Have you experienced any trouble starting your car? Most of the time it starts, but there are instances that it just won’t start. Whether you have a modern push start or a common key ignition system, this problem can happen to either of them.
If this sounds like you, then you better read this blog post till the end and learn one simple reason why cars sometimes don’t start.
Common Reasons Why Engine Won’t Start
There are several reasons why your engine won’t start. I wrote a detailed blog post about this topic here, so check it out!
The most common reason why car won’t start is a drained battery. If your battery is about 24 months to three years old, then chances are your battery is about to expire.
A drained battery can’t store electricity to help power your engine up hence you’re having trouble with the ignition. Symptoms like hard starting, flickering headlights or trouble with your power windows, all are signs of a bad battery. Just buy a new battery to avoid any starting issue.
Next reason is your car’s alternator. The alternator is your car’s main electricity production mechanism which powers up all your car’s electrical system.
A bad alternator won’t charge your battery which results to battery failure and your car will surely not going to start.
One thing that most people neglect to maintain is their car’s fuel system. If your fuel hoses, pump or filter are clogged, then fuel won’t be able to pass freely to your engine’s combustion chamber, which will lead to starting failure.
Another reason why your engine won’t start is your car’s starter. It is a device used to rotate or crank an internal-combustion engine to help initiate engine operation under its own power. A bad starter will certainly not going to help your engine to start.
One Simple Reason Why My SUV Won’t Start
My SUV had this problem that from time to time, it won’t start. I usually pump the fuel filter housing until it became hard to pump. Most of the time, the car will start by just doing this trick.
But I know to myself that I need to know the root cause of the problem why sometimes my car won’t start. And one day, it did fail to start again.
So I used a battery and alternator gadget to test if these components are bad. Both turned out to be negative as my battery is still good and my alternator is in tip top shape.
Then I tried pumping the fuel pump housing again to no avail, still the car won’t start.
What I did next is something that I didn’t expect to work. I used my second key and hopes the car will start, and it did!
So what I learned here is that, the reason why my car won’t start is not the key but the immobilizer inside the key. Some people calls it transponder but the heck, it’s the same to me!
The immobilizer inside the flip key is not stable and often shakes. This is the reason why my ignition system doesn’t detect my key immobilizer. And when I switch keys, the car started.
One Big Lesson Learned
So there you have it! If you are having trouble starting your car, always start with the basics! Check your battery, alternator, starter and your fuel system first. If all are good, then you have to assume that your key immobilizer is the next possible cause of your problem.
Below is my vlog post in Youtube about this incident. Enjoy watching!
