Why won’t a car start and have no noise?
A car won’t start and has no noise is due to dead battery or a damaged fuel transmission system.
A few other reasons for a car not starting and having no noise are:
- Dead battery
- Failed ignition switch & blown fuses
- Faulty starter
- Fuel temperature
- Empty gas tank
- Damaged fuel filter
- Faulty spark plugs
Dead Battery
A dead or dying battery is the most prominent reason for the ‘car won’t start and has no noise’ scenario. In a car with a dying battery, the electrical components don’t receive the required power, but the car’s lights can still work.
Failed Ignition Switch and Blown Fuses
When the metal wires are damaged and the fuse box’s plastic wires are damaged or disconnected, the fuse might blow off. It prevents the power from reaching the starter relay.
The ignition switch is responsible for the starting of the car engine due to ignition. It may sometimes fail to work properly and power the car’s electrical elements, without reaching the engine starter.
Faulty Starter
A starter is the car element that drives the crank of your car engine and starts the car. A typical starter consists of an electric motor, a solenoid, battery, and a flywheel. A battery failure, poor ignition switch, and a damaged neutral switch are responsible for a faulty starter.
Fuel Temperature
Fuel temperature plays an important role in the ignition of the car engine. In sub-zero regions, the fuel is likely to form a frozen layer that results in the ‘car won’t start and has no noise’ situation.
Empty gas tank
The fuel gauge may be improperly calibrated to read the fuel level in the tank correctly. This can lead to an empty tank because the gauge isn’t giving the correct indication. In this case, the car won’t start and have no noise.
Damaged Fuel Filter
When you drive your car to a near-empty point, the fuel tank is likely to get clogged with particles and debris. A clogged fuel filter doesn’t let the gas reach the engine. The car won’t start in this case.
Faulty Spark Plugs
A car starts when the fuel ignites due to a spark. If a spark is not reaching the engine and hence, unable to ignite the fuel, the car won’t start and there will be no noise. This can happen even when your car’s electrical components are still working.
How do you tell if your starter or battery is faulty?
When you turn the car key and hear only a click, then the problem is with the starter. If you turn the car key and the car doesn’t start but the lights and radio work, your car has a faulty battery.
Here are some more signs that suggest whether the car battery or starter is bad.
- When you try to start the car and the engine cranks while making a whirring sound, the battery of the car is faulty.
- If the engine clicks and starts when given a jump, it is due to the car battery issues. But if the car doesn’t start even after giving a jump, then the problem lies in the starter of the car.
- If the car doesn’t start but the lights and car radio work, this is indicative of a bad battery.
- Every time you try starting your car, you are required to give it a jump. This points towards a bad battery or a dead battery.
- When the engine doesn’t crank, the starter of the car should be checked for faults.
Can you jump a car with a bad starter?
No, you cannot jump-start a car with a bad alternator using jumper cables. Jump-starting a car using jumper cables only improved the battery power, but does not affect the starter motor.
You can start a car with a bad alternator by pushing or rolling. For this, your car must possess manual transmission. You can push start a car by putting the car in neutral mode and turning the car key to ON position. Push the car or roll down a slope. When the car gains enough speed, switch the car to first gear and push the clutch down. This will spin the engine and the car will start.
How do you tell if your starter or the ignition switch is faulty?
To check whether the starter or ignition switch is faulty, you will need a voltmeter or a circuit tester. The starter is the motor that drives the engine while the ignition switch is the car’s electrical component that puts the starter of the car in action.
Follow the steps given below to know if the starter of the car or ignition switch is bad.
- Turn the car key to ON position. Using the circuit tester, check whether there is power in the wires connected to the starter. If there is power but the car doesn’t start, there is a bad starter.
- Turn the car key to the RUN position. See if there is power in the fuses numbered 5, 8, 10, and 14. If there is power, move on to check the fuse numbered 18.
- If it’s working fine, check the power at pin 1, pin 7, pin 3, and pin 2. If they are good, move on to check the power at pin 8 in the car key’s ACC position and pin 10, pin 9 and pin 8 in the RUN position of the car key.
- If you notice no power in these pins, then the problem is with the car’s ignition switch.
Why when I turn my car key there is no clicking sound?
When you turn the car key and there is no clicking sound, it is because of a dead battery. The dead battery needs to be replaced.
To replace a dead battery, follow the steps given below:
- Unclamp the dead battery’s negative terminal by loosening the nuts and bolts holding it followed by the positive terminal of the car battery (if your car is negatively grounded).
- Clear the tray on which the battery rests with a mixture of baking soda and water.
- Place the new battery and clamp it in the position by tightening the nuts and bolts in the reverse order of removing them.
