Top 10 Reasons Your Car Won’t Start

For anyone who owns an aging or high-mileage vehicle, you are probably already all too familiar with the endless struggle of getting your car to start.

Sometimes it’s a regular occurrence. Other times, it’s intermittent. But whatever it is, whatever the reason it happens, it’s almost always a huge inconvenience, and one that ends with an unwanted mechanic bill.

In today’s blog post we list the top 10 reasons your car won’t start, what to look for, what to do about it, and where you can scrap your car if it’s not practical to do the costly repairs.

10 Reasons Your Car Won’t Start

Listed below are the most common reasons that a vehicle won’t start. So, whether your car suddenly won’t start at all or if it’s been starting only intermittently, you’ll likely get an answer that can at least point you in the right direction for why your car won’t start.

10. Dead or Weak Battery

One of the most common reasons a car won’t start, particularly on older vehicles, is the battery is dead or weak.

Often times, it can be harder to start your car in colder weather. Luckily, at the present moment, we don’t have that problem in Metro Vancouver. But with fall on the way, that can change in an instant.

Batteries only have a certain shelf life. And most batteries will have a clear expiration date written right on them. So, if your car won’t start, your first step is to check the date on your battery. Typically, most batteries have a 5–10-year shelf life, depending on the type of battery.

9. Faulty Starter

If it’s not your battery, chances are that it’s your starter telling you that it’s on its way out, or that it’s already left the party.

Because if you haven’t experienced any other new or unusual symptoms, it’s likely that your car simply needs a new starter.

Signs Your Starter Is Bad Include:

• Clicking noises when you turn your key in the ignition
• Car won’t start or starts intermittently
• A burning smell
• Your dashboard lights come on but car doesn’t turn over
• Having an oil-soaked starter (this one is typically for a mechanic to diagnose)

If your vehicle has been hard to start or only starting intermittently, but your dash lights come on, it could be that your starter is the reason your car won’t start.

The best way to diagnose this issue is to visit our friends at Vancouver Auto Centre for a professional diagnostic service.

8. Jammed or Failing Ignition Switch

Do you find that sometimes your vehicle starts, other times it doesn’t, and other times there seems to be a delay or “dead spot” between when you turn the key and when your vehicle actually starts?

If so, it could be because your ignition switch is either jammed or failing. Additionally, older vehicles or automobiles with high mileage often experience what many local mechanics call a dead spot in the ignition switch.

That means that when you turn your key to start your car, you’ll notice a bit of a delay in when your car actually turns on versus when you’ve instructed it to do so by turning the key.

7. Failing Alternator

One of the other most common reasons your car won’t start includes a failing or failed alternator. Because the alternator is a vital part of your vehicle’s electrical system. And when it goes, you’ll know.

Signs Your Alternator Is Failing Include:

• Battery light illuminated on the dashboard
• Dimming or flickering lights (both interior and exterior)
• New or unusual noises like squealing, grinding, whining
• Difficulty starting your car
• Inability to start your car at all
• Engine intermittently stalling
• Any visible damage to the alternator itself (damaged wires, etc)

A mechanic can usually perform a simple voltage test using a multimeter to determine if your alternator is in fact the culprit for why your car won’t start.

If you’re mechanically inclined in any way, you can also do this yourself by purchasing a multimeter at Canadian Tire or any other automotive supply store in the Lower Mainland.

Cash for Scrap Cars with Bad Alternators

As a professional scrap car removal company serving the Lower Mainland since 2005, we see a lot of scrap cars. And one of the most common reasons people scrap their cars with us is because of a bad alternator.

Years ago, and alternator wasn’t a terribly expensive fix. However, in recent years, the price to repair or replace an alternator has skyrocketed due to more complex electrical systems, as well as supply and demand.

To replace an alternator, you could be looking at upwards of $1100, depending on your vehicle. Which is why many people scrap their car with More Cash For Scrap instead.

Particularly, our North Vancouver customers rely heavily on our junk car removal services. Because they trust our cash for cars service to get top dollar for junk cars, with a hassle-free way to have their car removed.

