3 Reason Why Your Car’s Engine Won’t Start | Carson Cars

What’s worse than rushing around to get out the door to make it work on time? How about the engine on your car no turning over? There are numerous thing that can go wrong with the myriad of components that combine to make a car’s engine operate. Understanding the basic operation of the engine, you will discover there are three primary problems that can keep your car’s engine from running. The Everett Engine Repair Experts at Carson Cars explain the fundamental issues:

Bad Fuel Mix

According to automotive experts, up to 85% of gasoline sold at fuel stations in the United States contains less than 10% of the recommended amount of deposit control additives! With odds like that, chances are, your vehicle is operating with a bad fuel mix. Also, it is not uncommon for the stated octane levels to be incorrect (intentional deception!)

So, what happens with repeated, continual use of bad fuel? The Mukilteo Engine Repair Specialists at Carson Cars point out that over time the fuel injectors can clog, causing:

inadequate fuel supply, causing disruption in combustion
spray patterns disrupted, which interferes with fuel atomization

When the injectors cannot atomize the fuel properly, your car’s engine may hesitate or stall when you accelerate (in this case, attempt to accelerate). As little as an 8% to 10% restriction can cause a disruption in fuel delivery, causing the engine to misfire. A major concern is that a reduced (lean) fuel mixture can be a hazard when operating your vehicle under heavy loads; the dirty injector can increase the risk of detonation.

No Compression

Combustion within your vehicle’s engine requires that the fuel/air combination be sufficiently compressed. The primary reasons for decreased or lack of compression are:

Worn piston rings – allowing the fuel/air mixture to leak around the piston during compression
Worn valve seals – allowing the fuel/air mixture to leak around the piston during compression
Faulty cylinder seal – causing leaks

One common cylinder failure occurs between the cylinder head (top of cylinder that holds the valves and spark plugs) and the cylinder body. Usually, the cylinder head is bolted to the cylinder, with a thin gasket sandwiched between the pieces. The gasket provides a good seal between the cylinder and the cylinder head. Small holes can develop between the cylinder and the head if the gasket deteriorates, which causes leaking.

No Spark

The fuel/air mixture in your car’s engine is ignited by the spark produced from the spark plugs. If one or more plug or wire are fouled, you may notice also notice an increase in fuel consumption in addition to the misfiring of the spark.

Spark plugs can be fouled from deposits of oil or fuel. If the valve seals or guides are worn, or the cylinder seal is bad, oil can be leaked into the combustion chamber. Should you notice a heavy layer of black deposits on the intake valve or the spark plugs, this could indicate leaking oil.

If your car’s engine runs, but misfires, it could be due to:

one or more fouled spark plug(s)
one or more worn spark plug(s)
one or more fouled spark plug wire(s)
one or more worn/disconnected spark plug wire(s)

The Spark Plug Specialists at Carson Cars can diagnose an intermittent spark problem using an oscilloscope. Once the problem is located, the spark plug(s) and/or wire(s) will be replaced to restore your car’s engine performance.

If the majority of your driving is short distances, or if you spend a lot of time idling, this can cause excessive and rapid fouling of spark plugs. This is because the spark plugs do not get hot enough to burn off the normal deposits.

For Engine, Alternator & Starter Repair & Service in Everett, Mukilteo, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Snohomish, Washington contact carson auto repair.

Call Us: (425) 905-2460

3 Reason Why Your Car’s Engine Won’t Start | Carson Cars

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