'05 PT Cruiser Issues

Dluopa36

This afternoon as I was leaving for work I hopped into my car, turned it on, and was rewarded with a bit of vibrations coming from the engine. Immediately I shut it off, popped the hood and began checking my fluids. The last car I had would shake when the oil was low, so that's what I checked first. It all seemed kosher, so I got back in and my car wouldn't start. But my battery is fine! I checked under the hood again. My coolant reservoir appears to be bone dry. Would this keep my car from starting? It's not turning over, there's literally no sound. Please, I'm begging...someone have some good news for me!

Al_wat

DO NOT run your car or attempt to run your car without coolant

since you apparently already did, your engine might be totally fucked.

One of my old cars blew a coolant line while it was running. It ended up blowing a head gasket. Could be that this happened to you; could be something worse, could be not as bad. The horrible vibrations are a definite bad sign. Probably a very expensive repair.

mts

Probably a cracked radiator at the very least but that should not affect starting. The car is probably fine if he didn't overheat

Noquar

If there is no sound - then likely the starter or battery is shot. I would say starter in this case since you state the battery is fine, which I assume to mean the accessories, radio, and lights work without noticeable dimming.

Noquar

Ugh - sorry for double. When you are in the car and turn the key to start - do the lights dim as if it's trying to pull current into the starter?

mRahmani

"Is my engine destroyed" will likely come down to "how long did it run without coolant." When you drove it in, were there any warning lights on the dash? Did you notice if the temp gauge was reading higher than normal? Is there a puddle/wet spot under the car?

Heir

Snarky Answer:



Well there's your problem!

Ok Serious Answer:

Sounds exactly like an issue I had with a similar vehicle back in the mid-2000s. It was a cracked head gasket.

Was there any smoke or plumes of some kind of gas? I ask because in my case, the coolant or something was also leaking and hitting the very hot engine, causing a bunch of white steam/smoke to plume up from under my hood.

mts

oh to add. if it turns out to be a radiator, make sure they replace the hoses as well. we had a crack in out radiator, got fixed, then a hose went since they didn't swap in new ones

Dluopa36

Thank you all for your responses. As it so fortunately turned out, it was an ignition switch issue. A friend of mine found the problem and fixed it for $40! The shaking... Not so sure. He said it could be the pistons. But he will have to check that out another time.

Dluopa36

Heir-
Yeah, I understand now that PT Cruisers are a huge problem. lol Everyone I've ever spoken to has told me the same thing. *sigh*

BouwsT

Glad you found the no-start issue, and it wasn't related to a seized engine! Hopefully your coolant loss isn't something more severe, but you'll definitely want to keep a close eye on the level to prevent it from going low again.

Dluopa36

I agree. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom. It hasn't gone unnoticed!

mts

If the radiator was bone dry there is a Crack in it or a head gasket issue.