Why Won't My Car Start

Reasons Why Your Vehicle Won't Start

When you turn the key and nothing happens, it can leave you with a sinking feeling. It’s important to keep your head high though, as you might only need a simple fix to get your model moving again. When you need a helping hand near Abilene, Sweetwater, or Roscoe, you’re going to want to head to Stanley Ford Sweetwater, where we can test your battery and diagnose your model if needed. 

Draining Your Battery

When you’re stuck with a vehicle that won’t start, it’s important to find out why it died in the first place. The answer you’re looking for might be as simple as a door that’s slightly open, which could have triggered your cabin lights. When your vehicle is off, there’s no way to generate any new electricity, which is why your battery might eventually run out of voltage to work with. If you routinely have passengers in your vehicle, you may want to give it a quick check before you leave it for the night so that you can make sure you don’t run into issues. When a drained battery is your only issue, a jumpstart is usually the best course of action. This will give your vehicle the power it needs to hopefully start, and you might find that it solves all your issues. You’re still going to want to make sure that you get your battery tested though as if you’re running into this issue often, there’s likely something else at play. 

Managing Your Battery 

Your battery can be finicky at times, so when a jumpstart isn’t enough to get your car moving again, you’re going to want to be on the lookout for symptoms like:

• Your Battery May Have Reached the End of Its Life
• Your Terminals May Be Corroded
• Your Terminals Are Loose

You’ll be able to identify two of these by sight alone, but if your battery really is getting too old for the job, the only way to get a definitive answer is through testing. When you remove your battery from your model, you’ll be able to bring it to Stanley Ford Sweetwater. Here, we have tools like voltmeters, which will give you an accurate assessment of your current battery’s health. This can let you know if a simple recharge is all you need, or if you’re going to want to look for a replacement. 

A Bigger Problem

When your battery checks out fine but your vehicle still doesn’t start, you might have a bigger problem on your hands. Your battery relies on multiple systems to keep operating, so you may be having issues with your:

• Serpentine Belt: This belt runs throughout your vehicle and provides mechanical energy to your alternator. If your belt is nearing its end, you’ll likely hear squeaking or other sounds when driving, and your other systems may be affected.
• Alternator: This part generates power for your model as you drive. If your battery continually dies for seemingly no reason, it may be that it’s not receiving any power from your alternator itself. 
• Or Other Parts

Your electric system is vast, with a lot of moving parts. When you want to make sure that your vehicle is safe to drive again, you’ll want to have it towed to Stanley Ford Sweetwater, where our mechanics will see to it.