Hot answers tagged starting
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
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
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
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, ...
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
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 ...
2
In a short answer: Yes, the BCM can prevent a car from starting, and doubly so when you introduce a security/antitheft system like Passlock.
The reason is that the BCM feeds inputs into the Passlock (or other security system) for it to 'determine' if it is being stolen or hotwired. For example: the status of the doors, interior lights, trunk status, etc. ...
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
If the timing belt did slip due to lack of tension with accessories on it, the lack of compression may well be due to some smashed valves... I believe the Civics are all interference motors. See if you can confirm or deny that before you start pulling the head. Anyone know of an easier way to check the valves? Are there any strong indications of damage ...
2
If it is spinning with no resistance, you don't have any compression. You should be able to test this pretty easily as you'll probably be able to spin it over quite happily with a spanner on the crank pulley. I can't see why that would suddenly happen when refilling the coolant system though, unless there was a problem with the new gasket installation.
What ...
2
I think you're getting the 'cal err' because your radio lost power. Hopefully you've just got some corroded/loose battery terminals. Try cleaning and tightening them and see if that gets you going. I've seen vehicles act this way due to a loose battery terminal. If that's not it, you've possibly got a problem somewhere in the wiring harness, possibly a ...
2
Do you have a multimeter? You should be able to check whether they are getting any voltage by measuring their feed. Assuming that they are not, you can then try and trace back the circuit.
Being an older car this should be quite simple as the wires will be colour coded - there will be a wiring diagram in the back of the Haynes manual. I don't know if ...
2
However you hooked up that alarm, disconnect it, and make sure it is good and disconnected. If that alarm was what drained your original battery in the first place, it's probably still not working and draining your battery and shorting out your electrical system.
Then, take that new battery right back to autozone and convince them to trade it for a new one, ...
2
From the data you have given it could be connected with you topping up the fluids incorrectly, but to be honest it could be anything- you could have even knocked a wire while you were working on the engine.
If you did put the wrong oil in the wrong place I would suggest based on your question that you take it to your local garage as if you haven't drained ...
2
The first thing you should try is replacing the battery completely, contrary to what you're guessing. Whether or not you can turn on your headlights or turn on your radio has little bearing on the health of your battery and whether it can start the engine.
The fact that you haven't ever replaced the battery since buying the car in 2008 and now the car is ...
2
Definitely just insufficient current to run the starter motor. What happens (causing the flashing/clicking) is that when you turn the key, the starter relay/solenoid switches on, and the starter motor pulls all the available current, dropping the battery voltage extremely low. It can no longer power the relay, so the relay springs back and the load (starter ...
1
If your last paragraph is the question, I think it is far too broad. You would be best off getting the manual and with its help:
reconnecting anything that should be connected
cleaning anything dirty or full of insects etc
check continuity of all wires individually and replace any that are faulty
check spark plugs
check air inlets
move all mechanical parts ...
1
If it's a manual transmission, possibly the starter motor is slow to disengage and is grinding against the flywheel as the engine is firing up. The low oil is very suspicious though and doesn't go along with that. Could just be a coincidence. Or, could be pointing to something far worse. However, engine related startup scary noises are normally more of a ...
1
That sounds like the starter motor not engaging, which probably means the solenoid (the bit that ought to be clicking) is sticking or has failed.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Corsa's starter is right up under the back of the engine, which makes it awkward to get to for testing... Can you get a helper to turn the key while you listen to the engine to ...
1
Sounds like it isn't getting fuel - maybe a bad injector pump? - maybe bad injectors? - maybe the solenoid that controls the fuel on / off is stuck? - cant be 100% sure of anything but diesels do usually run unless they don't get any fuel.. (or if the compression is so low that it cant make the diesel explode...)
1
Turns out it was the water pump. Jim at Watson Automotive in Thetford VT replaced it ($400) and it's not stalled or flooded since.
In the question I left out one clue that Jim used — a belt was squeaking. He found that was from a leak of radiator fluid from the water pump.
Jim theorizes that low coolant caused portions of the engine to get too ...
1
I had similar issues with American-spec 2.0 ABA motor. Now that you had clarified that it still occasionally starts, broken timing belt is not the issue. The proper tune-up, however, might be in order.
The problem I had was due to the fact that my spark plug wires were worn, and reacted poorly to damp environment. More likely, because of deteriorated ...
1
To start a petrol engine you need three basic things - compression, fuel and spark. If it won't start, you're probably missing one or more of these.
Does it sound normal when you turn it over, or does it spin excessively slow or fast?
Immediately after trying to start it, smell the area around the exhaust. Can you smell unburnt fuel?
The big puff of smoke ...
1
Sounds like a lack of fuel getting to the engine.
Get it hot, turn it off pull a fuel line and crank the engine, see if any diesel comes out. It could be a fuel line softening up when it gets warm and pinching shut due to the suction from the pump. If thats the case, replace your fuel lines with proper diesel rated lines.
1
SOLUTION: As is turns out, I was not connected to the VATS resistor value/ground reference wires at all. The PLJX instructions SUCK and give almost no info on VATS systems while everything is written up more for the older Passlock I and II systems. I had followed the instructions as spot-on as I could and found the yellow/black/green wire that was inside a ...
1
Make sure all the connections are clean. Test the battery to ensure it really has 12volts. Use a voltmeter.
I've had a battery that worked fine, but couldn't start the car because the connections needed cleaning. Even if there isn't corrosion it could be an issue. Once I had those add-on connectors that go on the end of the battery cable get so rusted ...
1
Check the compression. If something is causing a loss of compression, like worn piston rings, then that could be the reason for all those problems. Push starts creates higher pressure in the cylinder because it moves the piston faster than a kick start. Also, it could start cold but not warm due to the temp of the air being brought into the cylinder. When an ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
