There are few things as frustrating as getting
into a car that won’t start. Even more
irritating is when your engine cranks and
STILL will not start! Before you hit
an auto repair shop, let’s examine one issue you may be having. An educated auto
owner is better equipped to understand and ask questions about what auto
repairs their mechanic or auto repair
shop technician advises.
All engines require satisfactory
fuel
pressure, a precisely timed
spark and regular compression. If your vehicle’s engine cranks but doesn’t
start, you are likely to be experiencing difficulty with one of these.
Engine Cranks – No Spark
Check the spark plug
wires. If they are cracked, wet, or burned it could
be causing difficulty with the spark, creating a problem starting the car. Also
check that the internal resistance
does not exceed specifications, as this will cause the same problem.
You also need to examine the spark plugs. When you remove
the spark plugs, if they are wet
they are either not firing or the engine is flooded. If the plugs’ electrodes have been contaminated with deposits, this can allow the spark to ground before jumping the
gap, causing the plugs to misfire. This
will make the vehicle hard to start and cause it to run poorly once started.
If there are cracks
or carbon tracks on your rotor or inside the distributor cap, this can be causing
problems. Issues of this nature will
allow your spark to short out to ground before ever reaching the spark plugs.
You may be dealing with a bad distributor pickup or faulty crankshaft
position sensor. This is what sends the pulse signal to the ignition module
or PCM. Without this, there is no
trigger for the ignition coils
therefore, the car won’t start.
Another issue that you could have is a defective ignition module. Since the ignition module is responsible for
the firing of the ignition coils, a faulty one can create problems with starting and/or stalling. If you’re having a hard time starting the car, problems
with sudden stalling, especially when the engine is hot, you may need to have
the ignition module checked.
Bad ignition coils
can affect different autos in different ways.
Its purpose is to create a high voltage that fires your spark
plugs. On vehicles that have a distributor, a bad ignition coil
prevents sparking at all of your spark plugs.
If you have a coil-on-plug or
distributor-less ignition system, having a bad
coil only affects one or two cylinders. While this can create some problems
getting the car started, it will be able to run on the remaining cylinders once
started.
Engine Cranks – No Compression
Take a look at the timing
belt or chain. A failure or breaking
of the belt or chain keeps valves from opening.
Not only will the engine not run, you need to be sure that there are no
other damages like bent valves that
occurred due to the breakage.
When the engine starts but dies within a couple of minutes,
you may have a plugged catalytic
convertor. When the catalytic convertor
becomes obstructed, it creates restrictions that then cause your exhaust backpressure to accumulate.
If you have an overhead
cam engine, check the camshaft. If
your engine overheats too badly it will warp the head, in turn seizing up the camshaft.
As a Columbia,
SC auto repair shop owner I want to inform drivers (and potential customers)
about what their car troubles are and why they happen. If you have car questions or need to schedule
an auto repair or maintenance appointment in the greater Columbia, SC area,
Sanford’s is happy to make you their newest loyal customer!
