When Your Car Won't Start

IF YOU'RE LEAVING FOR WORK IN THE MORNING AND YOUR CAR WON'T START -- THERE COULD BE SEVERAL REASONS. HERE TO TELL US WHY IS JIM CHAMPION -- THE AUTO GUY IT'S BOUND TO HAPPEN SOONER OR LATER - YOU GET IN YOUR VEHICLE AND IT WON'T START. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS WHY. IF THERE ARE NO LIGHTS AT ALL WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY, YOU SHOULD START BY TAKING A LOOK AT THE BATTERY. LOOSE OR DIRTY CONNECTIONS COULD BE CAUSING YOUR NO START PROBLEM, SO GET THE CABLES CLEANED UP AND TIGHTENED BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER. WHEN YOU HAVE A RAPID FIRE CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY, IT'S USUALLY A LOW VOLTAGE PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERY. TRY A JUMP START OR CHARGING THE BATTERY TO GET THE ENGINE TO TURN OVER PROPERLY. IF THE DASH LIGHTS COME ON AND YOU DON'T HEAR ANY SOUND EVEN YOU TURN THE KEY, IT COULD BE A NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH THAT'S DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE ENGINE FROM STARTING WHEN IT'S IN GEAR. TRY CAREFULLY SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND SEE IF THE ENGINE WILL START. IF SO, REPLACING THE NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH IS USUALLY WHAT'S NEEDED. IF YOUR DASH IS LIGHTING UP AND YOU HEAR ONE CLICK UNDER THE HOOD WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY, YOU MIGHT HAVE A STARTER THAT'S ACTING UP. IF YOU CAN REACH THE STARTER, SOMETIMES A LIGHT TAP ON THE SIDE OF IT WHILE SOMEONE HOLDS THE KEY IN THE START POSITION GETS IT TO BREAK FREE AND TURN OVER THE ENGINE. IF YOU DO TRY TAPPING ON THE STARTER, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR BODY AND CLOTHING ARE CLEAR OF ANY BELTS OR PULLEYS THAT WILL TURN IF THE ENGINE DOES START. MANY NEWER VEHICLES HAVE PUSH BUTTON START BUTTONS AND THEY CAN GIVE YOU TROUBLE AS WELL. ANYTHING THAT INTERRUPTS THE SIGNAL COMING FROM THE FOB CAN CAUSE A NO START CONDITION, EVEN AFTERMARKET ALARM SYSTEMS AND RADAR DETECTORS. IF THE FOB ITSELF IS ACTING UP, MANY TIMES THE FIX IS AS EASY AS SLIDING THE FOB INTO A SPECIAL SLOT IN THE DASH OR SIMPLY HOLDING THE KEY FOB OVER THE START BUTTON, WHICH THAT RESETS THE SYSTEM. YOU CAN CALL THE DEALER OR SEARCH ONLINE FOR THE RESET PROCEDURE FOR YOUR VEHICLE. IF YOUR VEHICLE CRANKS LIKE CRAZY BUT WON'T START, IT COULD BE YOUR ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP IN THE GAS TANK. MOST TIMES A MECHANIC NEEDS A FUEL GAUGE AND SOME DIAGNOSTIC TIME TO CONFIRM A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM, BUT IF YOUR VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKING A LOT LONGER TIME TO START RECENTLY, THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THOSE ARE JUST A FEW POSSIBILITIES; THESE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER REASONS WHY YOUR VEHICLE WON'T START, FROM SPARK PLUGS NOT FIRING TO A BROKEN TIMING BELT. REMEMBER, EVEN IF ONE OF THESE TIPS HELPS YOU GET YOUR VEHICLE STARTED ONE TIME, IT MIGHT NOT WORK AGAIN. GET THE VEHICLE INTO THE SHOP AS SOON AS YOU CAN TO GET THE UNDERLYING ISSUE TAKEN CARE OF. IT MIGHT SAVE YOU A TOW BILL AND A LOT OF HASSLE DOWN THE ROAD. IF YOU WANT TO ASK JIM CHAMPION A QUESTION -- YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND YOUR SUGGESTIONS DIRECTLY. HIS E-MAIL ADDRESS IS JIM-AT-CHARLIE- GRAHAM-DOT-