
Post Written By AutoPadre
If you're like me, you find it stressful and even a little embarrassing when your car takes a long time to start in the morning or after getting off work.
But why does my car take so long to start?
A vehicle taking a long time to start is most likely caused by a problem with the fuel system, such as a bad fuel pump, the charging system, such as a faulty battery, or the ignition system, such as fault ignition coils.
Other problems such as vacuum leaks, faulty sensors, or malfunctioning anti-theft devices can also cause hard starting.
Below are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and hone in on the system and part causing the problem.
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First off, I highly recommend buying an OBDII scanner. An OBDII scanner will detect trouble codes that your car's ECU (electronic control unit) returns out.
AN OBDII scanner is compatible with all makes and models post-1996 sold in the USA.
Cheap reliable scanners are available for around $20.
They plug into your car's OBDII port and then connect to an app on your phone via Bluetooth.
There are scanners compatible with IOS and/or Android.
Codes returned will often point directly to the charging, fuel, or ignition systems, making troubleshooting far more straightforward, less time-consuming, and cheaper!
Whether or not you have a scanner, you'll want to read through the rest of the article in its entirety to get familiar with the car's systems and how they could be causing your car to take a long time to start.
First off, we will have a look at the vehicle's charging system.
The charging system consists of:
As a battery ages, it loses its effectiveness as the chemicals get depleted.
Eventually, as the battery wears out, it will no longer be able to hold a charge large enough to start the car.
A poorly charged or worn-out battery can be why your car takes a long time to start.
The battery will not have the juice to crank the starter fast enough to develop the required momentum to start the engine.
Suppose a battery is worn or depleted. It is important to troubleshoot why! Is it just because it's old? Or is it because a faulty alternator is not charging it properly?
A simple way to check the battery is to turn the key over one click until your dash lights up, but the starter doesn't engage, and the car stays off.
Read the voltage gauge, and it should read about 12 Volts. If it reads less, it means your battery is weak.
Then turn the key one more click and start the engine. The voltage meter should now read 14 Volts. If it reads less, it's a good indication that your alternator and or battery are failing.
If you can't start the car, have someone jump-start it and let it run.
After it runs for a while, turn the car off, then try to restart it.
It points to a bad battery if the car doesn't restart as the alternator is providing a charge while the car is running, but the battery is not holding that charge.
The Alternator keeps the car's battery charged works with the battery to deliver electricity to the car's electrical components.
A bad or worn-out serpentine belt may cause the belt that drives the alternator to slip, leading to the alternator not spinning enough to fully charge the battery.
Check the belt for cracks or listen for belt squeal at the motor.
Bad diodes are a common cause of hard-starting.
The alternator's diodes convert the alternator's AC to DC to charge the battery.
If one or two diodes fail, you may still have enough power to charge the battery, but the battery will not get fully charged once a few more fail.
Brushes provide a contact from the car's battery to the alternator's coil to control the alternator's voltage output.
A foul smell like burning rubber or hot wires can mean the alternator is overheating, and it's time to replace it.
An electric motor provides the initial cranks to the car's engine to start it.
First, ensure there is voltage going to the starter! If no voltage reaches the starter, fix that first, as the starter is probably not the problem!
If you are sure there is voltage going to the starter, the following symptoms could be an indication of a bad starter:
A faulty starter could have multiple causes:
The wiring connects the various components of the car's electrical system
Look for melted wirings, disconnected connections, shorts, corrosion, etc.
Lousy wiring to the starter can cause a vehicle to take a long time to start or start inconsistently.
Two wires go to the starter:
If one of these wires is damaged or if there is a poor connection in the circuit, it can cause the vehicle to take a long time to start.
Bad wires or corroded terminals can prevent the battery from charging properly.
Inspect the wires for cracks, disconnect the fasteners from the battery, and clean the terminals with a wire brush.
If you have confirmed that you have a good battery, alternator, and starter, the fuel system is the next place to look.
The fuel system consists of a pump, filter, regulator, and injectors.
The pump pumps fuel through the filter and injectors and finally into the engine's combustion chamber.