6. Blown Fuse

This one is a quick, easy, and inexpensive fix. Sometimes the reason your car won’t start is nothing more than a blown fuse.

A mechanic can establish if you have a blown fuse in literally seconds. But if you’d like to skip the trip to the shop, you can find many videos on YouTube that offer a step-by-step tutorial on how to check and change fuses on your car.

• Step 1 – Make sure your vehicle is off.
• Step 2 – Locate the fuse box (usually to the left of the steering wheel)
• Step 3 – Pull out fuses and see if any have a broken filament (the wire) inside them by holding the fuse up to light. Blown fuses can also look burnt or separated.
• Step 4 – Use a multimeter to touch both prongs on the fuse and see if it provides a reading o 0.0. If it does, the fuse is good. If it doesn’t, the fuse is bad.

There are other ways to see if you have a blown fuse, but when in doubt, have a professional take a quick look for you. Hopefully, a blown fuse is the reason your car won’t start.

5. Failed Fuel Pump Relay

If fuel isn’t being delivered to your vehicle, it definitely won’t start. So, your vehicle not starting could be an indicator that your fuel pump or fuel pump relay are on the way, if not already, out.

Signs Your Fuel Pump Relay Is Going:

• Car intermittently stalling
• Car won’t start
• Check engine light illuminated
• Engine cranks but won’t actually start
• No fuel pump noise when running

Fuel pump repair or replacement can really vary in price. So, if your car won’t start and your mechanic tells you it’s because of your fuel pump relay, give our scrap car removal team a quick call and find out what your vehicle might be worth if you scrap it instead.

4. Car Isn’t Fully in Park/Neutral

Not only could the reason your car won’t start be because you didn’t completely put your car in park or neutral, but it could also potentially be because of a malfunctioning neutral safety switch.

A neutral safety switch prevents the engine from starting unless the transmission is in Park or Neutral. This helps prevent accidental movement of the vehicle when starting the engine.

If your safety switch is malfunctioning, it might be telling your car not to start until it’s in park, even if it already is. Thus, being the reason your car won’t start.

3. No Gas

When you drive a beater car, you rarely give it the love and attention that you would a newer vehicle. And the same can be said for how often you fuel up. Especially with how much gas prices fluctuate across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

If you pulled into your driveway after a long day’s work and thought, “I’ll gas up in the morning”, or “I think I’ve got enough to get me to a gas station tomorrow”, you might be mistaken.

Not only could you be lower than you realize, but your gas gauge could also not be giving an accurate reading or could have failed altogether. If your car suddenly won’t start in the morning, you might just need to grab a Jerry can and head to your local gas station.

2. Mystery Electrical Problem

Electrical issues on a vehicle are never fun, and are almost always expensive to not only diagnose, but to repair. Because typically, one electrical problem often leads to another.

Electrical problems can prevent your car from starting for several reasons. A weak or dead battery may not provide enough power to the starter.

Moreover, faulty battery connections, a damaged starter motor, or a blown fuse can also cause problems.

Additionally, issues with the alternator, ignition switch, wiring, or starter relay may stop electrical power from reaching the engine. Making electrical problems one of the most complex reasons that your car won’t start.

1.Flooded Engine

An engine can become flooded when too much fuel enters the cylinders, and there is not enough air to burn it properly. This can happen after repeated attempts to start the car, especially in cold weather, like our lovely Metro Vancouver winters.

When flooded, the engine may crank but fail to start, smell strongly of fuel, and produce dark exhaust smoke. Needless to say, if your engine is flooded, you’ll usually know.

Fortunately, we pay MORE cash for cars with flooded, dead, or failing engines than most other local scrap car removal companies. So, give us a call if you think your engine is toast.

Scrap Car Removal in the Lower Mainland

If your daily driver is costing you more money per month than a new or used car payment would be, it might be time to consider the scrap car removal services of More Cash For Scrap.

We pay the most cash for scrap cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, and commercial vehicles in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. And we do this while also offering free towing, no matter where you’re located in the Lower Mainland.

So, if you’ve been thinking about selling or scrapping an aging, high-mileage, or damaged vehicle, think More Cash For Scrap. Vancouver’s first choice for scrap cars removal since 2005!