[Corsa B 1993-2000] X12XE won't start

[tek187]

I recently had some problem with starting my x12xe from 99 after driving it for a while. After reading a bit this could indicate that my crank sensor is broken right? Today my corsa won't even start out of a cold state. I can get it to start with pushing but not with the key. The starter motor will rattle but that's all. Could this still be related to the crank sensor? I bought a new one but i'm not entirely sure where it's located. Can anyone tell me where to find it exactly? In the mean time i removed the cables from my battery to reset the ECU so i can hopefully drive it somewhere better (parked on a rough terrain now..) to replace the sensor.

Pardon my english grammar, it isn't my native language.

[Taurus]

Welcome.

If the starter motor is not turning over properly then that's not your crank sensor.

The easy way to check if the crank sensor is working is to turn the key to the no. 2 position but don't crank the engine. That will operate a priming run on the fuel pump. Look at the fuel rail and find the valve on it (covered with a black cap usually) press the valve and petrol should spray out - be careful of course. Then crank the engine - and after cranking do the same check. If petrol sprays out then the crank sensor is OK - if not then it may be faulty.

Poor starting from warm, then total failure to start may be a dying starter or a weak battery. When the engine is warm the compressions are higher so the starter has to work harder. It just depends how healthy it sounds cranking over. Only you can tell us if it is cranking properly, or not.

Check the battery voltage at rest, it ought to be 12.5v - then check the voltage after cranking. If it drops significantly then the battery is weak.

Disconnecting the battery on the X12XE doesn't reset the ECU - you need a code reader to do that.

The crank sensor is at the back of the engine, above the inboard end of the right hand driveshaft. Right at the bottom, so easy to get at with the car on ramps, otherwise it's impossible to even see it.