You may have planned a long drive or want some groceries. Either way, you have got into the car and tried to start the engine! What the hell! The car is not starting!
If this is your first time experiencing such incidents, you may have panicked. Calm down! It’s a common issue and it is not going to cost you thousands!
In this article, we are sharing with you the reason that may have caused the problem. Let’s get started!
1. Empty Fuel Tank
A very common incident! You may have forgotten to refill the fuel tank. Look at the fuel gauge and see if it is the case or not.
If this is the case here, the only thing you need is to refill the fuel tank for starting the engine. For avoiding this kind of problem, you should keep a bottle of fuel in the trunk so that you can quickly refill the tank if needed.
2. Clogged Fuel Injector
If the fuel tank is full or has enough fuel to start the engine, but the car is not starting, it may be a case of a clogged fuel injector or the fuel filter.
You need to clean fuel injectors periodically to avoid such things to happen. You can clean a clogged fuel injector when you know how to do that. We’ll share a detailed guideline on this soon.
3. Faulty Security Lock Feature
Modern cars come with different security systems. Some cars require specific rings along with the key so that no one can steal the car by duplicating the key.
If you have such a security feature installed in your car, the car may just not been starting out because of the fault in that security system. Inspect the system and see if you have used the correct key or not.
4. Your Battery May Have Died
A dead battery is the most common cause of the problem we are talking about here. The battery provides power to the starter that starts the engine. If the starter doesn’t get the power from the battery to start the car, it won’t be able to start the car.
Apart from the starter, it also powers the electrical components of the car like headlights, sound system, etc. When the car is up and running, the alternator recharges the battery and the cycle keeps running until there is any problem with the alternator that causes the battery not to get sufficient charge.
Other causes of the discharge of the battery are-
- The headlights or the sound system was on when you were not in the car, or
- The battery has reached its expected lifetime and died, or
- There is any loose wire that connects the battery with the starter.
To check whether the car battery is working or not, simply turn the headlights on or try with other electric components of the car. If they do not work, the issue is with the battery or wire connecting the battery. If not, then move to the next reason.
There are ways to jump-start the car when the battery has died. We’ll share a dedicated post on the topic later.
5. Damaged Ignition Switch
Ignition switch activates the electrical components of the vehicle. The damaged ignition switch, also known as a starter switch, can give you a significant headache by not starting the car.
The ignition switch is the place where you put the key and twist. If the switch is damaged, you need to replace it with a new one to have things running smoothly.
Final Words
Apart from all these reasons, there are some other reasons for not starting the car when you put and twist the key. If you can’t troubleshoot the problem, consult with a mechanic to get a whole car inspection.
For avoiding such problems suddenly, you should inspect your car periodically to see if everything is alright or need replacement or repair.