Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
When it's cold, it's fine but after I drive it for a while and it gets hot and won't start. It turns over but it won't start. After it cools down it starts again.
My car has 198000 miles.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
This is a common sign of a faulty ignition coil. Ignition coils are coated with a varnish-like insulation that becomes brittle over time after being stretched then contracted repeated as the copper beneath them expands and contracts at a higher coefficient than the insulation. The insulation develops small fractures that open when heated and close when cooled. When open, they allow shorting of coil windings and decrease or eliminate the coil’s ability to function. This type of temperature cycling happens because every time you shut the engine off, the fan stops running, the coolant stops flowing and the temperature under the hood rises. Every time you start the engine again the coolant flows, the fans turn on, and the temperature drops. The areas in and around the tops of the combustion chambers, the exhaust manifolds, and the exhaust components are hundreds of degrees hotter than the outside temperature under the hood. When this heat dissipates and is absorbed under the hood, it is trapped causing this cycling effect. Components that contain heat sensitive materials include parts like coils, injectors, igniters, and some sensors. Any of these may be potentially subject to this same kind of heat problem which can be very difficult to trace. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to take a look at your vehicle to properly diagnose your ignition system.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The overheating of ignition coils can hinder their ability to conduct electricity. Wear and tear is a common reason for ignition coils failing. It causes degrading of the insulation between the primary and secondary coil windings and the primary coil. The reduction in insulation can cause the coil to overheat.
Excessive heat and vibration can cause the insulating material to break down and create internal coil failure. Worn secondary ignition components such as spark plugs or wires can cause a coil work harder, require more voltage, and therefore significantly reduce the operating life of the coil.
Like all circuits, heat increases primary and secondary circuit resistance and that both windings expand with heat. An ignition coil might pass all bench tests, but will still fail when subjected to high operating temperatures and maximum loads.
Ignition coils amplify electrical pulses and deliver the charge to spark plugs to light the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder. Your engine may not start if an ignition coil isn`t firing up a spark plug. It could be a faulty coil, a poor connection to the ignition coil, or a control module that`s causing the problem.
Ignition coils tend to fail because of bad spark plugs or plug wires. If your vehicle`s fuel-to-oxygen mixture is either rich or lean, therefore, your ignition coils may fail prematurely. Additionally, engine heat and vibrations can cause damage to ignition coils.
Heat is transferred to the target medium via electric heating coils from the heater. The heating element known as a coil is a part of the actual heating unit. A current of electricity is produced by the heater and flows into a coil, where it is converted into heat energy.
Your atomizer gets extremely hot as you press your button to vape. The coil has to get hot to vapourise your e-liquid into a gas form and allow you to inhale it. If you could look at a coil on its own it actually glows hot. But it is safely contained inside your atomizer head, so there is nothing to worry about.
Coils convert 12-volt DC to approximately 24,000 volts DC and in the process become hot, but not too hot as they are designed such that the heat generated is dissipated via the coil external surface. Coils overheat simply because the heat generated is not being dissipated – why not?
The most serious result of selecting a heat range that is too hot is overheating. Overheating will cause the electrodes to wear quickly and can lead to pre-ignition. Pre-ignition occurs when the air-fuel mixture is ignited by a hot object/area in the combustion chamber before the timed spark event occurs.
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.
Bad Sensors
One common culprit for this problem is the crankshaft position sensor, which measures the position and speed of the crankshaft. The computer uses the information from this sensor to know when to fire the spark plugs. If the sensor isn`t working, the spark plugs won`t fire, keeping the engine from starting.
If your ignition coil is working properly, when your friend cranks the engine, you should see a bright blue spark jump across the spark plug gap. This spark will be clearly visible in the daylight. If you don`t see a blue spark, your ignition coil is probably malfunctioning and needs replacement.
If the ignition coil does not have spark, it`s time to check its wires. Use a test light to check the continuity on the signal wire and power wire on the ignition coil. If both wires are functional but the coil fails to produce spark, the ignition coil or the ignition control module is bad.
One of the first symptoms of a problem with the ignition module are engine performance issues. If the ignition module fails or has any problems it can lead to performance issues with the vehicle, such as misfires, hesitation, loss of power, and even reduced fuel economy.
If your engine is not sparking, it may be due to a problem with the CDI box. However, other potential causes of no spark include issues with the ignition coil, spark plug, or wiring.
Hot water coils are a type of heat exchanger often called hydronic coils that use hot water from a boiler to heat or remove moisture from the air. The air moves through the fins of the coil which is hot from water flowing through the tubes.
Heating elements found in common appliances are made from metallic resistance alloys such as Fe-Cr-Al and Ni-Cr(Fe). They have the ability to produce temperatures hot enough to get the element to glow red hot, in the neighborhood of 1112°F (600°C) and above.
For part of your car repair and maintenance, you can use WD-40 to remove carbon residue, and keep moisture away from spark plugs and spark plug wires. “WD” stands for Water Displacement. So if your spark plugs are wet or you need to drive moisture away from ignition distributors, WD-40 can help!
In standard ignitions its not uncommon for the coil to see close to 200 degrees. Most coils are hot to the touch, maybe not enough to burn you, but enough to think twice about grabbing one right after the car has been run. It is a by product of the conversion from 12v to over 30,000 volts.
The ideal temperature lies between 75 to 78 degrees.
For more information on keeping your condenser coils clean check out our previous blog post How to Clean Your Condenser Coil. For information on the importance of changing your air filters checkout Why Should I Change Air Filter Regularly.
