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Hi, new to this forum own a 2013 Sonic lt hatchback 1.8l in need of guidance and advice! I just replaced the timing belt, both sprockets and tensioner and pulley. Also replaced both cam shaft sensors and crank shaft sensor. I did all the work myself. Was super proud (and relieved!) when I finally turned the key and it started up fine. Then I remembered that while working on the car I noticed both front drive shaft seals were leaking badly so I went and replaced those too. Again, car started fine and I had it on for about 3 minutes, just wayching and listening for anything funky. Then the engine started rocking slowly almost like it was surging when I heard a high pitched metalic ping on the driver's side by the wheel somewhere and immediately turned it off. Come to find out I had not pushed the axles all the way back into the transmission! I'm not sure if this is what caused that sound, But I was terrified that this may have damaged the engine somehow. I went to start the car again but got nothing. The lights were dim so I figured the battery was dying which I thought was weird because it was fine before. I tried jump starting several times but didn't work. Before the cabin went dark, I noticed my gas gauge was completely empty no bars at all. So weird bc I had just emptied a full 2 gallon gas can and had three bars before the battery died. I checked the voltage on the battery and it was below five, so the battery was toast. I went and replaced it.The lights came on in the cabin and everything seems to be working on the dash but the car still won't start, no crank. Just clicks. OBD shows only 1 code stored and pending...U0100 "Lost communication with ECM/PCM A". What lost communication with ECM? I don't understand. I have a spare ecm so I swapped, still no start. What should I do next? I'm gonna reinstall the original ECM. Then I'm gonna test the alternator. I checked the ECM fuses and they looked okay but I'm about to go back with my multimeter and check them all again. Desperately need guidance.
Yesterday I noticed the anti theft warning light is on. So I'm sure that's the problem, but I've been trying to do a keyfob relearn but it's not working. I tried the 30 minute method twice, (where you turn to on and wait 10 minutes 3 times, turn off, turn to on, then off and remove key) didn't work. Was on the third try an my battery died. Just recharged it but I'm stuck. Can't afford to take it anywhere, I have to figure it out myself. Are there other keyfob relearning procedures or did I do this wrong?
I finally got the anti theft light to turn off. When I tried starting the car it cranked for about 2 seconds then...nothing. I tried again but this time no crank, just a click and the steering wheel with ! now lit on dash. This is so frustrating! I got this far only to hit a wall. I've been unable to work for over a month as I'm a delivery driver and can't afford a mechanic. Thanks to the advice I've received in these forums and a lot of hard work I was able to do it myself. I still cant afford a mechanic. If anyone has any ideas, advice and/or suggestions on what to do next, all are welcome and appreciated.
Did it run before you started messing with it? My guess is you really dont know what youre doing and have damaged something beyond your capabilty to repair.
Update: I'm happy to report that I finally got the car started. My roommate hooked his car up to mine and we had a jump start session lasting over 30 minutes til starter finally was able to pull enough juice to crank long enough for it to start and stay on. Now it starts without needing a jump. The U0100 code is no longer pending and comes up as permanent as well as all the other doc's relating to timing, camshaft and crankshaft, etc. Still haven't moved the car though. STILL NEED GUIDANCE AND ADVICE! Next issue: power steering. Now I have the steering wheel exclamation mark light lit on dash. I turned the wheel a tiny bit and heard a spectacular grinding sound I'd never heard before. I have no idea how to troubleshoot this, aside from checking fuse/relay...if I ever locate them that is. Also, I think there's a vacuum leak somewhere or something is causing rough idle and misfire/ stalling. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.
Thanks! Not sure how to troubleshoot steering, where do I start? The intake air sensor is built into the maf sensor which I just installed. Still getting those codes. It almost seems like everything went "offline" after the battery being disconnected for the 5 weeks it took to make the repairs and/or the number of parts replaced which happened in 2 parts. Part 1: timing belt and tensioner/idler pulley, water pump, serpentine belt and tensioner, the intake and exhaust solenoids, both camshaft sensors, crankshaft sensor and maf sensor. Part 2: Left and right drive shaft seals.The thing is, after I finished part 1, the car started right away. It idled rough at first, but after a few minutes it sounded great! No more rattle from timing, no more shaking and barely any engine noise. Didn't drive it yet though. It was dumping transmission fluid from bad seals, so I shut it off and started part 2. When I was done I tried starting it, it didn't. That's when all the problems started. I wonder, are there reset or relearn procedures that should be done to "reboot" everything? Appreciate the advice.
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