95 Chrysler Cirrus problems

I just bought a used 95 Chrysler Cirrus, V6 automatic. It had 117,000 miles on it when I bought it. The transmission had been replaced, and the air conditioner repaired. I changed the oil about two weeks ago.

I've put at least 2000 miles on this car and never had a problem. Last weekend I was driving around taking fall pictures, and will sitting on top of a hill taking a picture out the window, the engine stopped. That was a first! I shut it off and restarted it. I drove another 7 or 8 miles, then parked on the side of the road to snap some more shots. I smelled a strange odor coming from the car, like some weird chemical, so I shut the engine off.

A few minutes later when I tried to restart the engine, it wouldn't fire. It tries to start, but won't fire. The lights work, power windows, etc, but the car won't start.

The mechanic I took it too hooked it to a computer to see what the problem was and it shows nothing wrong. He thought it might be a sensor, but it wasn't. Now he is saying that it could possibly be a pick up coil, or the computer itself.

There was absolutely no sign that the car had any malfunctions before this happened. This mechanic seems to be playing a guessing game. HELP!

Wont be a pickup coil because if memory serves me correctly, this vehicle has no distribuitor. You say it will try to fire but wont actully fire, which means the computer is seeing that the engine is spinning (crank sensor, cam sensor) but something else is not functioning properly. The timing belt may have simply jumpped a few teeth, which could have been a result of the smell you picked up on. Another thing that may have happened if your coolant temp sensor got a bad reading, started running the engine rich dumping loads of fuel onto the o2 sensor burning it out .. this would also smell funky. Then again, the smell might have been something in the air and you thought it was the car and there totally unrelated. Another thing you may wanna try is hitting the gas tank with a rubber mallet and see if it doesent improve.

another way to check the fuel pressure is to (under the hood) locate the fuel rail. (forms the shape of a "C" around the engine and all the fuel injectors are hooked to it. Find what looks like a tire valve (will be brass... few inches tall and possibily have a cap on it...... use a pen or a small screwdriver and press down on it with the key ON.... if you get gas shooting out... your problem is likely something internal (stuck valve, bent cam) if its not a timing problem

Let us know how it goes!