It is late at night and you are leaving the gym as they are getting ready to close. You hop into your car, so ready to go home and shower off the spin class smell, but your engine won’t start. You try a few times with no luck. Unfortunately, you have not had much experience with a car that won’t start up; you look around for a friendly face in the parking lot but everyone has basically left the area. Next, you try calling a few friends who you know live in that area, but no one answers. Googling the problem creates more stress because there are too many resources and random articles…you don’t know what to do. And the driver’s manual is way too bulky and you don’t have the patience for it all.
What can you do in a circumstance like this? It is bound to happen to the best of us, so it’s better to be prepared and knowledgeable!
Here are some tips from the experts.
According to Richard Reina, product training director at CARiD.com (from Geico’s website), there are a few reasons why your vehicle won’t start and what exactly to do about it. *The following information has been taken directly from Geico.
No Sounds, No Lights
*It may be a battery connection problem.
This is what they recommend you do:
Check the cable connections at the battery. They may look fine, but see if you can twist and turn them by hand; if you can, the connection’s loose. Remove them, clean them with a paper towel or rag, reconnect (you’ll likely need a wrench to tighten down the clamps) and try again.
*It may also be a dead battery.
This is what they recommend you do:
Try a jump start. You’ll need cables and someone with a car to connect your battery to theirs.
Aren’t completely sure how to jumpstart your vehicle? Watch this super specific and informative (and quick) video by Geico: CLICK HERE.
No Sound But Dashboard Lights Go On
*It may be that the car isn’t in park or neutral, or the switch on the side of the transmission has gone bad in the park position.
This is what they recommend you do:
Move the gear to neutral and see if the car will start. Also try pushing the brake pedal (or clutch, in a car with a manual transmission).
*It might be a faulty starter motor, or your ignition switch or cables from the ignition to the starter aren’t working properly.
This is what they recommend you do:
Call for a tow and get to a repair shop right away.
*It may be a problem with the key fob, like a bad transponder or a dead battery.
This is what they recommend you do:
There should be an option to start your car even if the fob’s battery is totally dead. Check your owner’s manual.
Engine Makes A Clicking Sound
*It might be a weak battery.
This is what they recommend you do:
Turn on the headlights. If they come on brightly, your battery is good and the clicking means you have either a bad connection or a bad starter. If the lights come on very dimly, the problem is a weak battery, and you should try a jump start.
*It could also be a flooded engine, if you have an older car with a carbureted engine. This happens when there’s too much fuel in the engine and the spark plugs are wet and won’t spark.
This is what they recommend you do:
Hold the gas pedal all the way down and crank the engine; this will clear the fuel out of the combustion chamber.
*Or it could be a blown fuse for the fuel pump or ignition circuit.
This is what they recommend you do:
When a fuse fails, it’s easy to spot—you’ll see the metal strip is broken and has a bit of black around it. Check your owner’s manual for the fuse box location and replace the fuse. Most car makers provide spare fuses in extra spaces in the fuse box.
YouTube also has an educational video (among others) on how to determine what the problem is and what exactly to do in each situation. CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
If you do find yourself in this unfortunate and frustrating circumstance, be patient and realize that your vehicle will be fixed; you may need to troubleshoot with online resources or maybe you just need to tow it to a repair shop for the professionals to investigate if you are not comfortable doing so yourself.
If your vehicle ever requires more than a basic engine or battery check, contact Downtown Autobody – we’ll connect you with a trusted auto repair shop in Rohnert Park, CA. For auto body repair and paint needs, you can give us a call for a complimentary quote.