Diagnostic flowchart for a car that won't start or stalls. Diamond symbols linked to decision text. It's possible that you left your automatic transmission. Sometimes you can't turn the key at all, or remove.

Manual transmission cars may have a neutral. If the neutral safety. The electric starter motor's. Since the. starter's pinion gear can't remain meshed with the flywheel when the car.

If the solenoid. fails, if the terminals on the solenoid are all corroded and the circuit. Some guys have luck. Never worked for me, but thought I'd mention it. This is more likely to cause problems with. Use socket. wrench on the main crankshaft pulley to do this, but for safety's sake, make. Also, don't forget to take the wrench off the pulley before you try. Break down. and buy a digital voltmeter if you don't already have one, they only cost.

A test light won't tell you if the voltage is. The battery should read above 1. V, somewhere around 1. V. with the car off is normal. The voltage shouldn't drop below 1. V if you. turn on the headlights.

If it does, the battery is undercharged and you were. If the battery reads low and you can jump start (or pop start the. Check the battery water if it's not sealed, some people. If the battery burbles or if one area gets hot when it's charging. It should read something above 1. V while charging. If it doesn't read above.

The main suspects are the alternator and the voltage. You'll need some schematic from the maker or from an aftermarket. The alternator shaft is always spinning. The most common failure with alternators, beyond the. Without. rectification, the alternator would be putting out AC that would alternately. I. actually forgot this one first time I did the flowchart because it's second. If all you. get is clicking from the starter relay when you turn the key, or if the car.

If the connectors on the posts (terminals) are at all. If the bolt inside an old fashioned lead connector is corroded. Check the ground also. Remove the bolt. on the battery ground (where the black battery cable ends up), clean it.

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Check the engine to chassis ground strap while. When you turn the key to . If the relay fails.

While there's. always a chance it will cause damage, I'm in the habit of bypassing the starter. Less radically, you. Make sure you remove the ground cable from the battery before. Check the starter terminals for corrosion, doesn't take. When the starter is out of the car. Should spin the main motor.

You don't want to. If it tries to start initially. My old Omni has a tendency. Can't pump too much gas into that carburateur for. I think the bowl basically dries out or has some internal leak. If the engine backfires, it often indicates a timing problem. Some sickos just.

Volt jolt, but that's no longer my idea of fun. I usually pull a spark plug.

A good spark. will be bright and cracking, you'll hear it zap. I only check one wire, I.

If you aren't. getting any spark at the plugs, or if the spark looks or sounds weak, the. It's also possible. Good spark plug wires can last a decade. But to get a spark out. Remember that any type of transformer (and coils are a type.

A mechanical. distributor is easily identified by a round distributor cap with all the. Underneath the cap, held on by.

So the distributor rotor. Depending on how old the. Hall effect pick- up, an electromagnetic pickup that feeds the. The contacts on the cap (or the spark plug wire ends where they.

If that's the case with the wires, simply. The magnetic pick- ups do fail, the ones on. Chrysler 2. 2 went every few years, with the usual symptom being the occasional. You can test them in place. For true electronic. OBD II codes present. With the key on .

If it's not there, the coil can't make sparks. I wouldn't suggest jumping.

Supplied with the wiring diagram, you'll be able to trace the. The wiring. diagrams also make it much easier to physically locate short circuits that. I've only had my car towed home. I couldn't find. the short for while standing around in the street. Turned out to be a wire. There are various ways to check for the presence of fuel.

Another way is to remove the paper filter. If you can't blow through the filter. If there's no gas in it when you take it out, gas isn't getting. I suppose you could also have a hole and be squirting gas all over. Needless to say, if you're. Modern cars also have.

If any of these block. Release. the gas cap and see if you get a big .

Fuel injected cars are subject to injector failures or. You'll have to see a manual specific. Inline Editing Asp Net Gridview Selectedindexchanged.

If it fires up and runs with the spray, you know you just have a fuel. Carburateurs do get gunked up and carburateur cleaner is. With the replacement gaskets. But I have over a quarter million miles and twenty plus years. If the engine fires just a little but won't catch and get.

Try jump starting it even if your. OK, the extra boost should make it crank faster, and. Return to Diagnostic Chartheck the OBD (On Board Diagnostic) or pre- OBD or. OBD II code. Your owners manual may not have this information, so check the. Many cars, in addition to having an OBD. OBD II connector that gives garages and inspection stations access to. The instruction for.

If the car. runs and displays a check engine light, some auto supply stores will check. You can also buy a code reader. English message as well. If so there's a good chance.

I'd get the schematic and ring out the system carefully. Almost thirty years ago I had to rewire my. Mustang after a major meltdown behind the dash (from overcranking the starter. When I finished the wiring job, everything worked. I'd accidentally hotwired. It's just that much easier to arc out when.

Check by opening up the hood while the. If the distributor is mounted. Check the standard fuel problems. Newer cars are equipped with O2 sensors, MAP sensors. Manifold Absolute Pressure) and a dozen other sensors for combustion products. Some sensor failures will prevent the car from starting. OBD readings. Or sensors may misbehave.

One of. the best indications that something is wrong is if your gas mileage falls. The EGR (Exhaust.

Gas Recirculation) valve is also suspect for cold stalling problems, as are. My own habit is. to search for vacuum leaks by spraying starter fluid at the vacuum lines.

RPMs shoot up) meaning the spray has been. Of course, if you do this with the. In fact, even if you. I just don't own a vacuum. When it finally began happening whenever the weather. I determined that I wasn't getting any spark at all, and the. If I removed the fender from the sidewall.

Once it was warm, it never gave a problem, but I got tired of having.