You wake up early in themorning, brushed your teeth, took a bath and prepared for your first big day atthe office. You board your car and are ready to go to work. But hey, your carwon't start. What a perfect timing. Now you can never impress your new boss.
Car start problems are one ofthe biggest headaches of all. You parked your car looking good last night. Whythe heck did it fail to start today? Well, there are a lot of reasons for that.If you know how to repair cars, it would take you but a few minutes totroubleshoot the problem. But for those who knew nothing about car repair, hereare good suggestions where to start checking:
1. Loose battery terminals
Try to start you car again.Do you hear any sound or noise when you turn on the ignition? Well, thereshould be. If you don't hear anything, there are high chances that theterminals leading to the car battery is loose. Take a look at it and tightenthem as necessary. Don't just unplug the wires though. Remember that there's apositive and negative terminal there. Know the right placement. If tighteningdoesn't work, try to clean the terminals and battery poles. Then connect thenegative terminal followed by the positive. Try to start the car again.
2. Dead battery
Car start problems almostalways lead to issues with the battery. If there were clicking sounds as youturn on the ignition, the battery could be dead. Clicking sounds can also becaused by a loose connection, though the chance for this is slim. Either way,it pays off to check the wiring to the starter. If that's good, you might needto recharge the battery. Batteries that drain fast could suggest an alternatorissue.
3. Fuel pump problem
If the engine just crankscontinually but never really starts up, check your fuel. If you know for a factthat you have adequate petrol and your battery is good, then it could be a fuelpump problem. Try to jumpstart the vehicle. If the problem were just weakbattery, this should solve it. Else, it's really the fuel pump and you aregoing to need a mechanic to check on it.
4. Choke issues
If the engine starts right upbut dies eventually, the choke is most likely the culprit. This is especiallytrue with cars having carb engines. Start the engine again and step on theaccelerator lightly. Let the vehicle rev up to heat it up a little. It shouldstart fine after a few minutes. This isn't applicable for fuel injected carsthough. For these types of cars, there are many reasons why a problem like thisoccurs. It could be issues with the idle air valve or the fuel pressureregulator. There can also be a leak at the vacuum hose.
For major car problems and tobe sure about your car's condition, take it to an authorized service center. Asfor you, you might as well take the cab instead so that you'll get to theoffice on time.