Car won’t start, has no sound but lights work
When the car doesn’t start but the lights work, it is due to a dying battery. Car elements like lights, radio, headlights, and other electrical components need little power to supply a nearly dead battery. You can fix a car with a bad battery by jump-starting it.
Here’s how you can effectively jump-start your dead car.
- For jump-starting your car, you will need an active or running car. Park the two cars nose-to-nose, some distance apart.
- Turn off the car engines and headlights and put on the parking brakes.
- Attach the jumper cables one by one. Connect the negative terminals of the car batteries first using the negative jumper cables.
- Connect the positive terminals of the car batteries using the positive jumper cables.
- Check the connections once more. Start the active car and let the dead car battery charge in an idle position.
- Try turning the headlights of the dead car on. If the lights work, it’s time to start the dead car. Before starting the dead car, remove the jumper cables in the opposite order of connecting them. Once the dead car starts, keep it running for at least 30 minutes.
Why won’t my car start but the radio and lights work?
When the car radio and lights are working but the car is not starting, the reason is a dying car battery.
A dying battery can power the electronic components of the car like radio and lights. However, this power is not sufficient enough to power the engine and start the car. To fix a dead battery, you can jump-start the car to power the battery. If the car battery is too old, it’s time to replace it with a new one.
Car won’t start, has no noise and no lights
When you turn the key and the car doesn’t start, it has no noise and no lights because the battery is unable to supply power to the lights and engine. It can be due to a bad battery or a faulty ignition switch. In addition to this, the poor connection among the wires between the ignition switch and battery can also cause the ‘car won’t start, no noise, no light’ condition.
- Try turning on the headlights of your car. If they glow, it means that the battery of the car is working fine and the ignition switch is faulty.
- If the car’s dashboard lights and other electrical components are not working, it indicates a dead battery. In this case, jump-starting your car is the way out of this scenario.
When I turn the car key, nothing happens
When you turn the car key and nothing happens, it is because the key switch is unable to send the signal to the battery.
It can also be due to a bad battery not having enough power to supply to the engine, or a solenoid not ramping up the power fed to it.
Let’s understand the working of the car components first. The car’s starting circuit consists of a battery, starter solenoid, electronic control box, starter, and an ignition switch.
The driver turns the key to start a car, which further commands the battery to supply power to the starter solenoid. The solenoid transfers this power to the starter motor of the car to turn it quickly.
This turning movement of the motor is translated to the car engine which then starts turning. This leads to the piston rising and falling in the engine block. It activates the fuel and ignites the engine to make it run on its own.
Here’s how you can fix the ‘when I turn car key, nothing happens’ condition.
- A low battery can be charged using a jumping method.
- A dead battery can be replaced with a new one.
- Loose cable connections of the battery can be checked and rectified.
- The bad starter solenoid of the starter circuit can be replaced.
- Bad ignition switches of the car can be repaired or replaced.
Why won’t my car start but the battery is good
If a car battery is good but your car doesn’t start, it can be due to a bad starter motor, bad timing belt, broken distributor cap, bad ignition coil, and clogged fuel filter.
Here’s how you can spot the issue and take the steps to fix it.
- The starter motor turns the engine and ignites it. The inability of the starter motor to ignite the engine causes the car not to start. You will need to replace the starter motor.
- The timing belts maintain the timely opening and closing of engine valves. If the belt fails, the car engine may need replacement.
- The distributor cap drives the voltage from the engine coil to the spark plugs. Clean the distributor cap with a soft cloth and replace it if is broken.
- An ignition coil is responsible for transforming the voltage of the car battery into a spark. A bad ignition coil should be tested with a multimeter.
- A clogged fuel filter prevents the fuel from reaching the engine. You will need to replace the fuel filter if it is clogged and is causing a ‘no start’ issue in the car.
Conclusion
As discussed in this article, there can be many reasons why your car isn’t starting. To come to a definite point of issue in your car, begin ruling out the possible reasons why your car isn’t starting.
If the lights turn on and the radio is working, then a dead battery can be the cause of the ‘no start’ condition of your car. To fix a car with a dead battery, you will need to give a jump-start to your car and the car will be good.
A bad ignition switch is unable to signal the car battery to transfer power to the starter. In this case, the ignition switch and the wires connected to the battery must be checked for current.
The car engine doesn’t start because of poor fuel transmission as well. This means that if the fuel filter is broken or damaged, especially if you drive your car to a near-empty point on the fuel gauge, the fuel filter is likely to get clogged with debris. This puts a hurdle in the path to the engine for fuel.
You must notice the car elements’ details in ‘no start’ scenario and take the corrective measures accordingly.