I searched and I couldn't find this one.

On Friday while I was heading out for work, some workmen working on my neighbor's house asked me to move the car (2004) from my driveway so they could park their giant metal trailer.

I hopped in, started it up, and it sounded like it turned over and then the engine just cut off. I tried to start it again, and nothing happened (like literally, nothing). It's been REALLY cold lately at night, and I hadn't driven it for a few days.

This morning I broke out the manual and did the flooded start procedure on 7-20 of the manual. This is (paraphrased):

1. Depress the accelerator all the way and hold it there
2. Turn the ignition switch to START and hold it there for 10 seconds
3. If the engine fails to start, crank it without depressing the accelerator

I did this about 5 times, and no luck. At what point should I give up / will it start to damage the car?

 

allow the starter motor to cool down after 3-4 tries . No limit really but as you go on your battery will get weaker and weaker making it near on impossible to start .
Search for 'DIY de-flood procedure'

 

Hmm so this is interesting. I went out to try deflooding it, and noticed it wasn't a battery issue - battery seems really strong. However, the gas light was on and the fuel indicator was on empty. It should have had a 1/4 tank. Maybe the gas indicator has been wrong when I parked it?

Random question: Does the car need to start for the fuel indicator to go up? If it's just out of gas I will seriously lol.

 

At least it wouldn't be flooded...lol

 

I had the same issue on my 04 with 125k miles. Took it to my local rotary shop(not dealer) and needed new plugs along with getting it de-flooded. Then did some compression testing and my apex seals are gone. Looking for a new engine now.

btw, I also had my car sitting for a few days in the cold before attempting to start it. Hope yours does not have my issues!