It may have happened to you, a friend, or family member – you jump in your car ready to start the day, and find that your car won’t start. It’s one of the most common unplanned repair calls we get!
If you’re curious as to why your car won’t start or are in a place where help might not be so available (sorry, so far we only service the London Ontario region) you can try some simple troubleshooting tips:
My Car Won’t Start: Troubleshooting
Does your car crank?
The starter motor you activate when you turn the key or push the start button has to be able to spin the engine quickly enough to get started. If your car won’t crank, it won’t start. This problem is typically when we get calls from customers saying “my car won’t start and there’s no noise!”
If it doesn’t crank, then try turning on the headlights – are they dim? You could have a weak battery and simply need a jump start to get you going.
If the headlights are on bright; try to crank the car again – if they go dim, you still have the possibility of a weak battery, faulty electrical connection or a starter issue. If the headlights stay bright when trying to crank the vehicle, there could be a starter or electrical issue with the circuit that activates the starter.
Does your car crank but not start?
Once the starter motor has the engine spinning, it’s a matter of introducing fuel and spark at the right time to get the engine up and running. If your car doesn’t have both spark and fuel, then your car won’t start.
The first thing to look into is whether there is fuel in the tank. Not according to the gauge on the dash, but is there really fuel in the tank? This isn’t a trick or insulting question – fuel gauges can and do fail we have seen many no starts caused by a faulty gauge – if it’s been longer than normal since your last fill up then maybe this is the issue.
If you’ve got fuel in the tank then the problem can range from a fuel pump that has failed to one of many other electrical issues. Worn spark plugs or faulty ignition components are a common problem.
How Can I Prevent Future Problems?
Scheduled maintenance can go a long way to preventing this inconvenience from happening to you. While there are many reasons that a car won’t start, I’ve touched on a few common ones here – if you have any vehicle related problems, give us a call at 519-657-4500 and we can help.
We can dispatch a tow truck and if one of our loaner cars are available you can get on your way while we diagnose and repair your vehicle.