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Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III):
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to
START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things:
Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page
A key that is not properly coded
will cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly.
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the floor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral.
If Your Engine Won't Start
Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Check the voltmeter reading. Turn
on the headlights and check their
brightness. If the voltmeter does
not register and the headlights are
very dim or don't light at all, the
battery is discharged. See
Starting
on page
If the voltmeter reads normally
and the headlights are bright, turn
the key to START (III) then
63
).
release it.
If the headlights do not dim, check
the condition of the fuses. If the
fuses are OK, there is probably
something wrong with the
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem.(See
Emergency Towing
Taking Care of the Unexpected
Jump
251
.
on page
268
.)
CONTINUED
249
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