If Your Engine Won't Start
Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START(III):
You hear nothing, or almost noth-
ing. The engine's starter motor
does not operate at all, or operates
very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, but the engine
does not start up and run.
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a 5-speed, the clutch
pedal must be pushed all the way to
the floor or the START circuit is
locked out. With an automatic
transmission, it must be in Park or
Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Check the voltmeter reading. Turn
on the headlights and check their
brightness. If the voltmeter does
not register and the headlights are
very dim or don't light at all, the
battery is discharged. See
Jump
Starting
on page
189
.
If the voltmeter reads normally and
the headlights are bright, turn the
key to START (III) then release it.
If the headlights do not dim, check
the condition of the fuses (see page
197
). If the fuses are OK, there is
probably something wrong with
the electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem, (see
Towing
on page
202.
)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page
147
). You can then
try jump starting the car from a
booster battery (see page
187
).
Taking Care Of The Unexpected
