Car Start Failure: Top 10 reasons why your vehicle won’t start

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There are times when you try to start your car, but it fails to start. For a car to start properly, the electrical and fuel systems have to work together to provide a steady supply of fuel and electricity to the engine. However, if any of these systems isn’t working correctly, your car might not start. Check out the most common reasons behind car start failure.

PLUGGED FUEL FILTER

This would prevent fuel from flowing into your vehicle’s engine. The thing is, your fuel filter is supposed to prevent dirt and debris from getting into your car’s fuel delivery system. When this does not do its work, your car’s engine performance suffers.

Car Start Failure: Top 10 reasons why your vehicle won't start

BAD SPARK PLUG

A spark plug ignites compressed fuels such as gasoline, ethanol and liquefied petroleum gas through the production of an electric spark. If your spark plug is dad, it leads to car start failure.

FAULTY CRANK SENSOR

The crank sensor of your car is responsible for monitoring the position or rotational speed of your car’s crankshaft. You should check for a bad crank sensor if your car won’t start.

FAULTY ALTERNATOR

The alternator charges up your battery, and if it does not provide voltage your battery cannot hold the power sent to it. this would prevent it from sending any current to the engine. You need to replace your alternator immediately if it develops a fault.

ECM/PCM FAILURE

The ECM, or Engine Control Module, is the brain of the vehicle. It collects information from various sensors from the car and sends out signals to items such as fuel injectors and timing to keep the engine running at its best. The Power Control Module stops the engine RPMs from reaching critical levels. If any of these fails, it would result in car start failure.

TIMING BELT FAILURE

The timing belt controls the timings of your car engine’s valves. These belts must be replaced periodically at the manufacturer’s recommended distance and/or time periods. If you don’t do that, your car could break down completely.

BAD IGNITION COIL

This is an induction coil in the vehicle’s ignition system that converts the battery’s 12 volts to the thousands of volts required to cause a spark in your car’s sprk plugs. If your ignition coil is faulty, then your car won’t start.

ELECTRIC PUMP FAILURE

This is a fuel pump relay that takes over to run the fuel pump during the start cycle. After the engine is running, the relay turns off, and the current for the fuel pump is supplied through the oil pressure sending unit. If the relay fails, your car won’t start until the oil pressure is up to 3 or 4 PSI.

DEAD BATTERY

This is the most common reason for car start failure. When your car battery loses its charge, it loses electrical power. This means that it cannot supply electricity to start your car. You will need to charge or replace the battery in this case. If you have a multimeter, you can use it to check the voltage of your battery to determine its condition.

BAD STARTER MOTOR

This is responsible for turning the vehicle’s engine and forcing the pistons to move. If something goes wrong with the starter motor, it cannot turn the vehicle engine. Therefore, the combustion process cannot take place, and your car won’t start.

With the above list, hopefully, you have a better idea of what could be wrong with your car. Perhaps you can even carry out some troubleshooting on your own before requiring a technician or engineer to look at it. For example, you can have a look at the battery and spark plugs on your own.

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