Billy Owusu

Hi, I currently have a 2006 e350 which cranks but fails to start. I already replaced both camshaft and crankshaft sensors but still no luck. So I sent in I'm to a local mechanic to fix it and all of a sudden, he tells me the engine compression is low . The car was working fine a few days back without any problems, it never even showed check engine on dash. I'm not sure if the mechanic is wrong or not. Any advice?

Plutoe

If you are using the piggly wiggly cart girl as a mechanic---you got your answer---see someone who knows the engine and as the diagnostic equipment to correctly advise you--QFA.


If this time he says compression---have him show you the test result!


FYI on gassers it's gotta be electrical or the fuel system\compression.

EuroDriverSD

If the compression is low, your mechanic should be able to dig in a little further to determine the possibility of a blown head gasket, burned valve, etc. In order for a sudden no-start, there must be a sudden failure (gasket blew, etc). Another thing to inquire is whether compression is low in one cylinder, across the board, etc. If it's on all cylinders, I would be very suspicious as you would have noticed over a long period of time it was getting gradually harder to start the car, smoke from the exhaust, etc.


No starts and hard starts can be caused by a myriad of things. It's well worth the $100-and-change for a STAR/DAS diagnostic. In my case, I had continuous hard starts and some stalling caused by a bad throttle body. While in the shop for diagnostic, it quit all together (couldn't have happened at a more perfectly timed opportunity).

Strigoi

I'd seriously consider using a different mechanic or going to the dealer for a diagnosis. Is this a mechanic that you've used previously and trust?

Where are you located?