occasional no start
Car was making loud squeal, tightening of the wheel while driving during occasional turns with the occasional no start in the morning. No noise, no lights. Not cranking at all. Dead. Boost fixed. Took to a mechanic and it was determined to be a bad belt and seizing tensioner. Alt wasn't charging, and putting pressure on power steering. Had these replaced. No more squeal, no more tight wheel. Still having a no start issue. It appears like the car is dead, turn the key over and no noise under the hood, no lights on at all. Nothing. Boost works fine. It's not often but more often than I l
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
You may have a dead battery, Or your battery cables may be corroded or both. Corroded battery cables can prevent the alternator from charging the battery as well as preventing the battery’s energy from reaching the car. Sometimes with corroded cables, a minor disturbance is enough to re-establish a connection. Hence your experience with shifting the car. You could also suspect a neutral safety switch, because of the thing that happens when you move the car, but that wouldn’t explain the lack of dashboard indicators. Either way, it doesn’t sound like you have a major problem. If you contact Your Mechanic they can send a technician to your home or office to check out your starting problem and advise you on what to do.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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If the starter engages but does not disengage when you let go of the key, the solenoid is likely bad and the starter may suffer significant damage as a result. Sometimes your car starts, sometimes it doesn`t. Intermittent operation can be a sign of a failing starter solenoid.
is not starting is probably to do with a dead or faulty battery. There are other possible causes, of course–but battery trouble is the most common culprit. was working just fine yesterday, it`s almost certainly a dead battery that you`re dealing with.
If your car won`t start but the battery is good, the most common cause is a faulty starter – though it could also be to do with your fuel. You may have insufficient fuel to get the car going.
The most common cause of a 2003 Toyota Corolla not starting and not clicking is a dead battery. Unfortunately it could also be a lot of other more complicated things—like bad wiring, a faulty solenoid, or a broken starter. Start with getting a jump start for your Corolla and see if that gets it going.
It might be a battery or alternator problem.
If the source of the clicking is electrical, the starter (a small motor energized by the battery that gets the engine running) doesn`t have enough juice to stay powered. So instead, it rapidly turns on and off and produces a clicking noise!
Typically when your electrical accessories are working well, but it takes a few cranks for the engine to start, the issue is with the fuel or ignition system. In most cases, clogged or dirty fuel injectors, throttle body or mass air flow sensor will be the root source of this problem.
Starter – Your starter may be loose, so make sure it is bolted in place. Injectors – A bad injector can keep the engine from firing. Cold Start Valve – If the engine is cold and the cold start valve is bad, it can keep your car from starting.
If you`re unable to start your vehicle, check and see if the headlights and dash lights come on. If they shine bright and clear, that means that the battery and alternator are likely not the cause of the problem. If they were, there wouldn`t be enough power to run the lights.
This voltage range means the battery is in good condition for starting the vehicle. If the measured reading is less than 12.2 volts, the battery`s resting voltage is weak, which means it most likely needs to be charged or replaced.
It sounds like you may have a starter solenoid that may be in the beginning stages of failing or potentially a weak battery. Typically, when a battery is weak you may have some erratic start failures that will usually result in a clicking sound as you describe.
Fuel Pressure & Fuel Pump
When the fuel pump starts to go bad, that pressure will start to go away when the engine isn`t running. This is one of the most common reasons that your car won`t start after it`s sat for many hours.
Battery Current Sensor Problems
Dirt and Debris: Dirt, debris, or corrosion on car batteries can penetrate into the sensor causing malfunctioning. This failure can lead to a number of electrical problems including no-start.
The MAF can become clogged with excessive carbon build-up from the combustion cycle, or sometimes by road grime. If it is too dirty, it will be unable to correctly measure the air fuel ratio, and cause your car to not start or exhibit other unusual symptoms.
The battery can be fully charged but still not be able to start the vehicle if it is failing or has a dead cell. Other likely issues are the fuel pump, ignition switch, battery cables, starter, or a clogged fuel filter.
The starter relay is one of the most critical and often overlooked components in any vehicle ignition system. The starting relay is a small electrical device located in the starting circuit of a large current motor. The relay is just a remote control switch that regulates the current in a high-current circuit.
If the voltmeter reads between 14-15 volts then the battery is normal. But if the battery reads over 15 volts or less than 13 volts, then there might be a problem with the alternator. The alternator is over charging the battery or not giving enough charge to the battery.
The Do Nots of the Alternator
Your car will just not start. Some people believe that you can just tap the alternator with a hammer to get it to operate. You should not do this because it will damage the part and you might even damage the surrounding parts to the car, resulting is a large car repair bill.
