Ah yes, the telltale signs of a busy day. You rush around in the morning and know you’re just going to pull everything together in time to make it to your destination. And then—the car won’t start. Why does that happen? There’s never a good time, but you likely need some type of auto repair in Philadelphia, PA. Maybe you have even ignored something for a while and now, that issue has taken ahold of your vehicle. Here are some of the reasons why your car might not be starting up as usual.
Battery Drainage
If your engine doesn’t crank when you turn the key, it could be that the battery isn’t supplying power to the starting system. It might be drained, or it may be completely dead. You could try jump starting the battery to give it a charge. If nothing is lighting up in the car and the automatic windows or windshield wipers don’t go, you probably need a new batter. If you get some power, but not enough to start the car, you might just need a jump start to recharge the battery.
Key Won’t Turn
Once you get the key in the ignition, if you can’t turn it, what good will it do? Sometimes the steering is locked up, so you just need to jiggle the wheel a little. It might sound simple, but if it’s never happened to you before, it may cause some panic. If that doesn’t work, there might be problems in the ignition system or with the key.
Weak Cranking
Sometimes, your car sounds like it wants to start, but just keeps cranking and never fully ignites. When that happens, there might be a problem with the starter motor, which could need to be replaced. You should first check the battery and connections around it and if those aren’t the culprit, it’s the starter motor.
Empty Tank
It can be hard to pull yourself out of bed in the morning if you haven’t slept well. And your vehicle isn’t going to be able to operate, either, if it’s not fueled. If you don’t have enough fuel in the gas tank, you won’t be able to start the engine. You may have gotten home on empty, but starting up again could be a problem.
There are lots of other reasons why your car might not be starting up as it should. When you have issues, you may need auto repair in Philadelphia, PA, or, at the very least, you should get an inspection so you can ensure that you know what’s going on, fix it, and move forward safely. The professionals at Schafer’s Auto Center are here to help in any way we can. Give us a call when you aren’t able to start your vehicle and tell us the situation and we might be able to help you figure out what’s going on, or at least what to try to get it here to the shop so we can take a closer look at what’s wrong.
