I bought it the first of November 2017 for my 16 year old daughter. It has 87,000 miles on it. Yeah I know it's old and not worth much, but...
Problem is the car could need to be cranked multiple times to get spark. The engine light is not on, so no codes.
I've been using a spark tester, so literally, no spark.
I have replaced the Automatic Shutdown Relay, the Crankcase Position Sensor, the Distributor, and the entire Fuel Pump unit and Fuel Filter.
Before replacing the pump, I could do 3 to 5 short starting burst, and the engine would start.
With the new pump, the short bursts have no effect. Sometimes it starts on the first, sometimes I kill the battery trying to get it started.
It does not matter if the car is hot or cold.
What is the next thing I should be looking into?
What else would cause the engine to not spark?

 

Don't assume there are no codes because the check engine light is not on. Not all codes turn the light on, or the light could be burned out. Try the key dance: key on, off, on, off, on. (don't turn it to the start position.) Codes may appear in the odometer space., Or if you can get it to someplace like AutoZone or Pep Boys, they'll put a code reader on it for free in most states.
Is this a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine?
Check for fuel pressure at the fuel rail. Just because you replaced the pump doesn't mean there's fuel pressure.
Aftermarket distributors for the V-6 have been reported here as not functional.
Check for a bad ground somewhere, especially in the computer circuit.
Could be a bad computer but save that for last as it's probably going to be the most expensive. If you must go that route, search the web for exchange services that take your old computer and exchange it for a re-manufactured one. There are several, one haunts these forums. Come back and report your progress/success.
Meanwhile, put the 16 yr old daughter into a 4000 lb Buick with lots of cheap iron around her.

 

Thanks dcotter0579
My bad, it's the 2.5 V-6.
I'll check for codes soon.
Could low fuel pressure cause the engine to not spark? That seems strange to a DIY'er like me.
It is an aftermarket distributor, but wouldn't it be an all or nothing, not sporadic?
I have the Mopar manuals and will look into where a bad ground could be located. Would that also cause a rough idle while stopped at a stop light or stop sign? Most of the time, it idles fine.
I agree about the 4000 lb Buick, but, you know.

 

Another thing to consider.
Bad fuel injector o rings can cause hard starting, misfires and rough idle.
They live in a hot harsh environment, and don’t last forever.

 

Low fuel pressure would not cause a weak or non-existent spark, but it could cause hard starting without a code showing.
A bad ground can cause all sorts of weird things, including intermittent problems with spark and fuel injector performance.
How old are the spark plugs?

 

I took the car to AZ and they said there were no codes. They did tell me my battery has a bad cell. I probably killed it by draining and quickly recharging it to get it started over the past few weeks.. I personally doubt a bad cell in the battery is related or causes my no spark issue. I have not replaced the battery.
I replaced the plugs when I replaced the # 3 injector - it went bad and threw a code. This was done in early November. My no spark issue came about in early December..
I am thinking of replacing the other 5 injectors, but I don't have the $150+ to do it. If I knew for sure that would fix it, I'd figure out a way. Need to do the battery first. I've seen where I can purchase an o-ring kit for the injectors, should I look into doing that? I worry the low fuel spray in the injector is faulty and an o-ring would not fix that - if there is such a thing.
I keep hearing about a bad ground. Where in the car or attached to what component should I look for?
I am presuming a bad ground is a wire that is attached to the block and not the actual Negative connection bolt where the battery goes.

 

A bad cell in the battery CAN cause many strange things to happen on these cars.
The computers do not like low voltage, and do strange things when they are not happy with the voltage.
The PCM computer operates the fuel pump relay, which operates the fuel pump.
It is also connected to the distributor, which is connected to the spark plugs.

FWIW, this is how I would approach the problems:

The first thing I would do would be to get a fresh new battery.
The next thing I would do would be to make sure I had proper fuel pressure.
These days, with some of the cheap unreliable parts from overseas, a new pump module does not mean it is working.
Disconnect the fuel line coming out of the firewall to the front fuel rail, and put a test gauge on it.
Pressure should be around 49psi, and it should hold there.
If the pressure drops, there is most likely a problem with the fuel pressure regulator in the fuel pump module.
The fuel pressure regulator uses a valve with a spring loaded diaphragm, and is not computer controlled.
So if it is bad you will not be able to maintain the 49psi pressure in the fuel system, which will affect the ability of the injectors to atomize the fuel properly.If the pressure is good and holds, then the next thing would be the spark issue.

As mentioned, there have been many instances of problems with “new” aftermarket distributors, not working out of the box, or failing after a short period.
The best successful non OEM distributor is made by Cardone. But only their “Select” series, which is a new unit, not a refurbished or rebuilt unit.
(This is what I have in my ’99 Sebring).
They are not cheap but are a lot cheaper than a OEM distributor.
IIRC, a failure of the cam sensor in the distributor may not throw a OBD code.
But before I would buy a new distributor, if you still have the original unit, I would put that one back in and see what happens.

Experience, by many who own these cars, has shown all replacement sensors i.e. the crank sensor, should be OEM sensors
Once you establish fuel and spark and have air it should start.

Then rough idle can be addressed, with maybe new injectors or injector o rings, or maybe just a couple of bottles of Seafoam or Techron.

86000 miles is not a lot for this engine, which can go well beyond 200000 miles.
Many times it’s the auxiliary components that tend to fail with age.
Also keep in mind you have a car that may have a 21 year old timing belt that should be replaced.

 

Very informative Flaokie, lots to take in and digest.
I will respond back when I have more information / results.
Thanks for your time and the education.

 

I have a 2000 Cirrus 2.5 no start, replaced distributor, wires, plugs, fuel pump, fuel filter it now has excellent fuel pressure and plenty of spark but still no start my next step is to replace the crank sensor the timing is just fine!