No matter how much you care for the car, sometimes the worst can happen out of nowhere. For Example, your car just won’t start! This situation is not very rare when it comes to Calgary used cars. Especially if you are a new car owner or have not faced this situation before, it is quite natural to feel frustrated and panicked. This issue becomes increasingly more complicated with all the fancy tools and gadgets in new cars that come to the market.

In this article, we will tell you what to do on a few common occasions where your car refuses to start. It is likely that at least one of these methods will help you if you ever get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a car that just won’t start.

There are a few different ways that you can experience this situation:

  1. A fully unresponsive car with an engine that seems dead
  2. The engine is responsive but the car does not start
  3. Both fuel and sparks seem to be working, but the car refuses to start normally
  4. The engine is active and the sparks work but the car does not start

Problems with the car battery

  • First of all, it is important that you have a clear idea when your car battery is giving you problems as opposed to your starter giving your problems. Both these situations often result in a car that refuses to start. It is when the battery does not work that your car comes to a standstill and fully stops working without any responsiveness, which happens quite often for a used car in Calgary.

If your battery is fully dead, you can temporarily jump-start it with the use of a few jumper cables and another car with a good battery.

Fully recharge the battery. Clean any residue or oxidation in the battery. Check for any damaged wires and change them.

Problems in the engine

  • There are multiple reasons for an engine to stop cranking. One of the most common reasons is when the solenoid that gives the starter power to the motor becomes obsolete.

To fix this, check the fuse box of your car for any burned fuses and replace them.

  • Sometimes you can hear the engine cranking, but the car still won’t start. This is often due to a bad ignition coil or a faulty ignition switch.

Check the spark plug wires for any burned coils and replace them. If all the wires and coil seem fine and the car still would not start, you may have to replace the entire ignition switch.

  • When you do not have any issues with fuel and sparks but the car does not start, it is highly probable that there is an issue with the air filters of the car. When the filters are clogged, it blocks the flow of air that helps the ignition of the car, preventing it from starting.

Always keep your air filters clean and up to date. Replace them when needed as instructed by your mechanic.

  • If the engine of the car is properly cranking and there is no issue with the sparks, yet the car still does not start, it is a sign that the mechanical distributors of the car or the spark plugs are faulty in some way.

If the spark is too small to get a proper ignition, check and replace any frayed wires in the distributor. Check your spark plugs and repair any faulty or damaged wires. If that does not work, you may have to replace the entire spark plug.