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Car Wont Start inspection

My car wont start. What do i Do now?

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting dressed up and smelling nice, then getting into your car to go to work or meet u with friends and family and the car will not start. This happened to me once. My car was fine the one day and the next, it just would not start. There are many things that can lead to a car not starting. A skilled mechanic can identify the problem within a few minutes or it can take up to an hour trying to figure out what is wrong, as it was in my case. In my case, it was initially the battery that packed up after my car was parked for month without being driven. All i thought i needed was a battery and i will be on my way, but boy was i wrong. Before i can go into detail of all the possible causes of a car not starting, i found out that you need to make sure you buy the correct battery for your car or else it can make your starter pack up. And that happened to me and yep, as you may guess it was quite costly. So, when you car wont start, there can be a few causes which i will outline below. Flat Battery This is probably the most common cause of car not starting issues. This one is easy to identify, the dashboard light will either fade or will not illuminate at all. If these are the symptoms, it will be a good idea to get a new battery, and in most times the car start on the first crank. Alternator The alternator for those who do not know, is a device that helps run your electrics in your car while it is running and also, one of its main function is to recharge the battery. In most instances when your alternator is/has packed up, a battery light will illuminate on your dashboard informing you that there may be a problem with the charging system. If your battery is relatively new and you see that light come on, the alternator is the possible culprit. Your car will run with power from the battery and once that has been completely withdrawn, your car will not start. This will need an alternator replacement. Starter Motor The job of the stater motor is to crank the engine. Now, you probably ask yourself, how will i know it’s the starter. Well a process of elimination will have at this point excluded the alternator and the battery. The starter motor will display symptom of a weak crank sound, and when this motor is initiated too many times, the crank sound will start to fade and sometimes even burn out the starter completely. If you crank sound is weak and goes hlihee heee heee hee he ee ee, then the cause could be a starter that has packed up. Fuel Fuel is a very important element in the starting of the car. When a car wont start, but it cranks fine and healthy, the battery light is not on and the lights are not fading, the possible cause is that the fuel is not getting to the engine to initiate combustion which turns the engine. This could be as simple as purchasing petrol and pouring in into the tank, or could be as expensive as a damaged fuel pump. The mechanic will usually test if the pump is working by monitoring fuel flow into the engine from a pipe that is responsible for delivering the fuel to the engine. If no fuel comes out, one needs to first check if they have fuel in the tank and if there is fuel, then it can be potentially be the petrol pump or in some instance a filter that is blocked. I hope this help you gain a little bit of knowledge and also save you some money and head aches. PS: It is always good to check with a mechanic to help you get to the root cause of the problem.

Car Wont Start inspection

My car wont start. What do i Do now?

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting dressed up and smelling nice, then getting into your car to go to work or meet u with friends and family and the car will not start. This happened to me once. My car was fine the one day and the next, it just would not start.

There are many things that can lead to a car not starting. A skilled mechanic can identify the problem within a few minutes or it can take up to an hour trying to figure out what is wrong, as it was in my case. In my case, it was initially the battery that packed up after my car was parked for month without being driven. All i thought i needed was a battery and i will be on my way, but boy was i wrong.

Before i can go into detail of all the possible causes of a car not starting, i found out that you need to make sure you buy the correct battery for your car or else it can make your starter pack up. And that happened to me and yep, as you may guess it was quite costly. So, when you car wont start, there can be a few causes which i will outline below.

Flat Battery

This is probably the most common cause of car not starting issues. This one is easy to identify, the dashboard light will either fade or will not illuminate at all. If these are the symptoms, it will be a good idea to get a new battery, and in most times the car start on the first crank.

Alternator

The alternator for those who do not know, is a device that helps run your electrics in your car while it is running and also, one of its main function is to recharge the battery. In most instances when your alternator is/has packed up, a battery light will illuminate on your dashboard informing you that there may be a problem with the charging system. If your battery is relatively new and you see that light come on, the alternator is the possible culprit. Your car will run with power from the battery and once that has been completely withdrawn, your car will not start. This will need an alternator replacement.

