Car Starting Problems

well I had a 1991 Mazda protege and when the hold light started flashing my transmission was going out. don't know if this will be of any help to you but i jut thought i would share that info.

I have a 97 kia. try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes. Might work after that.

I have a 2000 Kia. On my gearshift (which is between the 2 front seats) there is ANOTHER button just under the gearshift button. When I press this button, my Kia is now in gear HOLD. This means that no matter how fast or slow my Kia may be going, it WILL NOT change gears. It will hold the last gear speed that the Kia was in when the HOLD button was pressed. Also, when in HOLD, I have a HOLD light that lights up in the gage cluster. Using this option is not recommended unless you REALLY know what you're doing as it is HAZERDOUS to your TRANSMISSION. I don' use mine much. Ussually on steep inclines. Peace...........

when you get it started does it pump black smoke and smell rich in gas? could be what they call hot soak your injectors actually leak in the manifold when there is residule pressure in fuel line and flood the cylinders with gas. fuel pump sounds fine

bad ignition or you have a serious short.

The tank is not venting properly.

Its idling rough because you probably have a blown head-gasket and lost compression at two cylinders you need to remove all spark plugs and check each cylinders compression.

If your plugs look really sooty and oily you are running pig rich and that may be your problem but without more info I cant tell you exactly why

blown head gasket or cracked block blown head gasket or cracked block

Check the battery connections. One or both could be corroded.

If that's not it, check the battery. If it's not fully charged or if it's unable to TAKE a charge there may not be enough energy available in the battery to operate the starter.

Remember that a battery is simply an electrical energy STORAGE device. It doesn't make electricity, that job is performed by the alternator... IF the alternator is functioning properly.

At the end of the posative battery cable. Not real hard but label the wires when you remove then to make sure thy go back where they came from.

The starter is located on the front of the engine behind the header, and below the air intake, it should be fairly easy to see from from above looking by down into the gaps in the header. I'm not entirely sure it's necessary to label the wires before you remove them, there are only 2, and it would be pretty hard to mix them up since one ends in a large ring terminal and the other ends in a rectangular plug. NOTE: Before you try to replace your starter disconnect BOTH cables from your battery. (located in front of the front driver side wheel in a small compartment, you will have to remove the tire to get to it.) It's a fairly simple job, just disconnect the wires from the starter. The next step is removing the retaining bolts which can be kind of difficult since you pretty much can't see the bolts you're working on, (most 95-00 2.4L stratus have only two, I believe they're 10mm) but once you get them moving it should go smoothly, and once they're out you can slide out the old starter, slide in the new one, and reverse the process. .

Check your battery cable that runs down to your starter. It could be loose or corroded. Try to tighten it up. Even better take it off, use some sandpaper and clean it to bare metal. Then put it back on good and tight and that might solve your problem. If not it's probably your starter.

If there is no powere to the ignition fuse I wont check the relays in the PDC box in the engine. There should be a relay that controls the ignition power on system as well as the fuel pump power. I am more familiar with Ford, but they are all generally the same. If those check ok. see if you are getting spark at the plug with one of those cheap inline spark testers. (3bucks at Harbor Freight) It no spark trace back to the coil. If there is power at the coil just not after it then it is bad. Of course it is always possible that you just have a loose connector or ground lead also. Hope this helps.

Replace the fuel filter if it is replaceable. You may also have a weak fuel pump.

Put a few gallons of fuel into the fuel tank then cycle the ignition switch from off to on several times pausing in the on position a few seconds each time. This will prime the fuel system. After several cycles, start the engine as you normally would and drive the car to a gas station and fill it up.

Could be a bad ignition switch

The most likely problem is the fuel pump. When you turn the car's accessories on you should hear the fuel pump turn on. It shouldn't be very loud. If you don't hear, it may be broken. You should check it. If it is in good shape check the carb/injector. If the carb/injector isn't damaged its a fuel line problem.

An observation

First check the wiring to the starter motor solenoid, battery connections and earth wires to make sure they are tight.
Other problems could be with the ignition switch if rest is OK.

it could be the fuel pump,, ,,if you drive it for awhile and stop and shut it off will it restart ,,but see if it only happens when you refill the only way to know is to hook up a fuel psi tester and a scan tool ,too see what is happening ,, if there is psi at the fuel rail (30 to 40psi) when you go to restart that is fine .. a small shop can do this test for you ....do a fuel psi test first ,,that mite show the problem then and there.but if not .....tell them what is going on and wait till you need gas and get them to go with you.. he will want to see for him self if this is the only time it's happening but I have seen this before and it was a wire that was causing the problem inside the sending unit ,,but that mite not be your problem..

You will not find it because it does not have one.

Check your battery to make sure it isn't dead. If the battery is dead and won't hold a charge, replace and you should be good. If the battery is good I would take it to a mechanic.

Check the main fuses under the hood, one may have popped if there was an accidental short while jumping the car.

easiest fix is to get a tube of silicone sealant and seal where the water is leaking

There are a number of reasons why your Subaru Legacy might not start all the time. If you're having problems in the cold, it might be that your battery doesn't have enough cold cranking amps to turn the starter. In that case, change the battery. If you haven't replace the battery in a while, it's a relatively inexpensive quick fix that if it doesn't solve the problem, just extends your battery life for the next go around. If you're stuck, turn off everything (radio, rear defrost, headlights, blower fan, etc.) and try starting the car to see if the starter isn't getting enough amps. Beyond that, it could be that your alternator isn't charging your battery properly. If this is the case, you'll see the headlights dim as you turn on and off other electrical equipment when the car is running. Check the voltage across the battery when the car is running. It should be around 13 - 14 volts if the alternator is putting out enough charge. If the alternator and battery are not the problem, the starter could be going out, or the ignition switch could be going bad, or the switch that determines if you're in Park or Neutral (assuming it's an automatic) could be bad. When the car doesn't start, try switching the car into Neutral and see if it starts there. If wiggling the shift lever fixes the problem, replace that switch. If your headlights stay on when you attempt to start the car, it's probably something with the ignition switch. If the headlights go off, it could be the starter.

Ive not got an answer, I have had my megane for six months. I open my car with the fob turn the ignition, sontimes its starts and sometimes it dosent. I have to take my key out of the ignition lock and unlock the car. It just seems to start when it feels like it. Anyone got any advice.

just a guess, your fuel filter maybe stopped up?