Singapore Car Guide: Why your car won’t start

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Why your car won’t start
By: Goh Mei Yi
Published: September 09, 2006
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You know you (and your car) are in trouble when you turn the key in the ignition and nothing happens. Here are some scenarios and possible reasons why your car is misbehaving.

“There’s no cranking sound”
If you don’t hear the familiar cranking sound as you start your car, it could mean that something is wrong with the starter system, or with the car battery.

A discharged or dead battery is one reason a car doesn’t start. It can happen when you leave the headlights on overnight, causing the battery to discharge. In this case, you will probably hear a clicking noise when you try to start the car – a sign that there isn’t enough power to turn the starter.

Here’s a simple way to check if the battery is discharged: Turn the ignition on, but not the engine, and switch the windshield wipers on. If they move much slower than usual, the battery is probably discharged.

But if your battery is around three to four years old, it’s probably time to get a new one.

“The “Check engine” light doesn’t come on

If the “Check engine” light doesn’t come on when you switch the ignition on, it means there is no power going to the engine computer. The cause might be a broken wire, faulty relay or burnt fuse.

“Nothing happened after I tried to jump-start the car”

If your engine died after you tried to jump-start the battery, the cause could be electrical problems. You could have accidentally connected the wires from the other car to your battery the wrong way (positive to negative or vice versa). Even if it was just for a moment, it could have damaged the engine or other electronic parts.

“My car overheated”

If the engine dies after it overheats and won’t start even when it has cooled down, your car could have developed a severe engine problem. Even if you manage to start the car, you have to find the cause of the overheating to prevent it from happening again.

“My car went over a big puddle and died”

Water could cause the ignition wires to short-circuit. In such cases, switch the ignition off, open the hood and check the spark plug wires, distributor and spark plug caps for moisture. If they are wet, dry them with a clean rag before starting the engine again.

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