Starter Motor

The job of the stater motor is to crank the engine. Now, you probably ask yourself, how will i know it’s the starter. Well a process of elimination will have at this point excluded the alternator and the battery. The starter motor will display symptom of a weak crank sound, and when this motor is initiated too many times, the crank sound will start to fade and sometimes even burn out the starter completely. If you crank sound is weak and goes hlihee heee heee hee he ee ee, then the cause could be a starter that has packed up.

Fuel

Fuel is a very important element in the starting of the car. When a car wont start, but it cranks fine and healthy, the battery light is not on and the lights are not fading, the possible cause is that the fuel is not getting to the engine to initiate combustion which turns the engine. This could be as simple as purchasing petrol and pouring in into the tank, or could be as expensive as a damaged fuel pump. The mechanic will usually test if the pump is working by monitoring fuel flow into the engine from a pipe that is responsible for delivering the fuel to the engine. If no fuel comes out, one needs to first check if they have fuel in the tank and if there is fuel, then it can be potentially be the petrol pump or in some instance a filter that is blocked.

I hope this help you gain a little bit of knowledge and also save you some money and head aches.

PS: It is always good to check with a mechanic to help you get to the root cause of the problem.

5 Reasons Why Your Car Won't Start

5 Reasons Why Your Car Won’t Start

It can be really frustrating when your car will not start. We use our cars for driving our kids to school, getting essentials and groceries, driving to work and  even more. So when your car won’t start all of a sudden, it can be stressful.

There are a many possible reasons why your car won’t start. Here are the 5 most common reasons.

 

1. Broken ignition switch

If you know your battery is working properly, but your car doesn’t crank on the first few tries, this might mean that you may have a problem with the ignition switch. You can try to narrow down the cause of your issue by turning on your headlights. This is because your car’s battery controls your headlights and dashboard, and if it’s the case that your light are able turn on and your engine is not able to start, then it could be that the ignition switch has gone bad.

 

2. Faulty starter

A faulty starter is another common reason your car won’t start. The starter’s role is to set the turn (crank) the engine when you turn or press on the ignition switch. The starter only works to turn the engine and once the car is running, it has done its job and goes to sleep. If the starter breaks, the engine will not crank properly or may not even crank at all when you try to start the car. If you hear a clicking noise when you try to start your vehicle, that could be a sign that the stater may be broken and that may be the reason why your car isn’t starting.

Some common symptoms include:

  • Very noisy when trying to start on your car.
  • Hearing a loud clicking noise when turning the key, but the engine does not want to start.
  • Car is not starting when turning or pressing the ignition key/button.

3. Dead battery

A dead battery is the most common reason why a car will not start. The battery provides all the electrical power to the entire car and electrical components (e.g. lights, radio, etc.). The alternator, charges the battery while the car is running. If for some reason the battery is not charged sufficiently, you will not be able to start the car or use any electrical components.

Some common symptoms includes

  • Lights, Radio etc not working.
  • Battery light is on. (If this light illuminates while driving, it may mean that the alternator is not charging the battery)

Your battery can die for a variety of reasons:

  • You left your headlights on
  • You have a loose wire
  • The battery water evaporated.
  • The battery’s lifespan has expired
  • Car has been parked for a very longtime

One way you can test to see if the battery is the problem by jump-starting your car. If the jump start works, you’re most likely dealing with a dying battery or an alternator issue. Consider replacing the battery or alternator, cleaning the connections, or have a mechanic come do it for you.

4. Clogged fuel filter

If your fuel filter is clogged, the petrol will not be able to get to the engine. Without fuel in the engine, the car will not be able to start as it needs fuel as part of the starting process.

5. Empty petrol tank

It might sound silly, however this happens more often than you can imagine. The solution here is simple… get more petrol or diesel

Hopefully you never experience the scenario where your car doesn’t start, but if your car isn’t starting and you need some assistance, one of our master mobile mechanics will come to you to inspect and diagnose the problem. If our mechanic can’t fix it on the spot, we will provide a cost and parts breakdown in real time and have your car back on the road asap.

We understand that your car plays an important part of your daily life, transporting you and your loved ones. Michanic is dedicated to providing the most convenient services for our customers, so if you have any other questions or concerns regarding your car, feel free to talk to our customer service team through email at [email protected]or by phone on 087 803 9000.

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