Having trouble starting your car? There are actually a number of reasons why your car won’t start and it isn’t just because you have a bad battery.
Why? Because engines need a few elements to successfully start a car and I will discuss them one-by-one below for you to learn how to diagnose and solve any starting issues.
Flat, Defective or Dead Battery
If you have a still pretty new car and it won’t start, then the usual culprit is the battery.
Batteries usually lasts 3 to 5 years (some don’t even reach 3 years) from normal usage. But if you drive your car daily or it receives a lot of mileage, then expect a short life for your battery. However, not driving your car will also flat out your battery as well.
However, if you have a new battery and you still can’t start your car, then there’s a few reasons why this happens. First is to use a multimeter to test if your battery is below 12 volts (cars uses 12volts). If you don’t have a multimeter, you can buy one at Amazon.com.
If it is indeed flat out and your battery is new, then here are the possible reasons:
- There’s electrical issues that eats up your battery even if your car is off
- You seldom drive your car
- Defective battery
If the battery is the culprit why the engine won’t start, then you just need to jumpstart your car to get it running. Then once you are able to start the car, go to your nearest battery shop and get a new one.
Otherwise, you can buy a car battery online via Amazon.com.
Faulty Ignition Switch
Ignition switch is situated inside the key ignition behind your steering wheel. It basically sends electrical signals to your starter motor that you are about to turn on the car.
Now how do you know if your ignition switch is faulty?
One symptom is when you insert the key into the ignition and you can’t turn the key. Or, if you noticeably feel that there’s no power on the ignition switch.
However, it is uncommon for cars to have ignition switch issues unless you own a decade or older vehicle. There are a few possible reasons why you can’t turn your key in the ignition. Here are some of the reasons:
- Your key is too thin and already worn out so it doesn’t fit into the ignition switch anymore
- Your steering wheel is locked (security feature of your car)
- Your key immobilizer is defective (found inside your key casing) or needs battery replacement
- You are using a wrong key (happens if you own more than one car)
You can also diagnose a faulty ignition switch by looking at your fuse box. Just look for the ignition switch fuse and see if it is blown. If the fuse is blown, then you just need to replace the fuse and you will surely be able to turn on your car.
But have your electrical system checked by a professional as there must be an underlying cause why your ignition switch fuse got blown.
Take note that the same principles can be applied with push-start button vehicles.
Bad Alternator
The alternator is the main source of power of your car, so having a bad alternator means disaster for your overall electrical system, which of course will result to stalling or not being able to start your engine.
Some symptoms of a bad alternator include:
- Blinking dashboard lights
- AC not working properly
- Battery is always going out of power
- Dim headlights
There are two ways to accurately identify if you have a bad alternator. First is by using a battery and alternator tester. You can buy one at Amazon.com.
The other way is to remove the negative terminal of your battery while the engine is on. If the engine stalls, then you have a bad alternator.
However, alternator isn’t always the culprit why your car doesn’t get enough electricity. It could also be a wiring problem or you just need to replace your drive belts (sometimes called alternator belt).
Problems with Your Starter Motor
Starter motor is a device that is connected to your car’s battery which initiates the engine when you start the ignition.
So as I mentioned above, your car will never start if you also have a bad ignition switch simply because there will be no signal or electric to kickstart the starter motor.
However, a bad starter motor is another issue that will cause your car not to start, especially if you still have a good ignition switch.
How to tell if you have a bad starter motor? When you are about to turn on the engine, turning the key into the ignition, you only hear a loud click without cranking. That is one good sign to tell if you have a bad starter motor.
There are a number of reasons why starter motor fails. One reason is a blown fuse, so check your fuse box if the starter motor fuse is out and replace it immediately.
Another reason is the electrical wiring. You need to ensure that wiring from the ignition switch, battery and the engine are all good. Otherwise, your wires might got bitten by rodents or other animals.
And lastly, your starter just got worn out due to years of usage and needs replacement.
Fuel System Issues
Your engine needs fuel to run properly and efficiently. If you have issues with any component in your fuel system, then you will surely won’t start.
You need to check the following components in order to avoid any problems in starting your car:
- Fuel filter
- Fuel strainer (if your car has one)
- Fuel pump
- Fuel lines
- Suction control valve
- Fuel rail
- Fuel injectors
There are also mechanical and electrical components (sensors) that you need to check in order to know if the culprit is within the fuel system.
What you need to do is to bleed the fuel system (both manually and automatically). Replace your fuel filter, clean the fuel pump, clean or replace SCV (if clogged), clean the fuel strainer, injectors and rails, check the fuel lines, and drain the fuel tank.
Why you need to drain the fuel tank? Well, if there’s a heavy accumulation of water or alcohol in your fuel tank, then it needs to get flushed. Your tank must only include either petrol or diesel, nothing else.
So better gas up at a reputable gas station that doesn’t get flooded and use only premium fuel.
You also need to check your fuel pump fuse and see if it is blown. If the fuse is blown, replacing it will solve the issue.
Spark Plugs / Glow Plugs
This is often an unseen cause why car won’t start. Simply because most gasoline car owners neglect the idea that they have a bad spark plugs or they just simply don’t know how to maintain their cars. Diesel cars don’t have spark plugs.
Spark plugs have a lifespan of at least thirty thousand miles, give and take. If you don’t know how to diagnose a bad spark plug, then I suggest that you just replace them as they are relatively cheap. The number of spark plugs depends on the number of your engine’s cylinder.
So if your spark plugs haven’t reached that mileage yet but they have gone bad already, there might be some issues.
First is that, the spark plugs that you installed are defective or faulty. Second, water found its way into the spark plug. This happens when your car had undergone engine wash and the washer neglected any safety protocols.
Rodents can also cause your spark plugs to misfire. Rats often sits at the top of the engine cover and pee on the spark plug rubber boots. So better get rid of the rodents first if you want to protect your engine.
The same goes with diesel cars. Diesel engines don’t need spark to run the engine, but instead need proper compression. As such, your diesel engine require a functioning glow plugs. Replace the glow plugs if needed.
Conclusion
There you have it. These are the common reasons why your car won’t start.
If you will have this kind of trouble in the future, check back this post again and diagnose the problem by yourself. You can save expensive service fees from an auto shops if you know how to fix your car yourself!
The video below will explain more with regards to this topic. Though the video is in Tagalog language, you can still enjoy it by activating your Youtube’s closed caption (CC) feature as the video has English subtitle. Enjoy watching.!
