It depends on how mechanically minded you are. When you turn the ignition to the second notch (before the car turns over, you should hear the fuel pump buzz to prime the engine. If not, then you need to find out why the fuel pump is not running. Check its fuse and if you are mechanically minded try to run the fuel pump ( it will be under the car, usually on the passenger side or opposite the exhaust) with a car battery. If it does not buzz, it is not necessarily bust. All modern cars have fuel pump cut offs to stop the pump in a crash. If the pump runs when it is wired to a battery but not when its in the car, then assuming the fuse is OK, the fuel pump cut off (a small box usually behind the dash somewhere) is bad, or the ECU has a problem as it is not priming the engine. Hope this helps. If a modern (post 1990) car does not fire up first time, it is unlikely the non-mechanic can fix it. You need to get someone to look at it. A quicker diagnostic is to squirt some ether (coldstart) into the air intake and wait a minute or so. Crank the engine and if it starts briefly and cuts out, then it probably is a fuel rather than an electrical problem. Good luck
Mike, May 2010
