It’s a sinking feeling: You put the key in the ignition, turn it and … nothing happens. If this happens to you, listen closely. The sound your car makes—or doesn’t—is a clue to what’s going on under the hood, and whether you should call for a tow or try to fix it yourself.
Here are some of the most common issues, according to Richard Reina, product training director at CARiD.com, and what you should do about them.
No Sound, No Lights
It might be: A battery connection problem.
What to do: Check the cable connections at the battery. They may look fine, but see if you can twist and turn them by hand; if you can, the connection’s loose. Remove them, clean them with a paper towel or rag, reconnect (you’ll likely need a wrench to tighten down the clamps) and try again.
It might be: A dead battery.
What to do: Try a jump start. You’ll need cables and someone with a car to connect your battery to theirs. Here’s how to jump start your car.
No Sound But Dashboard Lights Go On
It might be: The car isn’t in park or neutral, or the switch on the side of the transmission has gone bad in the park position.
What to do: Move the gear to neutral and see if the car will start. Also try pushing the brake pedal (or clutch, in a car with a manual transmission).
It might be: A faulty starter motor, or your ignition switch or cables from the ignition to the starter aren’t working properly.
What to do: Call for a tow and get to a repair shop right away.
It might be: A problem with the key fob, like a bad transponder or a dead battery.
What to do: There should be an option to start your car even if the fob’s battery is totally dead. Check your owner’s manual.
Engine Makes A Clicking Sound
It might be: A weak battery.
What to do: Turn on the headlights. If they come on brightly, your battery is good and the clicking means you have either a bad connection or a bad starter. If the lights come on very dimly, the problem is a weak battery, and you should try a jump start.
Normal Cranking But Engine Won’t Fire
It might be: You’re out of gas, or running very low.
What to do: Call a service to bring you some fuel.
It might be: A flooded engine, if you have an older car with a carbureted engine. This happens when there’s too much fuel in the engine and the spark plugs are wet and won’t spark.
What to do: Hold the gas pedal all the way down and crank the engine; this will clear the fuel out of the combustion chamber.
It might be: A blown fuse for the fuel pump or ignition circuit.
What to do: When a fuse fails, it’s easy to spot—you’ll see the metal strip is broken and has a bit of black around it. Check your owner’s manual for the fuse box location and replace the fuse. Most car makers provide spare fuses in extra spaces in the fuse box.
A Slow, Dying Crank
It might be: A weak battery.
What to do: Try a jump. Then get to a mechanic as quickly as possible, because it’s only going to happen again.
A Crank With A Grinding Noise
It might be: The starter is not engaging the flywheel.
What to do: Cycle the key on and off three or four times; it should catch the flywheel and start. However, this means that you have broken teeth on your flywheel, so get your car to the shop right away.
Super-Fast Cranking With A Spinning Noise
It might be: A broken timing belt. The connection between the upper half and the lower half of the engine is broken. The pistons have no resistance, and they’re moving up and down faster than usual because some valves remain open.
What to do: Stop cranking immediately and call for a tow; this is a serious problem. To help prevent this problem, replace your timing belt as part of your regular maintenance.
If your car won’t start, hearing a tow truck is a welcome sound. Fortunately, it’s easy to call one with Emergency Roadside Service, available through the GEICO Mobile App. Another nice noise? Hearing that you could be paying less for car insurance from GEICO. Get a quote now and see if you could save!
Read more: The Extreme Weather Driving Guide
By Ellise Pierce
Illustrations by Curt Merlo
Maria Prata says,
Very helpful!! Thank you
Willie says,
Very useful.
I will try some of them if i need it
Glenn Legette says,
Very helpful…that’s whats up!!!
Criselda says,
Thank you do much for the helpful tips
Mary lee Wittling says,
Very nice,Thank you.
Mary lee Wittling says,
Very nice,
Salvatore Pernicano says,
Very good
Marie Anaidere Jacques says,
Thank you so much Geico customer we are the best your helping is very great for may God bless you all
Ronald Joseph says,
Thank you for the knowledge very helpful
Grace says,
Great timing. I’m going through this issue right now. Now I know what to do. Very helpful!
Evelyn Rios says,
Good to know some I knew others I didn’t. Good looking out for your customers. Thanks
Jenny jones says,
Thank you sooooo much for these tips
ada cabell says,
Thank you for this information I’ve had this problem twice and every time I had someone check my car out. First time I was told that I needed a new battery so I had them put new one in. Second time one of the battery cables looked really bad so I had them check it out and change if needed they cleaned the cable and said they couldn’t find anything wrong. So I’m hoping there wont be a third but just in case thank you for the information.
Abim Wessey says,
Thanks for the info.
M....... says,
Hi. My name is Michael Stokes. I work on cars and trucks in my spare time want to make a career of it.. I lean new things everyday.. Love working on vehicles until it becomes my own lol… Here is my question. I have a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L 2WD extended cab. I bought it from a lady it belonged to her late husband that passed away the truck sat for a couple years I started it right up after charging the battery for a few minutes. Passed emissions got her tagged and register been driving her for about a year now started misfireing and would shut off. But start right back up. Had a code pop up when I got home it shut off but started back up. I went ahead and done a oil change thin tried to chank her up she wouldn’t start checking the code found that the Cam sensor AND OR crankshaft sensor was bad. I replaced the Cam senor and rotor button code went away but still wouldn’t start.. So I replaced the crankshaft position sensor still wouldn’t start so I pulled the new crankshaft sensor out and it was broken already within 5 minutes of replacing and trying to start her up.. Would it be that I put it in wrong and it hit the flywheel??? Or could my flywheel be broken and it caused my new 100$ waist of a senior to break?? Please I really need help have to fix my truck only vehicle I have and have a baby on the way need to get my wife back and forth to the doctors and I need to get to work.. PLEASE LET ME KNOW I AM OUT OF OPTIONS AND DON’T HAVE THE MONEY FOR A MECHANIC SHOP THAT SAYS THEY CAN’T FIX IT AND THEY STILL CHARGED ME 300 to tow the truck to there shop 200 to look at it and alot extra that they claimed to do… And I had to pay 350 to tow it back home.. I have spent over 1200 in a month and could have gotten a new vehicle.. But that’s out of the questions now. Please someone help me I don’t know what else to do
Eldridge Sirls says,
Find you a good mechanic first. Make sure he’s reputable. Reasonable and reliable. Get your truck fixed. That’s a one time repair. A new car will cost you at minimum, 5 years. Do the math!!