A new battery does not assure a fully charged battery. I've heard of cars cranking too slowly for the Crank Position Sensor to work due to cold, thick oil. I think that your car (it is a W series with a 3.1 right?) needs to "re-learn" its idle settings after the computer looses power. Cars of your vintage can have problems with dirty grounds and connectors.
Starting was never an issue. 4-5 year old battery died on a below freezing day. I replaced it with a brand new one. After replacing, it wouldnt start. Even while jumping from another car, the engine would crank but not start after 30 minutes of waiting and retrying. I scheduled the car to be towed to a mechanic. When the tow truck arrived, the driver tried to start it and it started right up.
Its been about 5 days and still no problem starting. What could this have been? Stuck relay or ECU going bad?
If it does it again, see if the fuel rail has pressure and if there is spark. It's likely one or the other.
If it cranks good but won't start, have a helper crank it, while you check for spark at the plugs and injector pulse. If you have neither one, then I would look at the crank sensor.
I'm not sure which engine you have? The 3100 may have two separate crank sensors. As long as the computer receives the 24x signal, the vehicle should start and run, even without the other crank signal.
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Thanks for your opinions and suggestions.
Actually, this Century has the 2.2L 4 banger. I think thats a GOOD thing because of the dex-cool/lower head gasket problems that plague the 6 bangers.
Its been over a week now and still no problem starting.
Yes, possibly the crankshaft or camshaft sensors, or the coil pack is failing. I suppose we'll just have to wait until 'it' fails completely before it reveals itself. Are there bench test procedures in any DIY manuals for continuity testing these sensors?
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