What To Do When Your Car Won't Start

It happens to everyone: you go out to your car in the morning, put the key in the ignition or press the button, and nothing happens. The engine doesn't turn over or make any noise. You've got a classic "won't start" situation on your hands. Luckily, there are several things you can do before calling for a tow truck or running up an exorbitant bill at your local mechanic's shop. We'll walk you through all of them here:

A dead battery is often the number-one cause of a car that won't start.

A dead battery is often the number-one cause of a car that won't start.

The battery is the heart of any vehicle, and your car's engine won't turn over because it needs a spark from the starter. The battery produces this electrical current by generating electricity through chemical reactions in its cells. When you put your key in the ignition, it turns on an electrical switch that lets power flow from your battery to what's called an "ignition coil." This generates a high burst of current to spin up your engine's starter motor and get it turning over—and then keeps it spinning until it can pull enough fuel into its cylinders to fire up on its own (or until you hit the gas pedal). Once that happens, a relay closes off power from your battery so you don't waste any more juice than necessary.

That said: if something goes wrong with your starter or ignition coil—or worse yet if they're both out—you may well find yourself staring down an immobilized vehicle no matter how much money you spend replacing fuses or testing relays/solenoids. But even if everything checks out fine there are still plenty more things worth checking before giving up hope altogether!

A bad starter is sometimes to blame.

If your car won't start, it could be because of a bad starter. The starter is the part that gets your engine going every time you turn your key. It may be just as important as that battery! If it quits working, then your car won't get started.

Before we jump straight into how to troubleshoot and fix this problem, let's talk about how you can prevent it from happening in the first place. First of all: how do you know if your starter is bad? Here are some symptoms:

• ●      You turn on the ignition and hear nothing but crickets (or more likely, maybe just a few sputtering noises).
• ●      Your engine turns over once or twice before dying completely (this is known as "cranking").
• ●      You try cranking again but nothing happens—just silence and/or clicks from inside the engine compartment (this can be caused by worn-out parts).

Check your fuel gauge.

It's worth checking your fuel gauge before you start troubleshooting. If the car has enough fuel, it's probably not a fuel issue. However, if your gauge is broken or inaccurate, you can manually check the level in the tank and in each of the lines by following these steps:

• ●      Remove any debris from around the gas cap area.
• ●      Open up your gas tank (make sure you're wearing protective gloves) and use a flashlight to look inside at its contents. Make sure there aren't any rocks or other obstructions that could be blocking access to all of it. If there are blockages anywhere in there, they will need to be removed before trying to start up again later on!
• ●      Next remove any debris from around each line going into either end of this system (where they meet with other parts). This should include checking both ends where pipes come together as well as where they split apart so make sure everything looks good here too; anything clogged up will cause problems later when trying again after fixing these two steps above!

If a clogged fuel filter makes your car hard to start, it can be because there isn't enough fuel getting to your engine.

If a clogged fuel filter makes your car hard to start, it can be because there isn't enough fuel getting to your engine. That's because the fuel pump works like this: It sucks up gas from the tank through an inlet and pushes it through a hose into your engine. If that hose is blocked or damaged, not enough gas will get through.

If you know how to change out a fuel filter yourself (it's pretty easy if you have some basic mechanical skills), then this might be something you want to try first. Otherwise, take it into an auto shop and ask them if they can check out your car’s filters before recommending expensive repairs or replacement parts.

Have you ever left your headlights on overnight?

Have you ever left your headlights on overnight? If so, then this is one of the most common causes of a dead battery. When you leave your lights on, it drains power from the battery and eventually kills it. A dead battery will keep your car from starting up in the morning unless someone helps you jumpstart it with another vehicle.

If you are able to get into your car and turn off the headlights but still have trouble starting up, make sure they’re not just stuck on while trying to start! If they are off or if they blink after turning them on (especially if there’s no other indication), then try turning them back off again before trying to start up again.

Often it's not the battery that's dead but a poor electrical connection, corroded connections or even dirt at the battery terminals.

• ●      Clean the battery posts. Often, it's not the battery that's dead but a poor electrical connection, corroded connections or even dirt at the battery terminals. To clean these connections, use wire brush to remove any corrosion and debris from around your car's battery posts. Then use a mixture of baking soda and water on a wet rag to wipe down all surfaces of both batteries' posts until they're clean and shiny again. You can also use plain water if you don't want to go through all that work but will still need paper towels or rags for this step because baking soda is messy stuff!
• ●      Check cable connections for tightness and security - If there are any cracks in cables (and it's likely there are), then replace them! The last thing you need is an accident due to faulty cables connected incorrectly or loosely

If the check engine light comes on and your car won't start, it's important to check for any loose or disconnected wires -- including unscrewed or missing gas caps (yes, the gas cap!).

If the check engine light comes on and your car won't start, it might be because of a loose or disconnected wire -- including unscrewed or missing gas caps (yes, the gas cap!).

If you don't take care of them right away, these problems can cause your vehicle to "lose power," which means that it won't start when you turn the key. This can also lead to major damage in other parts of your car's electrical system.

Did you know that some vehicles are designed with an immobilizer system that prevents the engine from starting if an improperly cut key is inserted in the ignition?

If you've ever lost your keys or had them stolen, it's possible that someone has made an unauthorized copy of your key. If you try to start your car with that cut-off duplicate key, the theft deterrent system will not allow it.

In this case, you should take your car to a qualified mechanic and ask him to perform a data scan on the immobilizer system. This will tell him if there is something wrong with how the engine communicates with its electronic components and can help him fix any issues so that everything works correctly again.

When your car will not start, you want to find out what's wrong in order to get it fixed as quickly as possible.

If your car won't start, it's important to find out why as soon as possible.

You'll want to get your car fixed so that you can get to work or school without having to rely on someone else for a ride. You also need to be able to drive safely; if your engine has other problems besides not starting, those will only get worse if left ignored and might end up causing an accident or even death.

There are some situations where it's better for the driver themselves—or another person with knowledge about cars—to handle the issue instead of taking it into a garage immediately. For example: If you're in a remote area where there aren't any garages nearby, or if the problem is something that can be corrected by tightening loose bolts and replacing damaged parts (like an ignition coil), then those fixes might be able to wait until after work hours when there are more options available locally

Conclusion

We hope you found this article helpful and informative. Please feel free to share it with anyone else who may be having trouble with their car and needs help diagnosing the problem.

Thanks for reading!