Car Wont Start? Things To Check.

[TRDteen]

My buddies car wouldnt start and he called me and asked what was up. Hung up, and was about to go help him out, but he called me right back and said it started up. But this got me wondering. What are some easy things to look for when your car wont start? First things that come to my head are:
1. Battery
2. Fuel pump pressure
3. Spark plugs

Not sure if those are even solutions to a car that wont start. So if you folks have any advice on this topic. Please help me. Thank you in advance.

 

[4Running Daily]

1) Battery
2) Starter
3) Fuel, Spark, Timing

 

[TRDteen]

1) Battery
2) Starter
3) Fuel, Spark, Timing

What to look for though?

 

[4Running Daily]

What to look for though?

1) corroded battery terminals
2) Various noises depending on if it's the battery or the starter. Single click =Starter/ Multiple clicks = battery
3) Make sure you have gas haha, pull a spark plug, make sure your timing belt didn't snap.

 

[eddiebx]

You need to ask him to be more specific about the no start condition; ie. did it crank fine and not start, did it not crank at all, etc.

If it didn't crank at all, then first things I would check are the condition of the starter, condition of the battery (terminals and voltage), and condition of the ignition switch cylinder (older worn out switches might have loose contacts and depending on how you are holding or wiggling the key, it may or may not make a good connections).

If it did crank, I would probably skip all of the above (except for checking the condition of the ignition switch) and check for fuel or ignition related issues.

 

[Jon]

You need to ask him to be more specific about the no start condition; ie. did it crank fine and not start, did it not crank at all, etc.

If it didn't crank at all, then first things I would check are the condition of the starter, condition of the battery (terminals and voltage), and condition of the ignition switch cylinder (older worn out switches might have loose contacts and depending on how you are holding or wiggling the key, it may or may not make a good connections).

If it did crank, I would probably skip all of the above (except for checking the condition of the ignition switch) and check for fuel or ignition related issues.

All that...and... What car is this? Some cars I've worked on even with expert capabilities were limited even by a factory alarm that had gone nutz. Rotation for days and no fire.

1. Turning over normal and no start: inject one second spray of starting fluid while cranking into the intake. If it fires (even for a second or more) you have a fuel issue.

2. Turns over for more than 3 seconds before starting, probably fuel pump.

3. Any sign of turning over weak or slow: jump it and then have the bat and alt tested.

4. Turning over normal no start and spray does no good then you have a fire issue. That's bad. Depending on the engine that could be a simple fuse up to ECU issues.

Not every issue but you didn't really specify. This should help you out.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

If it has a engine immobilizer it could be on the fritz.