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I was whiling away time waiting for the next episode of my favourite series to start when I received a call from my Pastor. He needed help with his car. It just would not start and he was stuck. After a few inquiries about the problem, I knew what the problem was and how to solve it. So I packed up my tools and hit the road. He was some 30km away.
When I got there I took out my jumper cables, hooked them up and voila! the car started.
His reaction was ecstatic. He had been stuck for half a day because of a dead battery. Another fly-by-night mechanic had offered to tow his car and “fix” it for $200.00. That’s when I knew that a lot of people out there are taken advantage of. Oh well, here are a few pointers on what to do when you car suddenly won’t start.
Clicking Sound and no crank
Most modern cars make a clicking sound when the battery does not have enough power to crank. When that happens you need another battery or a jump start. If you constantly have to jump start your car then you need to check your electrolyte level and if that does not help then have the battery checked for dead cells.
No crank, no sound
It could be a bad battery or bad connection. Check battery terminals for carbon build up. Also check the wiring for broken lines. I had a car that had a stubborn starter solenoid wire.
It would always come out at the most inconvenient times. When that wire comes out, your car simply will not crank no-matter what you do.
You may also need to check for corroded battery leads and replace it if necessary. Starter fuse or relay is another first port of call when there’s no crank and no sound whatsoever.
Cranks but engine won’t start
For a car to start you need fuel, oxygen and spark. First of all, check whether you have fuel in your car. I know of people that have called mechanics for breakdowns and got charged huge amounts of money for a fuel problem. You may not always have to depend on that fuel gauge because it can get stuck.
Some fuel gauges get stuck on full, some on half and some on empty. So make sure you have fuel in your car before checking anything else. Wrong diagnosis usually mean you spend more money than you should on things that are not the problem.
Blocked fuel lines may cause such mayhem as well. Every car comes with two or more fuel filters. These filters need replacement every time you service the car to maintain a clean flow of fuel. Overtime they get clogged up with dirt and can block the fuel lines to the point of not starting at all.
Broken fuel lines on the other hand can cause problems. Fuel injection systems use pressurised fuel. When the pressure is not enough because of a leak, you may have problems starting your car.
Always maintain a tightly sealed fuel tank as well or you will get bad fuel economy.
Most modern cars with fuel injection have High Pressure pumps that are inside the tank. They sometimes fail. If you always run your car on empty you may experience this problem quite often because the fuel acts a coolant for the electric fuel pump inside the tank. Low fuel means that it will be exposed and will overheat. It is wise to keep the low fuel light off.
Older cars with diaphragm pumps can also have issues. They may fail after a long time due to internal wear and tear or camshaft wear and tear.
The same older cars also have what you call an ignition coil. It transforms low voltage into high voltage required to create electric spark in the spark plugs to start the process of ignition.
These little things can be a menace and when they go bad the car may not start. Modern cars have individual coil packs for each cylinder and do not usually go bad all at once.
Bad plugs may also give issues if they are clogged up with carbon. Always change and service your car according to your manufacturer’s recommendations.
Car will not start after engine wash
Distributors do not like water. They do not get along at all. If you happen to let water slip in to the distributor, your car will not start until it’s completely dry. In worst cases car will not start, if you are lucky it will start but misfire until it’s completely dry.
These are some of the pointers to look at when your car suddenly decides to play tricks and not start. Till next time.
Eat Sleep JDM!
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