Hot answers tagged starting
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Air Conditioners are run by a belt that is connected to the crankshaft. The engine turning causes the A/C Compressor to move.
When your A/C is not turned on, a clutch disengages the A/C Compressor's internals from the pulley on the belt. This allows that belt to free spin, not adding load onto the engine.
When the A/C is turned on, that clutch is engaged ...
7
You've almost certainly got a poor connection on your starter motor solenoid.
Find the starter, and there will be a small cylinder on one side of it, with a single small wire going to it (not the big main starter cable). Remove this (it is usually a spade connector) and clean the connectors - if necessary squeeze the female connector on the end of the wire ...
6
Some things to check in order of likelihood-
The battery may not be fine. Lights are not high load,so having the lights work is not an indicator of how healthy your battery is.
Starter motor. Some starter motors stick as the fail, so occasionally a good whack with a piece of wood is required (don't try this if you aren't sure which bit of metal is your ...
5
I would imagine that this sort of technology would lead to increased wear on your starter motor, as it is being used far more than it would normally be, however I would hope that they would have anticipated this and designed the starter to be more robust than a traditional one.
The battery should be able to cope with it fine all the time it is in good ...
5
As starter motors get old they can require higher current in order to turn successfully, so despite you having no obvious power problem I would first check your battery - also because this is a simple thing to replace if necessary.
It could indeed be the starter solenoid, so having a look at both this and the starter motor itself would probably be my next ...
4
A good place to start looking is the fuel filter, particularly if you didn't put fuel stabilizer in the tank before putting the bike in storage. You can test to see if it's clogged by blowing on the line-in, but if you don't like gas on your lips fuel filters are cheap, and replacing them regularly is a good idea anyway.
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This issue might take some step-by-step diagnosis to find the source of the issue. Since it sounds like a repeatable issue, it should be able to come up with an educated root cause (instead of just throwing parts at the issue). I think Peter's suggestion is a good place to start (finding any fault codes in the ECU). After that, I would suggest testing the ...
4
I had a similar-sounding problem on a VW New Beetle. The car would start from cold fine, but after 15 minutes of running, it would be very difficult to re-start.
It turned out to be a defective coolant temperature sensor. Replacing the sensor fixed the issue immediately. The computer was showing a code of P1296, which indicates a coolant-system defect.
4
I found the problem, and the solution.
@Alex warns against having too much on your keyring because of wear and tear on the cylinder. So I examined the cylinder, inserting/extracting the key, but that seemed to be in smooth working order. Then I looked at the key again, and I discovered that it had a bit of a twist in it. So I got out the pliers and ...
4
Because your key works normally when inserted with a specific side up, I suspect the key will have some wear on one side. Can you closely examine both sides to see if there's any difference between the two sides?
Since most of the cars are heaving some sort of anti-theft system with a transponder in the
key you cannot just replace your key with one from a ...
4
Editing my answer
It had happened to me a couple of time and common symptoms that I found are
Loose Battery Connection
Somehow the battery terminals got loose, tighten it and it will solve the problem. It happened to me before.
Jump Start
In my latest case, even tighting the termainsl didn't work. I had to get a jump start. Even with jump start the ...
4
I fixed a 1998 Ford Contour that wouldn't start after sitting for a while in cold weather. The problem was a corroded ground connector in the wiring at the fuel pump. A couple years later, it was left sitting again, and sure enough, it wouldn't start. Same problem, same fix. It can happen, though I'm not sure I would have believed it if I hadn't seen it ...
4
It's possible that your battery has enough charge to light the headlights and dash, but not enough to turn the starter. Typically though in this case you will hear some sort of click when you turn the ignition to "start." Your description says you hear nothing, however. That points me to consider that some sort of an electrical interlock (safety system) is ...
3
I'll take a slightly different stance here - having a vehicle stand for a year or a little longer than that isn't that long, so I'd try to get it running first before I start changing out parts.
Here's what I'd do:
Drain the carbs if it's not FI. Chances are that the fuel has evaporated and left some residue. If you didn't drain the carbs it might be ...
3
To expand on xpda's answer, and genericise it for any engine that has been standing for some time:
Drain and replace the fuel - modern unleaded goes off after a couple of months so won't be any good if it has been standing for longer than that. Replace/clean the fuel filter.
Drain and refill the oil. If it has been standing for a long time it would be ...
