Check out the reasons why your car won't start! What can be the causes?

Check out the reasons why your car won't start! What can be the causes?

Start once… nothing happens

Start twice… still nothing!?

 

Does this happen to you too? No matter how many times you try, the car just won’t start, especially during the time when you are in a hurry and want to go out on an important errand! 

Cars not starting, another annoying problem that every car user probably doesn't want to encounter. Isn’t it annoying to have your morning ruined like that? Isn’t it a waste of money and time in repairing? Wouldn't it be better if we knew the real reason why the car won’t start?

Today, PTT Lubricants will take everyone to delve into one of the most common problems that many car users have encountered: why your car won’t start. Let’s check the condition of the car before it's too late to be fixed! What exactly are the causes of this problem? Scroll down to learn more!

 

1. Deteriorated battery

If your car won’t start, a deteriorated battery is one of the top reasons why. When your battery has been used for more than 2 years, it is possible that the battery has deteriorated over time and use. When the battery deteriorates, the battery will not be able to store enough electric charge, making the battery run out faster than it should. Therefore, if you start having difficulty starting after parking during the day or if the car starts to take longer to start, that is a sign that the battery is starting to deteriorate.

 

2. Dirty battery terminals

Another thing that many car users may not expect to be the cause is dirty battery terminals. Without being cleaned for so long, salt can deposit on the battery terminals and will hinder the delivery of the electricity to other parts of the engine. When electricity is insufficient, there may be difficulty starting the car.

 

3. Deteriorated or broken starter (starter motor)

This is another reason that car users should not overlook if your car won't start at all. If you already try to jump start or have the battery replaced and your car still won’t start, you should check the dashboard instead. If the dashboard light is on but you still can't start the car, it indicates that the starter is deteriorating or damaged. It could be either the starter motor fuse has blown, the wires to the starter motor are broken or disconnected from their connections, or the carbon brushes in the motor start have run out. It is recommended that you let the experts check and fix the problem as soon as possible.

 

4. Deteriorated or broken alternator

As the alternator is an important part that generates electricity from the running engine and sends it to the battery, if the alternator deteriorates from usagee or is broken, there won’t be enough power to supply or charge the battery. For that reason, the car will not have enough electricity to start the engine. One of the simple ways to check is to see if there is any battery symbol displayed on the dashboard. If yes, it indicates that the charging system may have problems. 

Another way to check if your alternator has problem or not is to see if your car is showing these following symptoms: 

• You already have the battery replaced but the battery icon on the dashboard is still on.
• Your car has difficulty starting.
• Your headlights start to dim.
• The air conditioner is getting less cold.
• Electrical equipment does not work properly.
• There is a rapid clicking sound when starting the car.

These signs will indicate that your car alternator is deteriorating or broken. It is important that you take the car to a specialist for an inspection and have the alternator replaced.

 

5. Broken fuel pump (tick pump)

The fuel pump is the part that sucks oil from the tank to the engine. If the pump is damaged or deteriorated, the engine will not be able to ignite and the car will be difficult to start. To prevent that problem, car users should not often let the fuel tank run down too low (can be observed by looking for a warning light on the dashboard) since the pump will not be able to suck up the fuel. Without enough fuel, the pump will suck the air instead and will be damaged to the point that your car won’t be able to start at all.

 

6. Out of fuel

This is something that can often happen if you don’t prepare before going anywhere. Just like we mentioned earlier, without sufficient fuel, the tick pump will not be able to suck fuel for use and the car won’t be able to start. Although this problem can be easily solved, it is better to keep an eye on the amount of fuel in the car before going somewhere to avoid this annoyance. 

More importantly, if you want to save more fuel, you should also change the way you drive, for example, step on the accelerator less.

 

7. Leaving the car parked for a long time

Leaving the car parked without starting it for a long time can cause more damage and more problems than you think. One of them is that your battery will run out. This can be the main reason why a car that has been parked for a long time does not start. Some easy ways to solve this are to jump start the car or to have the battery, fuel and starter motor changed.

 

Now that you have learned all the possible causes, if your car won’t start when you want to use it, don't forget to check these various points as recommended. With care from PTT Lubricants 💙