plugs(normally less than $20), since he has owned it since almost new and has never done them. I busted a plug wire, so I decided to replace all the wires and of course installed new plugs(now $200).
Then I replaced the pump which was really not as difficult to do as I thought(now $484). Still the car just cranks.
I went through some forums and read that it could be the fuel pump fuse or relay. The Fuse was good, New relay didn't do a darn thing(now $550). I believe the pump is and was kicking on. However I will double check tomorrow evening.
After all this I decided to borrow a Scanner to read the codes.
To my surprise 3 codes came up...
P0455-EVAP emission control system large leak detected
p0441-EVAP emission control system incorrect purge flow
p0411-secondary air injection system incorrect flow

I have a HAYNES Manual... so I looked into the EVAP system. It pretty much says that its either a hose leak or the canister leak. I checked the canister under the spare tire, and it doesn't seem like much could go wrong. Definitely wasn't any major or obvious leaks. I looked around as much as I could under the hood to find a bad hose. Found nothing.

Can the EVAP system keep the car from starting?
It seems to me that its more of a thing that takes place when the car is running. The purge system only opens when the car is at proper operating conditions. Maybe I am wrong, but I just don't see this keeping the car from starting.

I was going to check to see if I have fuel pressure. Is that the correct next step? should I be more concerned with the EVAP system at this time?

Sorry for the length of the thread. But as you can see I work on cars(more of a hobby, not for a living)and I know that to diagnose a car, it helps to know all the symptoms. I enjoy fixing cars. But this one could do me in...

Looking forward to hearing some solutions.

 

The EVAP codes will not keep your car from starting as it is mainly used to consume the fuel vapors inside the tank. If your car is cranking properly, the problem is with the fuel supply. The problem is really strange and the next step to check the fuel pressure is the right thing to do. As far as the codes are concerned, they will not trouble the engine from starting.

 

You could have a bad crank or cam sensor.
At this point i would reccomend bring it to a professional who can diagnose your problem before your freind goes broke with you throwing parts at the car!
Just my opinion of course!

 

Spend $15 on vacuum tubing and replace all the lines under the hood. There's a DIY on here somewhere. I had this problem and it was a vacuum line going to one of the two combi valves. Also think about getting a new gas cap.

 

If that scanner has datastream on it check what the coolant tempature sensor is reading I have seen them go bad and give crazy readings like -274 F. When that happened to my old B5 it did the same thing to me and got progressively worse over time until it wouldn't start.

 

What did you do to solve this issue?

Because when this car first started having the problem starting. I stopped by my friends place to check it out and the first thing I noticed was he had absolutely no coolant in the reservoir. So the first thing we did was put some in. I asked him if it had gotten hotter than usual and he said it never went over the normal mark. So let me know what you did to fix your problem.

Quick update... I ordered new iginition coils. They are certainly not the original problem, but when I was doing the plugs and wires I unbolted them to get the wires off. One of the wires was so badly corroded that it broke right as it enters the ignition coil. I found this when I finally got the car to start(which I think was just a fluke, because the car didn't start everytime), I could tell is was misfireing badly. So after a quick investigation. I found the ignition coil wasn't getting power. Once I get that reinstalled(should be delivered soon), I will be able to continue to try and diagnose the problem.

It happens to the best of us. The car is 15 years old and things tend to break when replacing things around it... no matter how careful you are. I'm just enjoying learning about these cars. Because I own a 2000 S4 of my own. And my buddy doesnt care how much it costs. Just so it gets back on the road.

I'll update once I get the ignition coils installed.

 

update:
I installed the new coils. The car still did not start right away(which I knew the coils wasn't the problem, see previous reply's). But after tinkering and trying to start it a bunch of times. The car started up. So I took it for a ride. The car ran great, had full power, etc. However once I got it back I shut it off. And it wouldn't start back up... go figure. I did get it to start a few more times after this, however it did not consistently start up. My tinkering usually consisted of unplugging the plug to the fuel pump and checking it for power. So the problem is still there.

Things I have replaced(whether it was just to do a tune up or try and fix the problem):
Spark plugs
Plug Wires
Ignition coils
fuel pump
fuel pump relay(didn't fix the problem so I returned it)


Things I have checked and determined:
Fuel pump has proper power when cranking (13+)
When the Key is turned to the on position I get (4+)... I assume this is normal

Fuel:
I removed the fuel supply line at the fuel rail. When the car is cranking there is an insignificant stream of fuel that comes out of the line. Certainly not enough to get the car to started. The strange thing is that as soon as the key goes from the "start" position to the "on" position, an over abundance of fuel comes out of the line. And it only sounds like the pump is kicking on when you stop cranking and let the key go back to the "on" position. It just doesn't seem normal. It continues to pump until you finally turn the key to the "off" position. I thought maybe I hooked up a line backwards on the fuel pump, but I removed everything and its impossible because all the connections are specific to a certain location. And the fuel return and supply lines are hooked up correctly because I marked them(and its pretty hard to hook them up incorrectly).

It can't be the fuel filter because when it started it ran just fine. If the fuel filer was blocked, it wouldn't allow it to start once and not start right after.

I have the cam sensors off and will be replacing them(just getting some cheap ones off Ebay to keep costs down.

I was also going to replace the crank sensor. However the Haynes Manual is not very specific on the location of it. Do I need to remove the Rad support to access it? Where exactly is it located? Is it as easy to access and replace as the cam sensors?

Sorry about the length of the thread and the reply's. But I am hoping someone can recognize a similarity and give me a solution. Thanks

 

sorry for the lateness of my reply, i just replaced my coolant temp sensor and my problem was solved, its a really common failure so common in fact that i always had one on hand. as for the crank sensor its located on the drivers side of the block on the side, its held in by one 10 mm bolt. however if you are getting spark i doubt thats the cause, if you loose cam or crank signal you wont have spark.

after all that unplugging stuff maybe you just have a bad wire or connection, that could also explain why it starts some times and runs great but on other times.

you could also try replacing the fuel pressure regulator, i have had those cause me starting problems as well.

 

I just spent the last few hours trying to narrow things down.

I found that sometimes the plug to the fuel pump is getting the correct volts @ 13 something. And sometimes on the very next time you crank it, it reads 0.0 volts. When its reading at 13, I can plug it back in and the car will start up right away. I really feel it has something to do with this plug not getting consistent power when cranking. Its not the fuse or the relay. And When it does start, it runs great.

 

what are your thoughts of why the temp sensor corrected the starting problem.
Thanks