3
I caved (mainly since it is dangerous to keep driving it like it is) and brought it to my local mechanic. He says it is the Idle Air Intake control. I am not going to accept this answer until I can do a test drive.
EDIT: Well my mechanic was right on the nose. The replacement worked like a charm.
3
The keys don't necessarily need a rubber head to be 'smart keys', some embed a small resistor inside of them that isn't very noticeable. The fact that the cylinder turns at all means the grooves aren't too worn, etc. It either matches the lock wafers or it doesn't.
I would look online for a programming method for new keys. It's likely that the battery went ...
3
Four months went by between when you last ran the vehicle (December) and when you tried to start it (April).
Just like gasoline, diesel fuel can also "gel" and clog up your fuel filters. As a first, low-cost troubleshooting step, change both of your fuel filters. You can use some starting fluid to try and start the vehicle after changing the filters.
If ...
3
The other answers and my suspicion based on them were right: the problem was lack of compression due to the timing belt having slipped. I took out the #1 spark plug and brought it to TDC, and found that the cam sprocket was off by 90 degrees from where it should be. After centering all 4 pistons to avoid interference with the valves, adjusting the cam ...
3
Remember that auto parts stores generally let you borrow a scanner for free (maybe you have to leave your ID as collateral).
Things I think could be wrong:
Battery maybe new, but that doesn't mean it has enough muscle to crank that motor. If it's cold cranking amps are high enough it should be fine, but best to measure voltage during cranking to find out. ...
3
The solenoid may still be bad. The solenoid is basically a remote controlled high current switch. The solid thunk sound of the solenoid does not indicate that it is passing current to the starter. The sound is the bendix being engaged. With the help of an assistant, attach a VOM (volt meter) lead to the batterycable terminal on the starter solenoid. The ...
3
It doesn't sound like a fuel line problem ( though there's a small small chance it's a fuel pump ), it sounds like your engine isn't getting enough air on one end or the other. It might be a dirty air filter, or it might be a clogged cat or bad O2 sensor. Sometimes it's easy to tell if the cat is clogged, it will get extra hot and turn red and that's your ...
3
A car needs 3 things to start: Fuel, Air, & Spark. You can do try the following to either rule in or rule out the missing piece:
To make sure you're getting air and spark, try taking off the mass air flow cover from your manifold, and spark a little starter fluid directly into the intake, while attempting to start the car. If the car is getting a spark, ...
2
11 years is pretty old for a key, if you've been using it since the car was new.
As keys wear, they cause additional wear on the ignition. It's a good idea to use a fresh key to extend the life of your ignition.
When I buy a car, I make copies of the keys and use the copies. The originals go somewhere safe.* When the copies start to wear, I make new copies ...
2
Potential savings from reduced idling should greatly outweigh any increased wear and tear on starting and charging systems. I answered similar question about idling before (Is idling bad for your engine?). To summarise the negative effects of idling:
Fuel combustion is incomplete, which leads to contamination of combustion chamber (glazing), spark plugs ...
2
I finally figured out what the problem is here. GM apparently has put in a "PassLock" system that reads something to do with the key on startup. If anything goes wrong (invalid key, electrical problems, etc) the fuel system is disabled for 10 minutes. Just thought I would let everyone know in case this problem comes up again. I have not actually fixed the ...
2
Two questions, since you checked your spark plugs for spark...
Can you get to your fuel rail on top of your head?
If so, can you disconnected?
I ask, because the "poor man's" way of checking the fuel pump is to disconnect the fuel rail and see fuel coming as soon as you turn the ignition to the accessory position. Listening for the pump can be difficult ...
2
Starting problems in damp weather usually point to the ignition system. Moisture in the air can get into worn plug wires, cracks in distributor cap can let moisture in also. To test for this start the car and pop the hood, with engine running, spray water onto the suspected areas and see if engine stalls.
2
That sounds like an immobiliser problem to me. What happens if you get out, lock, then unlock the van, then try again?
Another possible problem is a loose wire between the ignition switch and the solenoid, but in that case I'd expect it to need physical intervention before it would work again (i.e. knocking or wiggling the wire to remake contact)
2
If there were contaminants in the gas, it could gum up the carb, so it might be worthwhile to drain the gas and refill with new gas. At a minimum, drain a little gas from the lowest point you can find in the fuel system.
Check the battery and make sure it is charged.
Check the fluids, brakes, lights, tire pressure, and oil level.
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