Have power won't start

[James Robinson]

I have power, but it won't start, I've had the starter and alternator tested, bought a new battery, changed the key lock cylinder, if I leave for 3-4 days it'll start, but will only start maybe 2-3 times and return to not starting

 

[avalonandl]

Does it click when you turn the key? Possible bad starter solenoid, or bad cable to the starter.

 

[Doubeleive]

check your battery cables and grounds, see how much voltage it shows at the starter sitting and when you try to start it.

 

[wsteele]

I agree with both posts above. The current draw is large when starting. If you have any corrosion in your cable connections, ground connection, etc., an intermittent open circuit will usually show up.

Another thing to check is the Crank Relay.

Not sure what make/model/year you have, but on most, the main fuse/relay box is under the hood on the drivers side. Pop the cover off and look for the rectangular relay called like Crank on the diagram under the lid. The rear window defogger relay is usually the same as the Crank relay, so you can swap them for a while and see if the intermittent no start goes goes away. You can also check to make sure you are getting power to that relay (if swapping doesn't fix it) but putting a test light bulb or volt meter on it and turning the key to start.

 

[intheburbs]

Absolutely pointless to speculate - too little information provided by OP. This is barely one step past, "My car won't go. What's wrong?"

Does it click?
Does the engine crank?
Does it crank normally, or is it cranking slower?
If it cranks, does it sound like it catches at all? Any sign of ignition?
If it cranks, have you tried holding the gas pedal to the floor?
Have you tried starting it in neutral?

See where I'm going with this? Lots of smart people on here, but they're not psychic.

 

[Fless]

Maybe Carnac can figure it out:

 

[cmyhre85355]

Might as well add testing for compression to the list of troubleshooting too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[bill1013]

This reminds me of a funny story. A woman I went to college with called me up one Saturday afternoon and asked me if I knew anything about motorcycles. I had helped move her husband's motorcycle after he left on a 6 month Navy deployment. Seems he couldn't get to it before he left so me and a few civilians moved it for her. Oh yeah, and she gave us beer! Anyway, it's 6 months later and he's back...with his Navy buddies. I can hear him ranting & cussing at her because it won't start and you & YOUR friends moved it...so they must have BOKE IT. So I go over and they have moved the motorcycle and are trying desperately to get this POS started. It's a HONDA 500 with an automatic transmission. Yeah I thought the same thing....WHAT'S THE POINT! So I go over pull in the clutch, hit the starter and it started right up. Seems they had forgotten that the clutch needed to be depressed for the starter to engage. Oh, well. I laughed the whole way home. The embarrassed looks on their faces was priceless!

Had a similar thing happen with a loved one. It clearly stated on the display that you needed to depress the brake pedal when starting. Important, but easily overlooked! LOL!!!

 

[OR VietVet]

Absolutely pointless to speculate - too little information provided by OP. This is barely one step past, "My car won't go. What's wrong?"

Does it click?
Does the engine crank?
Does it crank normally, or is it cranking slower?
If it cranks, does it sound like it catches at all? Any sign of ignition?
If it cranks, have you tried holding the gas pedal to the floor?
Have you tried starting it in neutral?

See where I'm going with this? Lots of smart people on here, but they're not psychic.

Beat me to it. The usual needs inspected for clean tight connections and what numbers are we working with for the battery and draw when cranking? I also wanted to know about the cranking speed and rhythm. When not starting is the engine cranking at all or is it cranking normal speed but engine will just not fire off? You just let sit and eventually starts?


By the way, welcome to the forum from Oregon. Also, how about some vehicle info.

 

[wsteele]

Frankly, I disagree you need to be a clairvoyant to offer likely accurate suggestions to fix an engine that won't turn over. Am I jumping to conclusions that it isn't turning over when he tries to start it and it won't start? Sure.

But if someone comes on and says his engine won't start and he has replaced the battery, had the starter tested and replaced the ignition key cylinder, while it is a jump to think his starter likely wasn't turning, it isn't too much of a leap. The list of things it might be, given he has a new battery and has had his starter tested good, well, isn't that long a list and most of the likely ones have been mentioned.

But then, maybe his engine does turn over when it won't start. If he comes back at all and we find out that is the case, it will likely be a longer and more rewarding thread for all who like to solve puzzles.

Come to think of it, I might be jumping to conclusions it was a he. I mean, just because someone picks a handle of James, doesn't make them a he...

 

[OR VietVet]

I personally was confused as to whether it was a crank and no start or no crank and he/she offered no details that pointed one way or the other. I thought with his/her opening statement about starter, alternator, battery and key cylinder that it was a no crank problem and may well be that after all. It would have been better if he had said starts after sitting for 3-4 days for 2-3 times and then no start but why no start? No crank, crank and no start, crank slow....etc. Need some help and really, I don't want to waste a lot of time chasing things. I dealt with that when I ran shops. I asked lots of questions and made them talk to me. It was called "Systems based diagnostics".