To diagnose the fuel system, you can use a fuel line pressure gauge. Most fuel systems run between 35 and 45 psi.
With the gauge tied into the fuel line, the ignition is turned to the first position without turning the car on. Pressure should build instantly.
You turn the key back to the off position and monitor the pressure over 10 minutes, ensuring that pressure doesn't bleed off quickly. If pressure leaks off quickly, that could signify a faulty regulator or a faulty check valve in the fuel pump.
Low fuel pressure can cause hard starts because an insufficient amount of fuel is reaching the engine for combustion to occur.
This is called running lean. A number of things can cause low fuel pressure:
Fuel pump failure is quite common and they are pretty easy to troublshoot. Just follow these steps:
The fuel pressure regulator is the component responsible for regulating the pressure of the fuel pumped to the injectors.
Many regulators are vacuum powered, and some are electronically controlled.
If your car takes a long time to start, plus one of the following symptoms is occurring, you will want to dig in deeper and investigate your fuel pressure regulator.
There are a few common symptoms of a faulty regulator:
Helpful Hint: A quick diagnostic technique is to disconnect the vacuum hose from the end of the fuel regulator and see if any fuel leaks out of the regulator. Leaking fuel points to a diaphragm leak, and the regulator will need to be replaced.
To diagnose an injector first, you need a mechanic stethoscope, or a long thin rubber hose will work. Then do the following steps:
To check for a clogged injector, you need an injector tester. The tester simulates the injector system allowing you to diagnose each injector individually to find the clogged injector. You can then clean or replace the injector.
A vehicle's ignition system is often the reason why a vehicle takes a long time to start.
If your engine is flashing a check engine, check that first! It may give you a misfire code pinpointing the exact cylinder that is misfiring, saving you a ton of time troubleshooting!
Ignition systems in modern vehicles can be complicated and vary between vehicles, but a commonality is the ignition coils and spark plugs.
A fouled spark plug has a harder time igniting the fuel in the engine, which can cause your vehicle to take a long time to start.
You can check if you have spark with a spark light test tool available at all automotive parts stores.
Through the crankshaft and camshaft position sensors, modern cars use a computer to detect when the ignition system should deliver spark to the combustion chamber.
They will generally throw a code to the scanner if they fail.
A vacuum leak can lead to hard starts and/or rough idles.
To check for vacuum leaks, you can first visually inspect any cracked or disconnected hoses.
You can also use a smoke tool or carb cleaner to try for changes in idle.
Air Intake Tube can be torn or cracked.
This can lead to additional air entering the engine without the requisite increase in fuel, leading to long crank times at startup.
The car's MAF (mass air flow Sensor) can cause a mixture issue due to contamination.
You can often fix this by cleaning the MAF sensor with a can of MAF cleaner.
You can even try temporarily unplugging the sensor to see if the problem goes away or improves.
A Problem with the car's anti-theft system could be why the car won't start.
Some vehicles have an anti-theft system that consists of a chip in the key and a receiver inside the vehicle.
The key communicates with the receiver to let it know that it is the right key for the vehicle to start.
A car can be difficult to start when cold for a few reasons.
One reason is that the car's computers need time to calibrate themselves.
When a car's engine is warmed up and running consistently, the computer knows exactly when to provide fuel and spark. During startup, the computer may need a few moments to calibrate itself and figure out the proper spark and fuel timing.
The most obvious thing to do first is to see if a check engine light is on.
If so, you can use an OBD2 code reader to check your codes.
Google is your friend, and you can google your code to find out if it is related to difficult starts and what components may be causing the problem.
If your car takes a long time to start, it's essential to find out why before it leads to more significant problems and maybe leaves you stranded.
An OBDII scanner tool is probably worth the investment as it can save you time and money in diagnosis.
The are many possible causes why a vehicle is taking a long time to start, including problems with the fuel, charging, and/or ignition systems.
Luckily, it is possible to narrow down the cause with a bit of work.
However, it may be better to avoid the headache and just take your vehicle to a licensed mechanic for a professional diagnosis.
Post Written By AutoPadre
Post Written By AutoPadre
Post Written By AutoPadre