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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
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.
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.
Why does my truck backfires when tryin to start?
Spark plug wires are not installed correctly or the engine is out of time.
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.
Why won't the jumpers cables start your car when there placed right?
If they are hooked up right and the motor won't turn over, you could have a bad battery cable in the car you are trying to start. Try hooking the negative jumper directly to the motor block, if it starts then, you have a bad ground cable. If not, try hooking the positive jumper to the terminal on the starter.
Considering that this is in the car starting problems category, I am assuming you mean a Jump Box to start a car. In this case, a jump box is a device with a battery and attached cables that can be used to jump start your car. This is used when a car battery has died.
Another alternative is to use jumper cables with another car.
Remote start won't start car on cold day.?
Alot of cars have problems starting after a really cold night. The best thing I can suggest for you is if your remote start is programmable to start automatically over night and run for 15 mins every 1 or 2 hours or so. This way the fluids in the engine are alittle warm and thin rather than being real thick from the cold.
It sounds like the engine has possibly jumped time. The easiest way to tell is to find your timing marks and set the engine to top dead center (TDC.) remove the number one spark plug and insure that the piston is at the top. If it isn't then rotate the engine over and check again. If it is still not at the top then the timing is off and the belt or chain and gears will need to be replaced.
How can you tell if its the solenoid or module when your car stalled and cant get it started again?
if a starter sol. is faulty the car will fail to turn over, all the time or intermitantly. The ignition module will usually cause the vehicle to not start (no spark).
Suburban cranks but wont turn over 1990 fuel injected.?
This is a bad question. fix it. check fuses . there are sevearal fuses that will stop it from starting
What is causing a thumping or grinding noise when starting a 1999 ford escort zx2?
This is because of rabbits communicating.
Why wont my 91 geo storm stay charged after replacing alternator?
disconnect the positive lead from the battery with everything off. Then touch it gently to the battery post , if you see a spark there is something drawing current
If your car wont start can you still run a compression test on it?
Yes, IF your battery can "crank" [turn the engine over] then a compression test can be accomplished even though the engine will not start and run.
You need to remove all of the spark plugs to reduce the "drag" caused by all of the other cylinders not under test.
Attach the compression tester to one cylinder at a time, and then crank the engine for a few seconds. Read and write down the reading, and then move to the next cylinder until you've check them all.
If your battery is low, you may not get full readings, but for comparing cylinder readings, the ratios will be about the same.
The car won't jump and won't even get lights with cables hooked up correctly What could it be?
could be the immobilizer or blown fuses probably the immobilizer ask a main dealer
What fuse do you change if your car doesn't start?
If it cranks but doesnt start it could be your fuel pump relay or your fuel pump could be bad.
On a 1995 Nissan Altima GXE why would the engine turn over but the car does not start?
This is a problems with the Starter. I have a similar problems and resplace the starter and it fixed the problems. Car is old, recommend go to junkyard and but use Starter.
Answerwhy not check to see if there is gas delivered to the fuel injectors, see if the electrical system is delivering to the spark plugs, see if the air cleaner is clogged, or maybe the timing chain is in need of replacement.Answer:
Check the knock sensor. I have a 96 and the car will turn over but not start sometimes. I took it to get looked at and they said that the knock sensor was bad which causes it to misfire on the ignition sequence. Hope that helps!
Answer:
Could be the knock sensor, but on my car (same type) it was a sensor in the distributor. I just replaced the distributor.
Let me debunk the previous answers here.
1. If the engine turns over, then the starter is fine.
2. The knock sensor will not interfere with the engine firing. The knock sensor senses the predetonation of the fuel mixture as the vehicle is running. Even if the sensor was bad the engine would still run, it just wouldn't adjust the timing to prevent predetonation of the fuel mixture.
3. Could possibly be fuel related. Locate the fuel rail on the backside of the engine, above the intake manifold. You will find a valve cap, similar to those on you tires. Remove this cap. Crank the engine over a few times, this will pressurize the fuel system. If you depress the valve underneath the cap, fuel should spray out. If it does this indicates that the fuel pump is working correctly.
4. Check the spark plugs. Either use an appropriate spark checker, or remove a plug and ground it to the engine with the plug wire still attached. Have an assistant turn the engine over, check for spark.
5. Unless you have the air intake completely covered and sealed, the engine should still start even with the dirtiest of air filters.
6. To check the timing chain, remove the distributor cap and have an assistant turn the engine over. If the rotor button turns, then the timing chain is working well enough that it should start the vehicle. Its possible that it may have jumped time, but I feel that the engine not starting is a simpler fix than the timing chain.
its the key resistor 97 Monte Carlo's are equipped with GM Passkey II. A wire runs from the computer up to the ignition switch and back to the computer (The 2 wires run into the steering column inside an orange shroud. The wire measures resistance from a resistor in the key. If you have a loose connector or if the resistor on the key is worn down... the computer cannot read the correct resistance and thinks the car is being stolen. If the computer cannot read the resistance at startup, it will disable the starter and fuel injectors for three minutes. The easiest fix (although it disables this security feature) is to measure the resistance in your key (the little chip on the part of the key that goes into the ignition) using a multi-meter, then buy a resistor from radio shack of the same reistance; then hook the resistor to the two small wires in the orange shroud underneath the dash going into the steering column (leaving the wires coming out of the steering column dead). This way, the computer always reads the correct resistance. If you're worried about losing your security feature, you can also place a toggle switch on the wire to disconnect the resistor when needed. If you don't want to get this hands - on... take it to a dealer for a new key and possibly ignition switch (40 for key / 90 for ignition switch)
What could be some reasons why a 1986 Ford Ranger truck will not start?
Loose cables, bad battery, alternator or starter.
1991 cadillac deville wont start or turn over but has all power. what could be the problem?
most likely problem if all fusible links are ok, and starter and battery good, then the key cylinder needs replacement along with a new key,because cyliner has two wires coming oout of it that break internally, this sends a no signal from chip embedded in key to vehicle computer. causing computer to read a theft action taking place. after three tries system will shut down for 1 complete hour. original key has a chip with a code on it need same code with new key, talk to g.m. dealership about proper parts