 

[wsteele]

I personally was confused as to whether it was a crank and no start or no crank and he/she offered no details that pointed one way or the other. I thought with his/her opening statement about starter, alternator, battery and key cylinder that it was a no crank problem and may well be that after all. It would have been better if he had said starts after sitting for 3-4 days for 2-3 times and then no start but why no start? No crank, crank and no start, crank slow....etc. Need some help and really, I don't want to waste a lot of time chasing things. I dealt with that when I ran shops. I asked lots of questions and made them talk to me. It was called "Systems based diagnostics".

My guess was no crank as he had the starter tested.

I mean, if the starter turns over and the engine doesn't start and you have the starter tested, it really doesn't matter what any of us suggest as he won't be fixing it himself. Just sayin'.

 

[Doubeleive]

Frankly, I disagree you need to be a clairvoyant to offer likely accurate suggestions to fix an engine that won't turn over. Am I jumping to conclusions that it isn't turning over when he tries to start it and it won't start? Sure.

But if someone comes on and says his engine won't start and he has replaced the battery, had the starter tested and replaced the ignition key cylinder, while it is a jump to think his starter likely wasn't turning, it isn't too much of a leap. The list of things it might be, given he has a new battery and has had his starter tested good, well, isn't that long a list and most of the likely ones have been mentioned.

But then, maybe his engine does turn over when it won't start. If he comes back at all and we find out that is the case, it will likely be a longer and more rewarding thread for all who like to solve puzzles.

Come to think of it, I might be jumping to conclusions it was a he. I mean, just because someone picks a handle of James, doesn't make them a he...

if there is known good battery and known good starter and it's not starting the most logical thing to think without any other info is to verify power to starter, if not then proceed to other things like starter relay (you can fire the starter from the relay slot) if that test good then proceed to relay to ignition, so on and so forth. seems to me to make sense that if the starter was tested and battery was tested then obviously it's not "cranking" and the rest of that mumbo-jumbo is irrelevant/ Grounds and power would seem to be the most logical issue.
bottom line yes more definitive information would be helpful but we don't always think about it

 

[wsteele]

if there is known good battery and known good starter and it's not starting the most logical thing to think without any other info is to verify power to starter, if not then proceed to other things like starter relay (you can fire the starter from the relay slot) if that test good then proceed to relay to ignition, so on and so forth. seems to me to make sense that if the starter was tested and battery was tested then obviously it's not "cranking" and the rest of that mumbo-jumbo is irrelevant/ Grounds and power would seem to be the most logical issue.
bottom line yes more definitive information would be helpful but we don't always think about it

I think you are preaching to the wrong guy.

 

[intheburbs]

See, this is where the ambiguity plays in. My conclusion is exactly the opposite - truck is cranking, but not firing. Hence my suggestion of holding the gas pedal to the floor. Flaky fuel pump on its way out would be one of my culprits.

But again, pointless speculation until more information is given.

 

[Doubeleive]

I think you are preaching to the wrong guy.

I was just reiterating...

 

[wsteele]

I was just reiterating...

Ok, I got it now.

But I still agree with you.

 

[OR VietVet]

Man, you guys are using your share of $10 words.

 

[RET423]

Not starting means it is cranking but after years of hearing people say "it won't turn over" when they mean "it won't start" I have given up trying to guess the actual symptom; if I had to guess I would guess that he is having an intermittent cranking issue but it starts fine every time it decides to crank, which would likely be the neutral safety switch.

So a wild guess at the symptom and a repair suggestion based on the wild guess

 

[OR VietVet]

When I talk to anyone who said, "It won't start", I immediately ask, "Does the engine spin/crank and not start or does it not turn over/crank, like a dead battery?" Then they would typically latch on to the one word I said that they understood and that was, "I know the battery is good". Then I would have to say, "No, I am not saying the battery is dead, I am asking about the symptoms". I would remind them that "engine will not start" is a very wide area to look for problems and my asking them for info, as a service manager, will save them money. I had to tell them that narrowing down the field of the problem makes it faster for the tech and therefore less expensive for the customer.

Too many times they have no idea what is going on and they don't want to sound like they are clueless, so they latch on to something they know about, like the "battery".

I threw a guy out of my shop one time when he refused to shut up while I was asking the owner of the vehicle, his girlfriend, questions about her vehicle problems and he would not stop throwing in his own assumptions and thoughts of how we should proceed with the diagnostics. The girlfriend thanked me and when we replaced her failed alternator and worn belt and she came back to pick up her car she told me she broke up with her "know it all" ex-boyfriend.

We both LOFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!