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Most times, when a car is unable to start, the battery is the first thing to be checked. However, there are several other components of a car that can prevent it from starting. But what causes a car not to start if the battery is good?
A bad alternator, failed starter, broken timing belt, and many other components can contribute to making not to start.
So, even if you’ve got a good battery, there are other components that need to be in good shape for the car to start. Well, this article explains what to do if your car won’t start even when the battery is good.
What Causes a Car Not To Start If The Battery Is Good?
1. No Gas/Fuel
When there’s no fuel in the gas tank, your car would not be able to start. If your fuel indicator had been in reserve when you last drove the car, it could be that the fuel in the gas tank is not sufficient to get the car started.
2. Faulty Ignition Switch
The ignition switch/coil carries electrical power from the battery to other components. If this switch is faulty, other components won’t be electrically charged to power your car; hence, the car won’t start.
The most common symptom of a defective ignition switch is that your dashboard lights would come on, but the car won’t start.
3. Bad Starter
When you turn the key, the starter is the foremost component that kicks up and activates other components that make the car move. Starters are electrically powered and they can fail due to various factors (age or hard collision).
A broken starter would definitely prevent a car from starter because nothing would move the crankshaft and pistons to get the car up and running.
4. Broken Timing Belt
The timing belt synchronizes the movement of the crankshaft and the camshaft for the engine of a car to function. When the timing belt is not working, the ECU won’t let the car start because driving with a bad timing belt can wreck an engine.
So, in a bid to avoid catastrophic engine damage, your car’s central computer won’t let your car start if you’ve got a bad timing belt. The synchronization of the camshaft and crankshaft is important to the combustion process of diesel and gas engines.
5. Clogged or Blocked Fuel Filter
A clogged fuel filter may prevent fuel from getting into the engine, and definitely, if fuel cannot get into the engine, in sufficient quantity, the engine won’t start. Replacing fuel filters isn’t an expensive service, and it doesn’t take much time too.
6. Faulty Distribution Cap
In gasoline engines that use spark plugs as part of the ignition process, the distributor cap helps to pass electricity to the spark plugs for the engine to ignite and start working.
A faulty distribution cap won’t spark, which can cause a running engine to stall and fail, and also cause a car not to start.
7. Corroded Spark Plugs
The spark plugs need to “spark” to ignite the engine; a corroded or dirty spark plug may not be able to perform its actions, and as such, the engine won’t get enough power to start.
It is advisable to change the spark plugs after some hundreds of thousands of miles; if the spark plug in your car is over 100,000 miles, you may need to change it for your car to start.
8. Bad Fuel Pump
There is no way a car would function without fuel; if a component in the fuel delivery system is bad, it can cause the car not to start. That said, a bad fuel pump is liable to cause a car not to start.
The fuel pump helps to send fuel from the gas tank to the engine; so, it is an important component needed for the ignition process of any type of car.
9. Other Electrical Fault
A car comprises electrical and mechanical components. Mainly, it is the electrical system that powers the mechanical system to function; thus, if the electrical system is bad, the mechanical systems won’t work.
This validates that guess that electrical issues can cause a car not to start. You will need to troubleshoot the car computer to find out the exact electrical component that is preventing your car from starting.
10. Faulty Sensors
Sensors are available in automobiles to relay different information (signals) to the ECU. A defective sensor would send the wrong signals to the ECU, which could cause the ECU to halt the car from starting, in a bid to prevent critical damages to the engine components.
What More?
These ten indicated issues are what causes a car not to start when the battery is good. The MAP and MAF sensors can cause a car not to start because the ECU uses the information from these sensors to regulate how the engine works.