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Car Starting Problems
Some of the common car starting problems stem from a discharged battery, a bad fuel pump (or no fuel), a weakened starter motor, or a broken electrical connection. Checking each part will help troubleshoot why the car won’t start.
5,524 Questions
How come my 1988 454 has no spark?
The most common cause will be within the distribitor. The distributor on these contains all of the electronics for this HEI system. There is a power wire that plugs directly into the side of the distributor. First, test that wire to ensure that it is powered up with the key on. If it is, then remove the distributor cap & focus directly on the internals of the distributor. There are three components in there that could each cause your no spark condition. Here is the order of likeliness: 1] The distributor module - The easiest to replace - held in by 2 screws - this is the item that fails most often. 2] The coil assembly - This is housed inside the distributor cap; the cap must be disassembled - check the cap for cracks also! 3] The pick-up assembly- This is located in the bottom of the distributor housing - The distributor must be removed from the engine and be completely disassembled to replace this. You must have knowledge of ignition timing and finding "top dead center" procedures to perform this pick-up replacement. theverybestoflucktoyou, Mike
Why is your cavalier making a clicking sound win you start your car?
All the answers are true. But if you still have problems, check that the connections are tight at the starter and starter solenoid or relay. if this still doesn't help , then you most likely need a new starter solenoid or new starter.
Could be in need of a complete tune up. Does the check engine light come on?
How do you change the starter on your trooper?
Buy yourself a Hayne's or Chilton's repair manual at any auto parts store. Here you will find the info you are looking for.
This sounds like you have a bad connection some where. Make sure the cable and wires on your starter and battery are good. Actually take them off to check them out.
Hi, sorry to jump in here, am new :) I had the same problem and after all the checks and money spending, changed the starter and now she starts like a dream. Hope it helps.
I have had this problem in my 94 wrangler and you will find that the colder it gets the longer it will take for the check engine light to come on. I have fought with this for a year spending money with garages and so I decided to replace the computer (about 300.00) and now it is like brand new. Starts right up and runs better too. I did change the computer myself and it took all of 15 minutes. It's located on the firewall under the hood on the driver side.
Why might a car not start then start the next day?
- It could have been flooded with gas (although this is less common in newer cars).
- The gas line could have been frozen the first day and thawed by the next.
- Cold weather can also cause the fluids in the engine to thicken, making the engine unable to "crank" fast enough to start.
- The battery could be a little low from cold weather or approaching end of life, and not provide enough power to "crank" the engine.
- It could be a diesel engine in cold weather.*
- There might be dirt or other debris in the gas plugging the line that gets unplugged the next time the engine is started. Use better gas (e.g. brand name). Check fuel filter.
- A starter wire could have a loose connection that causes intermittent starting problems.
- A spark plug could be malfunctioning or dirty.
- If it happens when the engine is hot, it could be the ignition module.
- Might be a loose starter motor control wire.
- You may be at the bottom of the fuel tank and not know it because you have a faulty fuel gauge, then you could have the debris in the gas problem when you don't expect it.
- Your air control valve may be dirty.
- Fuel pressure could be an issue.
- Battery contacts could be dirty or loose.
- The alternator or distributor may need maintenance.
- There might be a problem with the anti-theft system, disabling starts. Or with a programmed key that the car no longer recognizes.
- It could be the computer has loose connections or has gone bonkers.
- If you have driven through water, washed the engine, or otherwise got water in the ignition, it could be short circuited by water that evaporates by the next day.
As you can see, there are many things that could be wrong, this is not an entire list by any means. However, the most common problems are with ignition, battery, fuel delivery, dirty parts, and bad wire connections.
*If the temperature is cold, diesels are notoriously hard to start. As mentioned above, in cold weather oils in the car thicken and battery strength drops, both making the engine hard to crank. The type of oil may need to be changed. Thicker oils like 15W-40 are great in warmer weather in diesels, but when temperatures get below freezing or even lower, they get too thick. 30 or 40 weight oils are especially too thick. Or you may need to use an engine warmer to keep the oil from getting thick in winters.
The start solenoid for all 1966 USA Ford passenger cars is on the passenger side under hood, (bonnet) between the radiator core support and wheelwell. Some are mounted directly to the passenger side wheelwell.
