My car has to be cranked two or three times before it starts. New spark plugs did not help.
My car has to be cranked 2-3 times before it will start. New plugs did not help. Fuel pressure has been checked. This car has been well maintained since new. This has been a problem for about 6 months. My mechanic has no idea what to try next.
My car has 125000 miles.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Usually when it takes multiple times to ignite, it’s due to an obstruction of fuel or difficulty mixing the fuel / air correctly. I would have your mechanic inspect the mass air flow sensor, the EGR valve and the fuel injectors for excessive debris or carbon build-up.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
Hard starts
Having trouble starting your vehicle? While your first thought may be a dead battery or an empty gas tank, bad spark plugs could be the cause. You won`t be going anywhere if your spark plugs can`t produce the spark to start the combustion process.
If no spark appears, check for broken wires, shorts, grounds or a defective stop switch. Once you have confirmed that the stop switch is working, reconnect the spark plug lead.
Faulty spark plugs result in an engine misfire due to incomplete burning fuel. An interrupted combustion process can significantly affect the engine performance. Unattended engine misfire may result in intermittent strange engine sounds, power loss, and engine knock.
Most new spark plugs are packed with plastic or paper sleeves to protect the air gap during shipping. When a sleeve protector is present, the air gap is usually correct. The potential for inadvertently creating a misfire is very real when installing new spark plugs.
A Bad Crankshaft Position Sensor The crankshaft position sensor monitors the position and rotational speeds of the crankshaft. Without the crank sensor, the engine control module (ECM) wouldn`t know when to fire the fuel injectors and ignite the spark plugs.
The most common causes of misfires are worn, improperly installed, and mishandled spark plugs, malfunctioning ignition coils, carbon tracking, faulty spark plug wires and vacuum leaks.
If you attempt to start up your car but the engine won`t turn over and the dashboard lights up, then you most likely have an issue with your battery. You could have a damaged or corroded battery terminal, which is stopping the engine from starting up when you fully turn the key.
If your vehicle won`t start, it`s usually caused by a dying or dead battery, loose or corroded connection cables, a bad alternator or an issue with the starter.
Ordinary copper and nickel spark plugs should be changed every 30,000 to 50,000 miles, unless otherwise suggested by the spark plug manufacturer. Platinum and iridium spark plugs tend to last longer than standard copper and nickel spark plugs. Expect to change them every 60,000 to 150,000 miles unless otherwise noted.
If your vehicle won`t start, it`s usually caused by a dying or dead battery, loose or corroded connection cables, a bad alternator or an issue with the starter.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
My car has to be cranked two or three times before it starts. New spark plugs did not help.
ANSWER : Usually when it takes multiple times to ignite, it’s due to an obstruction of fuel or difficulty mixing the fuel / air correctly. I would have your mechanic inspect the mass air flow sensor, the EGR valve and the fuel injectors for excessive debris or carbon build-up.
My car will not start Intermittently. I purchased a new battery 2 weeks ago and yesterday the car wouldn’t start. Got a jump and
ANSWER : The issue you are having is probably due to an intermittent fault in the starter motor itself or a deficiency in the starter electrical circuit, for example a large voltage drop due to a poor ground or a high resistance connection. These issues can be readily diagnosed and resolved on a mobile basis if you request a hard starting diagnostic. If you request that diagnostic, the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you promptly. Based on Toyota’s Factory Service Manual, the battery should not be disconnected if the vehicle engine is running. The battery acts as a large resistive voltage sink and consequently taking the battery out of the circuit, while the alternator is still running, can create a voltage spike on the car’s electrical system which is not good for voltage sensitive components such as the engine computer. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Cranks over start than dies
ANSWER : Hi There,
The idle air control valve is a small valve on the engine’s intake system that reads the air intake as it comes into the motor. This is controlled by the car’s ECM which uses this information to make adjustments to the air/fuel ratio depending on various inputs such as outside air temperature, intake air temperature, load and various other things. As you accelerate, your car’s engine is receiving a much higher dose of fuel than when at idle and conversely, when you let off the gas pedal, there is a sudden change in this fuel supply as a result of your foot letting off the pedal. When this happens, the job of the idle air control valve is to bring this deceleration down to a slow and smooth idle rather than suddenly cutting off the fuel supply causing the motor to die. When the idle air control valve is not working properly, this cause a disruption in this process resulting in the engine not being able to idle properly. I would recommend having a professional come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.
my grand am will not start it has different kind of spark plugs will that make a no start on the car
ANSWER : Hey there:
Looks like you’re chasing an electrical gremlin here. First, the brand of spark plug may in some cases cause issues with starting. However, beyond brand is making sure it’s the right model and has the correct gap is more critical. The fact that you’re trying to start the car with throttle cleaner is a red flag. This method used to work really well with older, carburetor fueled systems, but with today’s fuel injected systems that are monitored by ECU’s, that typically causes a huge overload of energy, can fry the sensors and put you back to square one.
My advice here is to contact a certified mechanic and have them diagnose the starting problem you’re having, as by trying to fix it, the problems with the Grand Am may have gotten worse unfortunately.
Spark plug chaos. Rubber stoppers are preventing the spark plugs from coming out.
ANSWER : Hi there. Try using a pair of small needle nose pliers to pull off the rubber boots from the spark plugs. As you pull, twist the rubber boots to break them free. If you cannot get the rubber boots off, then try using some mineral oil on the boots to aid them off, then clean off the oil with soap and water with degreaser. If you need further assistance with removing the boots from the spark plugs, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
My car cranks but will not start. I try to do fix the car myself. I put new battery, new alternator, and new ignition coils.
ANSWER : Hi there. Check the spark plugs and see if they are worn or burned. If the plugs are good and they have a good spark, then the engine compression could be low causing a no start situation. If the spark plugs are not emitting a spark, then the crankshaft position sensor could have failed or disconnected. Check the crankshaft position sensor wiring harness and make sure that its plugged in. Check the sensor and make sure that its not broken or damaged. If you need further assistance with your engine not starting, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
Map sensor car won’t start up good ?
ANSWER : Your MAP sensor is an important input for your computer. It helps determine the load on the engine to calculate the correct amount of fuel to inject. It sometimes takes a few seconds for the vehicle to realize that the sensor is not producing a good signal.
At that point, it will use other methods to determine the fuel rate, such as pre-programmed fuel maps, throttle position, etc. I would suggest replacing the MAP sensor and retesting. If you would like to have it checked first, a certified technician from YourMechanic will be able to scan your vehicle and test components to determine the root cause of your starting issue before making a repair.
My car will not turnover at all! no spark not even does it try to start up i have replaced the distributer starter spark plugs
ANSWER : If the starter motor is not functioning (that is, if the starter is not engaging the flywheel and turning the engine over), either there is no power to the starter or there is power but the starter itself has failed internally.
A qualified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, would first test for voltage (as well as voltage drop) at the starter when you actuate the starting circuit. If no voltage, that is if the circuit is open, the break in the starting circuit is simply traced.
If there is power to the starter and yet the starter will not function, the starter is condemned and thence replaced. YourMechanic can perform these tests to properly diagnose your starting issue right at your location.