A fully charged car battery should have a voltage of around 12.6 volts. When the battery voltage drops below 12 volts, there is a possibility that it won`t have enough power to start the car. It is recommended to have a battery with a voltage of at least 12.4 volts to ensure a reliable start.
A fully charged battery should register at 12.7 volts or more. If the voltage falls below this number, the battery should be recharged. A battery is only charged by one quarter at just 12 volts. Once it drops to 11.9 volts, your battery is considered dead.
If the battery doesn`t receive sufficient power, the charging output of your battery gets used up in operating the vehicle`s electrical systems. Ultimately, as all the charge drains out, your vehicle battery dies, and you`d no longer be able to start your vehicle.
If your Toyota ECU is failing, you can try to reset it. A straightforward method is to disconnect the negative and battery terminals. Then touch the two cables you just removed (not the battery posts) together for about two minutes. That will reset the engine control units in most cases.
CAUSES OF FAULTY STARTERS: CAUSE OF FAILURE
Electrical connections faulty. Solenoid switch (engaging relay) stiff or faulty. Electric motor damaged electrically. Single-pinion gear, starter pinion or freewheel damaged.
A dead battery is the most common cause of a clicking noise when trying to start your car. Usually, you will hear a rapid succession of clicks. The noise indicates that the starter solenoid or relay is operating, but there isn`t enough battery current to turn the starter motor.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Fuel pump engages. Batery good, alternator good volts, jump start helps when wont start. Temp does not matter. Intermittent?
ANSWER : Hello. Thank you for writing in. There are several reasons your vehicle may only start when jump starting. The first and most common is a build up of resistance that is causing you to need a boost of voltage to get the engine started. This may be due to poor battery cables, a bad ground connection, a poor starter solenoid, and a couple of other issues. The first thing you want to do is perform a visual inspection of the starting system. Make sure there is no corrosion build up in the battery cables. You can also check the resistance across these wires and make sure you have a solid connection between components. You then want to make sure the starter solenoid is doing its job. It is responsible for taking the small amount of electricity sent by the ignition and turning it into a huge electrical charge that is strong enough to push over the engine with the help of some gear ratios in its favor. Do some more testing, and stick to the basics before assuming its something seriously complicated.
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Vehicle won’t start, once it’s jump started it only stays running until you turn it off, then it work start again without jumping.
ANSWER : Hi there. There could be two problems here. It is possible that your battery is bad and will not take a charge from your alternator while driving. In that case every time you shut your car off you will not have enough juice to start it again. Inspect your battery – it should have at least 12.5 to 13 volts to start your car, if it doesn’t you will need to replace the battery. The second problem could be that your alternator is bad and not charging your battery, in this case you will need to replace your alternator. Both the battery and the alternator can be tested in your car. If you would like to have the car checked for you, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the starting problem and proceed with repairs.
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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.
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.
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Why does my car struggle to start every 4th to 5th time?
ANSWER : It sounds like your starting issues may be linked to a problem with air metering or fuel delivery. A clogged or malfunctioning idle air control valve may show some of the same symptoms you are describing. The idle air control valve can be stuck in a cold start position which may work well if the car has been sitting a few hours, but as the engine warms up there must be a regulation in airflow. Consider hiring an experienced technician like one from YourMechanic who can come out for a closer look at your hard start situation and offer a more personal diagnosis.
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When I start my car it doesn’t start after the jump start it started but later it didn’t and the battery was last replaced on 9/2012
ANSWER : As you may know when jump starting the car, the battery power provided is being supplied form the other car you are using to jump your car with. If the car does not start following the jump, this would suggest your battery may be dead and needs to be replaced. If the battery was last replaced in 9/2012, it is most likely time for a new battery as that is a decent amount of life for a battery.
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Car was sometimes not starting, not even cranking when i turned the key then after a few times itd start. Now it ont start at all
ANSWER : Hi there:
Without being there to inspect your vehicle, or having information about what type of car, truck or SUV you own, it’s very hard for us to give you some advice. You might want to have a professional mobile mechanic complete a car is hard to start inspection; so they can come to your location and determine why your vehicle is having these issues.
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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.
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My Blazer will crank over but not start by itself. It needs starting fluid to start.
ANSWER : Hi there. If you have not replaced your EGR valve, mass air flow sensor or the TPS on your Blazer, you might want to start with these repairs. It is also possible that the throttle body itself is damaged, especially if you’re able to start it on fluid. If you want to avoid chasing parts and repairs, the best solution may be to have a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and complete a car is hard to start inspection.
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