Vehicle problems are often unpredictable and unexpected. If
your car breaks down on the highway and completely refuses to start, there
could be a couple of common reasons. Here are a few and what you can do about
it:
Dead battery
Sometimes you may forget to switch off the radio or cut the
lights off when you pack your car. After remaining on for hours on end, the lights
will eventually drain your battery. Once your battery is dead, there is no
power to send electric power to the starter motor and therefore, the engine
will not start. The only way to get the car to start again is by boosting your
battery using jumper cables connected to another car battery.
Fuel pump failure
If you do not take your vehicle to the service shop for
maintenance as per schedule, you may experience a couple of unexpected problems
with your vehicle. The in-tank electrical fuel pump failure is a common reason
for no-start problems in cars. You should also avoid allowing the fuel level to
stay below ¼ for long, or running out of fuel completely as this can also cost
premature fuel pump failure. You will need to replace the fuel pump in case it
is ruined. If this happens while you are on the road, just call for a tow
truck.
Timing belt failure
For most vehicles, the timing belt should be replaced after
about 60,000 miles of normal use. If you do not change the timing belt before
it breaks, you can cause some expensive damage to your vehicle. Get the timing
belt checked and changed a short while before the recommended mileage level of
your vehicle to avoid timing belt failure.
Rusty battery terminals
If your battery terminals are rusty or coated, they are not
able to transmit electrical power through the cables. You need to find some
sand paper and rub off the coating or rust on the battery terminals for full
contact to complete the electrical circuit of the vehicle.
Electrical problems
No-start problems may also be due to an electrical fault in
the circuit of the vehicle. Electrical problems in the ignition switch in
particular can give you a hard time while trying to start your vehicle. You
need to take it into the service shop for a full electrical diagnostic and
repairs to avoid having this problem again in the future.
Fuel mix problems
If your fuel line is clogged up, if you have
impurities in the fuel or if you have the wrong mix of fuel, the fuel will not
ignite properly and you vehicle will not start. Worn out piston rings and
failing exhaust valves can prevent the level of compression necessary to ignite
the fuel mix. Weak and missing sparks due to bad spark plug cables can also
prevent the fuel from igniting to start the engine. Problems with the spark
plugs could be attributed to a faulty system or bad spark plug timing among
other issues.Posted By: Crawfordville Automotive http://crawfordvilleauto.com/