Why does my zx1100 just make a clicking sound when you try to start it?
the battery is dead. charge it. if the battery won't charge buy a new one.
There may be a loose or broken wire in the ignition switch. The wire is the one that leads from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid/relay.
Car won't start with remote start rsx?
if it's manual some wont start or should say majority of it wont start, if it was made by factory they might disable it on a manual for safety issues, if it's an auto the wire might came off from the remote module or the battery on the remote is dead. You could also use remote start on manual to if you like, but dealership wont install it for you i highly doubt it. Take it to a shop that install remote starter or alarms, they might be able to make it work for you but it'll be at your own risk for doing it.
What would cause a 2000 Nissan Maxima to turn over but not start?
I had the same problem with my 2000 GXE...it just died suddenly..I used a hand held scanner and it turned out to be a camshaft position sensor about $ 80.00.It's very easy to replace,it's located on the front cylinder head. Looking at cylinder head (near the radiator)follow the camshaft location (with your eyes) towards the left,you will notice it on the side ,it only has one bolt and one wire plug. very simple fix. I hope that this is your problem. Good luck. jal1948@aol.com
How do you replace a 1986 Toyota 4runner starter?
it's as easy as this save your money do chours or go to work and buy a new one
get it got it good
The chainsaw was running fine but now won't won't start?
Check for spark, fuel delivery, and compression. This will narrow your list of possible problems.
http://store.chainsawr.com/
Just changed automatic to a clutch and it wont start help 90 accura legend?
you have a neutral safety switch on the auto trans so it will only start in P or N you need to find out which of the 2 wires they are and tie them together and it should crank or you can make it a push button start
Why would my ignition lock up so the key won't turn?
Something you might try is turning the steering wheel slightly before turning the key. The locking mechanism that keeps the wheel from turning if the ignition is off sometimes puts pressure on the cylinder so that the key won't turn, and pulling the wheel to one direction or the other may help relieve that pressure.
The difference between turning and cranking an engine?
generally , cranking an engine is done with igniton where turning is done by hand with the ignition off so as it will not start
First off.... I hope you learned a lesson.. Don't EVER do that again unless you know what you're doing... I'm a professional mechanic and I've only cleaned one engine in my entire life. and that was BEFORE fuel injection. It's just not worth the hassles you're now going thru and the possible expense you're about to incur. Chances are you have your plug wells flooded with water. If You have a coil on plug setup whereas each spark plug has it's own coil then I would take each one off and check for watter on the boot as you remove it. If there is water in the holes take some compressed air and blow out each one prior to removing the spark plugs You could have any number of the sensors such as Mass-Air-Flow, Throttle Position, Crank/Cam loaded with water in which case these sensor will need replacing. You could have also gotten excessive water in the under hood electical junction box/ fuze box ect.
The key lock and the electric motor are two separate items they are conected by a lever. It sounds like the lever is binding
sounds like a bad key tumbler
How do you reset the check engine light on a Toyota Camry?
Sorry, it has to be done by the dealer or you need to buy the gauge yourself.
My Suggestion: Remove battery terminal (pos or neg, doesnt matter) leave for 10 min, reconnect, see if gone
You turn the ignition and all you hear is the turning sound but it wont start?
may be a bad starter..... or if the engine is cranking with no start it could be the ignition wires
Why would a car start when cold but not start and cranks only after it's been driven awhile?
I'm not sure I understand the question but I do know this. If your car will start when it is cold, yet after driving it for awhile, you shut it off and then go to restart it and it wont start you need to have your starter and starter solenoid checked. Its happenened to me on 2 different cars. It seems that when the starter gets to hot it just jams up or freezes up and won't crank over the engine. Yet if the car sits for a little while it cools down and then seems to work just fine. Its defineately a sign that your starter and/or solenoid is about to die. Pull it out and have it checked.(auto zone will do it for free, its called a load test) There's a good chance that's your problem, if I understood the problem correctly. Good Luck, hope this helps.
Mark H.
Where do you spray starting fluid?
most times starter fluid is sprayed through the air filter,if this is hard to get at you can disconnect one large air hose on engine side of air box and spray in there .remember to reattach hose after starting before driving off