The voltage reaching the coil may be 12 volts , or about 7 volts if the coil has a ballast resistor . Most electrical equipment works on 12 volts, but most modern cars have a resistor in the ignition system to assist starting. The coil in a ballast-resistor system is rated at 7-8 volts instead of 12 volts.
The opening induction voltage of the primary winding is between 300 and 400 V. The high voltage on the secondary coil can be up to 40 kV, depending on the ignition coil.
The most common reasons why a car is hard to start when warm are due to a defective crankshaft or camshaft position sensor. It could also be caused by a clogged air filter, faulty battery connection, vapor lock, or a bad ground connection.
A: If the engine misfire occurs only during a hot restart, checking fuel pressure is the place to start. If the ready fuel supply in the fuel rail on top of the engine is overheated immediately after shutdown, it may percolate or boil the fuel.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
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.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
ANSWER : This is a common sign of a faulty ignition coil. Ignition coils are coated with a varnish-like insulation that becomes brittle over time after being stretched then contracted repeated as the copper beneath them expands and contracts at a higher coefficient than the insulation. The insulation develops small fractures that open when heated and close when cooled. When open, they allow shorting of coil windings and decrease or eliminate the coil’s ability to function. This type of temperature cycling happens because every time you shut the engine off, the fan stops running, the coolant stops flowing and the temperature under the hood rises. Every time you start the engine again the coolant flows, the fans turn on, and the temperature drops. The areas in and around the tops of the combustion chambers, the exhaust manifolds, and the exhaust components are hundreds of degrees hotter than the outside temperature under the hood. When this heat dissipates and is absorbed under the hood, it is trapped causing this cycling effect. Components that contain heat sensitive materials include parts like coils, injectors, igniters, and some sensors. Any of these may be potentially subject to this same kind of heat problem which can be very difficult to trace. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to take a look at your vehicle to properly diagnose your ignition system.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
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.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
Truck won’t start
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to provide my insight. There are a variety of potential issues that may have caused this. The oil light coming on should not have anything to do with the truck stalling unless the oil level is severely low and the truck’s computer may have gone into "safe mode", which is a safety feature of the truck that is engaged when something goes wrong with the truck that may be catastrophic in terms of engine failure or safety. When this happens, the computer simply shuts the truck down and will not allow it to move in an effort to preserve the engine and safety of the passengers.
If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this no-start issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
My truck won’t start. No sound, no lights, nothing turns on when I go to start my truck.
ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. The vehicle is likely having issues with the battery. When the alternator fails, the vehicle does its best to rely on the battery, which puts it under an incredible amount of stress. This likely burned out the battery. Another confirming factor is that the vehicle relies solely on the battery to start, and is the main reason for symptoms like yours. You may be able to run the vehicle if jumped, but the vehicle may run poorly if at all. For more help changing the battery, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
My truck died while driving. Now will start, but dies when I push brake. If I start in neutral, I can put in drive and go but dies – 2003 Ford F250
ANSWER : Hello – your symptoms suggest that once your cold start features are no longer needed – engine warming up – there is an air "leak" that ruins low speed running. Causes could be a leaking exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, or leak in the air intake. A failing fuel pump relay (burned contacts) could cause similar behavior, contacts become hot, then won’t pass enough current to run the pump. Failing pump can also act this way – gets hot and fails. I recommend a starts, then dies inspection performed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, and give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
Truck not starting – 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer
ANSWER : Hi there, thanks for writing in about your 1992 Dodge Spirit. A slow cranking motor can definitely impede a motor from starting. First thing you need to do is connect a battery charger and get the cranking speed up. As for any other problems you might have, I wouldn’t make any assumptions. I recommend you check for spark, fuel, and injector pulse. Depending on what is missing will decide which diagnostic path to follow.
Spark problems will be coils, PCM, or a power supply issue.
Fuel pressure should be checked with a fuel pressure gauge. Your fuel pressure specification should be 48-52 psi with the key on. If you have released the fuel pressure at sometime, you may need to cycle the key once or twice to build the appropriate amount of pressure. If the pump is running, and it is new, you should have good fuel pressure.
You will need a noid light to check or injector pulse. A noid light is plugged into the injector connector in place of a single injector. Crank the motor and the noid light should flashed rapidly. You stated you had a cam sensor code. A cam sensor and a cranks sensor can cause the PCM not to fire the injectors and your noid light, or injector, will not fire. I would be checking these two sensors with the motor cranking using a scanner to watch the sensor waveforms.
Beyond the items stated above, your 4.2L motor has some camshaft chain issues as a result of bad chain tensioners. This can cause some strange driving issues and can often set cam sensor codes.
If you need help scoping this problem out, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the starting issue and let you know what needs repair.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
Truck won’t start in morning. 2nd day now. Battery seems good.
ANSWER : Since the symptoms changed when you touched the battery terminal, it leads me to believe you may have a poor connection and the main battery terminals. If they are badly corroded or have any small cracks, the terminal may be too loose on the battery. You can rule out the battery by removing the connection to the vehicle then testing the battery itself. If the battery is good then reattach the terminals, tighten them and see if you are able to wiggle them on the posts. If the terminal still moves, replace the entire cable. You can cut the terminal ends and replace them, but you will never get as perfect a connection as replacing the whole cable. Consider hiring an experienced technician like one from YourMechanic who can come out and take a closer look at the loss of electrical power situation and run tests to offer a more personal diagnosis.
Read Full Q/A … : Truck won’t start after it gets hot. What can cause this?
