jfujinaka

First off, to anyone who takes the time to read all this, it is very much appreciated. After a very frustrating month I decided to see if anyone on here could have a possible solution to my problem. I have a 01 Cavalier 2.2L OHV. The car cranks but will not start. Here's some background on the situation. The problem first started when I came home for the summer, so the car had been sitting for around 2 months. When I tried starting it, it cranked but would not catch. I let it sit for a few days and then tried it again but it would't start. After attempting to start it for about 10 minutes, it started and ran fine with no problems at all. Then about a week later it would't start again. I had noticed a noise coming from the serpentine belt when it was running, so I decided to replace that along with the water pump, thermostat, radiator hoses, and the spark plugs. Didn't run. Then i noticed that the battery was 8 years old and thought why not change that. Tried starting it and it worked, and ran great for about a month. Then for the first time in awhile it took a long time to get it started, but eventually it started and ran for another week. I was even able drive it up north, 2 hours away and back fine. Then a few days after that (last week) it wouldn't start again. I noticed that it seemed like it wasn't getting any gas, so the first thing i went to was the fuel filter. Took it off couldn't blow any air through it, so i thought I'd finally solved the problem. I threw the new one on there and after 3 cranks, it started. That day I started and drove it to 3 separate places, the last being at 9 pm at night. Parked it in the garage, and then the next morning it was back to the same problem. Unfortunately the OHV doesn't have a Schrader valve, so I just went ahead and replaced the fuel pressure regulator, and nothing changed. My next thought was the fuel pump, but I can here it priming when I turn the key on. It can also be heard making the same priming noise after trying to start the car, I'm not sure if its supposed to do that or not. As I was looking into that, I discovered that the car had a Passlock system that would stop any gas from getting to the engine. The anti-theft light is not on on my car, but it does light up when i try cranking the car and then immediately turns off. I am not familiar with the Passlock system at all but as Im reading people's stories of passlock issues, mine seems to be almost exact. The only difference is that my light is only on when cranking, and sometimes it does turn on with cranking. I have had problems turning my key to the on position in the past to the point where ive had to jiggle it fairly hard to turn, so I suspect I may have damaged the passlock component of the ignition. I can't figure out if I should just replace the fuel pump or continue to investigate into the passlock system even though the light does not stay on or flash. Anyone have any ideas where I should go from here?

**** I did confirm that gas was not reaching the engine when I sprayed starter fluid down the throttle body and it started up and died after a few seconds.

WarrantyWorkSucks

If it was me I would start by testing and or inspecting the following Compression test I would check the TP sensor for binding or stuck in wide open if the TP sensor is reading to high a restricted exhaust system is a possibility. Check for any loose connections in the wiring harness as well.