Car Wont Start?
Are you having problems starting your car? Do you hear a small crank? Does your lights and electronics work?
There are numerous reasons why a car will not start. While you might be forced to turn to professional help in some cases, there are a lot of things you can try yourself before that.
In this blog, we will discuss the 5 reasons your car may not be starting.
5 REASONS YOUR CAR IS NOT STARTING:
1) Dead Battery
This is one of the common causes behind a car failing to start. If your battery still has some life, you might find the starter turning slowly. Sometimes, corroded cables can also lead to improper power flow.
However, there are several reasons a battery might die. Perhaps, there is a loose wire somewhere, the component water evaporated and led to insufficient conductivity, or maybe you forgot to turn off the dome light.
Jump-starting the car is an easy way to see if a dead battery is to be blamed for the trouble. If the jump-start is successful, there is a high probability that your battery is dying. In such a case, you could consider cleaning up the connections a bit, or, if that does not help, you should get your battery replaced.
2) Alternator
An ineffective alternator might mean that your battery is not being charged. If you feel that the alternator is the problem, start by looking for a slipping or worn drive belt. If the belt breaks or the alternator fails, you will almost certainly receive a warning flash of light. However, you might not get this warning in case of a mere flawed system output. There is a simple way to see if your car instrument panel contains a gauge. Just see if the instrument panel is displaying approximately 14 volts. Very few modern vehicles include an alternator gauge, so you might likely require a technician or mechanic to check things out.
There are other warning signs that your battery is not charging, such as a weak cranking starter or headlights that have dimmed.
3) Starter
When automobiles first came about, the starter owned the car. You would take a crank and walk towards the front of the vehicle. Having assured yourself that the gearbox is disengaged, you would put the crank in the shaft, thereby manually turning and starting the engine.
Technological improvements led to the advent of the electric starter but, despite the increased reliability of modern-day mechanisms, starters are still not immune to failure. A broken starter can usually be detected by a clicking sound and can leave your vehicle in an inoperable state. The only issues related to a starter can be related to the teeth on the driver’s gear or the flywheel.
4) Spark Plugs
Secondary ignition issues are almost unheard of nowadays – almost. On the rare occasions that they do occur, these problems can render your vehicle unable to start. Three decades ago, an automobile owner would have to undergo regular maintenance to reach anywhere close to the 100,000-mile point. Today, thanks to lengthy replacement schedules for spark plugs – coupled with the fact that most car owners do not hold on to a vehicle throughout its useful life – it is easy to forget about the replacements for long-lasting vehicle parts like spark plugs, thereby leading to car-start issues.
5) Air Filter
Much like human beings, a car needs to ‘breathe’ in order to function optimally. Over time, your car’s air filter ends up accumulating grease, road dust, and many other types of muck so that your vehicle can enjoy filtered, clean air. However, this buildup of debris can restrict your vehicle from taking in the required amount of air. Without sufficient air, the gas fails to ignite, and no ignition means that the internal combustion process remains incomplete. All you need to do to resolve this problem is to get a new air cleaner, which is readily available at almost every automotive supply store.