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No Start Diagnosis |
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Serving Eugene - Springfield and Lane
County car, truck and SUV
Automotive repair needs since 1973.
Your Car
won't start, what's wrong?
and terminology to describe the problem to your
mechanic.
There are two distinct categories of No Start problems.
(A) Engine Cranks (turns over).
A crank with no start is when the starter is physically turning the
crankshaft on the engine (that rrr rrr rrr
noise) but the engine does not
continue to keep going when you quit using the starter. This caused by an
ignition, fuel or engine problem preventing the combustion process from occurring.
(B) Engine does not Crank.
"Engine doesn't Crank" is when you turn the key and you hear
either nothing or just a click from the engine. This is either an
electrical problem to starter, starter or engine problem. A simple tool to
help determine the cause of the no crank is to open your door and watch
your dome light. If the light doesn't come on or is very dim (assuming it
worked before) your battery or a connection is most likely the culprit. If
the light is fairly bright, try to start the engine. If the light is gets
very dim or goes out completely while trying to start it still may be a
battery or connection problem but it could also mean the starter is
defective or unable to "turn the engine over".
If the light dims a little while trying to start, but still remains fairly
bright, the battery and battery connections are not responsible and
the problem is the starter or an electrical problem to the starter.
These little details may go a long way when you try to describe the
problem to your automotive repair shop.