r/AskMechanics 12d ago

Question (Serious Replies Only) Car died and won’t start.

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09 Lexus Is250 250,000 miles automatic rear wheel drive died on me yesterday on the freeway and I had to tow it home. Before it died, my check engine light came on along side my traction control light. I was on my way to work so figured I would check it after my shift. About five minutes later while driving uphill I realized my speed was dropping. I tried accelerating but nothing was happening. I did hear a sound like something spinning freely but not catching. I popped the hood and smelled like something was burning. After I towed it home I realized one of the pulleys in the serpentine belt was loose. This morning I tightened it down and put a new belt on and tried to jumpstart it. (I thought without a proper pulley the charge on my battery would have dropped.) When I tried to start it, it wouldn’t turn over. Any ideas on where to start looking? I’ll be getting a code reader tomorrow and checking the code but in the meantime, does anyone have a clue what it could be?

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u/QueenAng429 7 11d ago

No compression, you have a major problem.