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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
When trying to start the car the key sticks and doesn't turn?
dirt or lent in steering colum or a mechanical binding problem, some cars have a recall or techincal service bullenten about this problem. you can go to your dealer or local repair shop to have this fixed.
1989 ford f250 fuel problems it cranks but won't start?
1989 ford F250 Fuel Problems, It cranks but wont start
try the engine fuse that's what is was for me try the engine fuse that's what is was for me
What does it mean if your car smokes and will not start?
Something's hot! lol What does it mean when anything smokes? You could have a leak and it's hittin your headers or anything else hot. you could be burning oil. Plenty of things could be wrong.
Flat battery or no fuel
It may not have actually been out of gas. If your fuel pump fails, gas will not get from the tank to the engine, no matter how much is in the tank. Have a mechanic check it out.
When cranking a car it wont start but antifreeze is pouring out of the blockwhy?
ud be looking at a broking t belt plus water pump
Your car shut off while driving and never started back up what could be the problem?
I can guarantee that it's electrical or mechanical.
Sorry to sound flippant, but the reality is, there are quite a few problems that can cause what you describe; without additional information there is just no way to know for certain.
To help isolate the problem:
try using a little starting fluid, see if you can start the engine briefly with that. If the engine isn't getting fuel the starting fluid will let it run briefly, and it will verify that everything else is working properly. Once you do that you have eliminated a whole list of other potential problems.
If the starting fluid is used properly and the engine doesn't start, check for spark. Pull a plug wire and connect it to a spare sparkplug. (hint: it doesn't even need to be a sparkplug that fits your car) Have a friend try to start the car and watch the sparkplug to verify that you're getting a good, strong spark. If not, you can go from there.
If you have spark AND starting fluid didn't tell you anything, run a compression test. Poor compression indicates something SERIOUS inside the engine.
The point is, you need to isolate the problem.
Simply making the statement: "My car won't start. What's wrong?" will not result in many people wanting to give you any help.
If the crankshft sensor is bad will the car start at all?
I can tell you what happened with my Buick. The crank sensor was bad. The engine would start when it was cold but not when the engine was hot. Warner athey The engine computer needs the crank sensor reading to start. Period. Why three periods? Question mark? If the crank sensor is bad that does not mean that it will not function at all. That means that it will not function properly. Even a broken watch will tell you time. It may even be the correct time.
Why does van make grinding noise when starting?
I think that maybe it could be the teeth on the starter or which I hope it's not the teeth on the flywheel of the engine. I guess it could just be the starter which is a cheap fix compared to the flywheel and alot easier to fix !!!!
When I try to start my van my gagues go crazy and it won't turn over?
You battery could be dead or low on power if the van will not start and the gauges are going crazy.
Jiggle the shifer knob, sounds like the neutral safety switch is not engaged or has gone band, or you have a blown fuse, or you may have a bad starter solenoid/starter. Usually it is one of the three.
Why does your glow plug light come on when your engine is warm?
Check the water seperator filter. It may be full.
What is wrong on a 2002 GMC Safari if it turns over but will not start?
check the timing or the distributor or a shaft inside of it. 2) Check the fuel pressure if it is not within the limits it will not start. The 4.3L engine is sensitive to pressure. If it is low even by a few pounds yo umay need to change the fuel pump.
Why will a car not start unless it is jumped started?
bad battery, and bad alternator not keeping it charged - also bad connections to the battery or loose wire connections on the alternator.
Usually this is the starter clutch not engaging. Caused by using too heavy a grade of oil or going too long between changes. Try an oil change. The problem is usually only there on a cold engine.
there is an actuator in the steering column that is broken. its a small aluminum piece that is common to break. taking apart a good portion of the steering column is necessary for replacement.
Why does my truck backfires when tryin to start?
Spark plug wires are not installed correctly or the engine is out of time.
It sounds like you have a break in the wire which connects your alternator to your battery, get it checked out.
Car clicks when trying to start but wont start?
Check the battery cables. If there is no corrosion and you have good connections, then the starter solenoid/relay may be at fault.
just because you lights and radio work does not mean your battery is good.the starter needs over 100 amp of power to start a car a light needs 5 amps, load test your battery and check cables and connections for corrosion. if battery is over 3 to 4 years your due for a battery, also check alternater is charging when car is running
Why won't car start in cold but starts in warmer weather?
I am not an expert, but maybe the oil is of the wrong weight- too thick to turn engine, or maybe the starter is not working as it should (not turning freely)- maybe there is no juice going to starter, maybe the cables to the starter are corroded- need cleaning and tightening, maybe the solenoid is not working properly and if it is an older Dodge they had a ballist resistor that would go bad and stop it from running and you cold get it to run intermittently till it died, maybe you need a higher cranking starter, a higher cranking alternator-generator, the battery may have enough juice in warm weather, but the cold draws from it and is not strong enough to start it in the cold or any other number of things. What you've given is not much to go on as you did not state what the car does before during or after it runs-when it runs, etc. Some cars especially Dodge when it rains if there is a crack in the distributor cap it won't start and it can cause skipping that goes away when dry. Good Luck!
What do you check when a car won't start?
A car needs 3 things to start. It needs Fire, Fuel, and Oxygen. The first thing i would check is the fire.You can do this by locating the distributor coil pack which has a spark plug looking wire running from the distributor to the coil. you check the fire here by undoing the wire from the coil but still leaveing it hooked up to the distributor. Hold the wire about 1/2 inch from the coil and have someone try starting the car, if it sparks your getting fire to the distributor but if it doesn't spark it might be ur distributor coil. Then after u plug that wire back into the distributor unplug one of the wires from ur spark plugs but leave hooked up to your distributor.Then take an old spark plug and hook into the wire Have someone try starting the car, if it sparks then you know your getting fire from the distributor but if it doesn't spark then u might have a bad distributor. The next thing i would check is the fuel. when u turn the key u should hear you fuel pump come on (it will make like a wineing or sucking sound). If you hear this then you know ur fuel pump is good but if you don't hear it then it might mean your fuel pump is out. If you don't hear the fuel pump working then you can check to see if your getting fuel by locating the fuel filter. when u find the fuel filter . disconnect the fuel line on the fuel filter that is towards the engine. after u do this watch the fuel filter and have someone else try starting it. If it sprays out gas then you know ur getting fuel but if it doesn't then you need to change your fuel pump and fuel filter. To check the Oxygen i would check your air filter. If your air filter is dirty either clean it really good just by shaking it out or replace it with a new one.The only other thing i could tell you about the oxygen is if it's not getting oxygen then you might check your exhaust.
