Introduction: What is an Automobile’s Engine, and How Does it Work?
An automobile’s engine is the component that converts the fuel into energy. The engine is constructed of pistons connected to crankshaft, camshaft, valves, and combustion chambers. An engine converts the energy from burning fuel into motion.
The ICE is the heart of your car that generates motion through four basic processes: compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust.
The intake and exhaust valves are open and close to allow for this process of intake and exhaust.
The crankshaft turns the camshaft, which drives the piston up and down in a cylinder while valves are open and close so that the piston can compress the fuel-air mixture while it combusts, i.e., burns it. This causes what we call the power or mechanical energy to be generated by these four processes within each stroke of the piston. The result is an explosion that propels our cars forward.
What Causes a Car to Not Start?
When your car does not start, you are left feeling hopeless and helpless. Depending on the severity of the issue, there can be no worse feeling than being stranded in the middle of nowhere.
It’s even more frustrating when you don’t know the reasons why your car won’t start. Here are the most common reasons that your vehicle will not start:
- A flat, faulty or dead battery
The battery is the most vital component in any car and is responsible for starting and running the vehicle. A flat battery can cause a car not to start, and it would be a major inconvenience.
In some cases, a flat or dead battery can stop a car from turning on or starting at all. In other cases, the lights will work, but the engine doesn’t even try to turn on or crank. Finally, you can still hear the engine going in some cases, but it won’t actually work until you jump the terminals together with the jumper cables that came with your car.
Your battery might go flat or die for a few different reasons:
- Something in the car ran out of power and ran the battery down.
- For a long time, you haven’t driven your car.
- The battery contains a defect/ There is something wrong with the battery connection.
- Starter motor problems
When you turn the key, the starter motor works to prime the gas and oil systems. If it’s not working correctly, you’ll notice your car won’t start.
- Fuel problems
Fuel problems are one of the leading causes of car breakdowns, especially in wet weather. A number of different factors can cause them, but the most common is a clogged fuel filter. Unfortunately, a clogged fuel filter can also affect fuel efficiency, so if your car is having trouble starting or running poorly, it may be time for a new fuel filter.
- Engine problems
The issues surrounding your car’s mechanics can stop the car from starting. The main culprit is the crankshaft or the timing belt. Timing chains are responsible for these problems as well as related issues such as leakage, too long a set of teeth, etc.
- Electrical or wiring problems
We discovered that over 5% of the vehicles we had inspected had an issue with one of their electrical components or wiring. Of those, some had a problem with the fuse box, others had a problem with the battery cables, and lastly, some had a problem with their body control unit.
- Spark plugs
Spark plugs are a crucial component in any car engine. These devices produce the spark that ignites a machine’s fuel mixture, without which combustion cannot occur. Unfortunately, when spark plugs fail, it is difficult to determine the problem.
Oil-specifically thick, sludgy, or otherwise thickened oil can be a problem for a car’s engine. If the engine’s switched off too soon after being started, that would cause such serious issues. Also, unburnt fuel stays in an engine when it is turned off after you use the vehicle. It can be harder to start the car when the spark plug is wet with the fuel.
When you turn the key, it could be a flooded engine if you hear a very fast cranking sound (usually a ‘whirring’ sound). Also, your car may have a strong gasoline smell, or it might run for a few minutes and then shut off again.
- Faulty immobilizers
Car security systems sometimes require a key with a chip on it in order to start the engine. Your car may sometimes sense something is wrong and stop you from starting it. The reason behind it could be that your key fob’s battery power is low. Alarm and immobilizer issues cause more than 3% of the repairs we do.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve found the most common reasons why a car won’t start, you can stop guessing and try to figure out what’s wrong. This guide is quite helpful in case you find yourself having difficulty starting your car.
