Car not starting? Before you panic, amid visions of a ruined holiday, there are a few things you can check that could solve the problem.
Car not starting? Before you panic, amid visions of a ruined holiday, there are a few things you can check that could solve the problem. Just follow these handy tips from CAR magazine’s DIY Cubby Companion.
If an engine is in good condition, that is, if the compression is good, and both the ignition and valve timing are correct, then all it needs to start promptly is the correct amount of fuel and a decent spark.
The spark requirement depends, for the most part, on the condition of the battery, because the starter takes such a heavy current that the ignition system often does not get its fair share of the available electrical energy. This explains why it often happens that an engine that has refused to start suddenly takes as soon as the starter switch is released, while the engine is still rotating.
An even more dramatic illustration is when a car refuses to start on the starter motor, but starts very easily when pushed. The first items to check, in this case, are the battery connections, because they often grow a layer of deposit inside the terminals. This should be cleaned out with a scraper; the muck that collects on the outside can be cleaned off with warm water.
Afterwards, the terminals should be covered with a layer of petroleum jelly. A quick test for a dirty terminal is to close the starting switch for about ten seconds. Even if the starting motor has refused to turn, a dirty terminal will heat up, whereas a clean terminal won’t. The difference can usually be felt by hand.
On an older car, the condition of the starter motor also plays a role, because a worn-out starter may have such a high resistance that it absorbs an inordinate amount of electrical energy to swing the engine.
Jump-starting a car has become a hazardous procedure. The central processing units on many new cars don’t take kindly to the power surges that may occur.
The cars should be parked near each other, but not touching. The “hot” (usually positive) terminal on each battery should first be connected to the other. One end of the negative (earth) cable should be connected to a point on the engine of the receiving car close to the starter motor, NOT onto the receiving battery.
The donor car should now be started and revved to about 2 000 r/min, before starting the other engine. After successful start-up, switch off the donor engine, but keep the other engine running and switch on the lights, heater fan and heated rear window of the recently started car before removing the cables in reverse order. This will avoid any over-voltage.