2014 Ford Flex.?ÿ Wife comes in Friday morning, car won't start, click click click.?ÿ I say sounds like dead battery.
I go out there turn key to start, it cranks really strong but never starts.?ÿ Try 2 or 3 times.
Tow to the guy who has taken care of our cars for 23 years, this guy is great, never had all the issues like we had with the other poorly trained mechanics like we used to have up until the late 90s.?ÿ So far the car is behaving for him.?ÿ He did have a little trouble this morning but then it seems to have fixed itself.?ÿ The only thing apparent is a battery cable with sensor which has too much resistance but he says that wouldn't cause it to not start.?ÿ He's going to troubleshoot some more tomorrow.
In the 1990s we had 80s vintage Volvo DL wagons, 2 of them.?ÿ The world's most temperamental cars.?ÿ We had a Volvo specialist but I think he was mostly self-taught, not a diagnostician.?ÿ Both of them developed an intermittent dying problem (usually in the middle of an intersection).?ÿ They always started again but sometimes after some cranking or repeated attempts.?ÿ Very frustrating.?ÿ One time I come out of the office at the end of the day, stupid car won't start.?ÿ Tow it over to mechanic.?ÿ He was a smart *ss among other things.?ÿ Tow truck drops it, mechanic gets in, stupid car starts right up.?ÿ He gets out all sarcastic "there's nothing wrong with this car." That is one of the incidents that is the reason I dumped Volvo and never went back to that guy.?ÿ Sorry sarcasm directed at me is not what I want to hear when I just had the damned car towed because it wouldn't start, I'm not making this stuff up, it's not like it's fun having stupid car towed to mechanic so I can spend hundreds of dollars not fixing the problem.?ÿ But I'm not bitter.
One of the Volvos it turned out to be one of the computers, one day it started and had severe knocking.?ÿ Turn off, start it again to reboot it and it ran fine.?ÿ I tell mechanic, he says that is whichever computer controls the fuel mixture and spark.?ÿ That fixed that one.?ÿ Got rid of the other one when the brakes went totally flat on me approaching an red signal at an intersection.?ÿ The brakes came back.?ÿ It wasn't like the typical thing where you pump and get something, there was absolutely nothing then it was fine, worked great, would stop on a dime.?ÿ I said that's it, lets go get a reliable car.
Ever since 1999 we've been driving Fords and this "new" guy has taken care of them for us.?ÿ He's frustrated, trying to figure out what happened.?ÿ It didn't throw any codes.?ÿ Hopefully he can figure it out tomorrow.
Fix
Or
Repair?ÿ
Daily?ÿ
Mopar or no car?ÿ
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@dougie that has not been my experience.
Ford did buy Volvo.
The car looks vaguely like a Volvo.
My 2005 F150 has been absolutely trouble free except for the time a tree fell on the bed (the one time I parked nose in, if I had backed in it would've crushed the engine compartment).
My work truck is a Dodge RAM2500.?ÿ It replaced a far superior truck, an F250.?ÿ They've already replaced the rear end once under warranty.?ÿ It's already whirring again.?ÿ The interiror is cheaper looking too.?ÿ I personally would not buy anything made by Chrysler. One positive note...truck is a rocket, really goes when you open the throttle.
@dave-karoly wiring harness rubbing on exhaust or frame causing an intermittent short??ÿ I've seen this several times.
Cracked spark plug wire, too fine to visually see. Every time it rains and humidity jumps, car won't start. Couple hours later after sun comes out and having it towed the mechanic, fires right up without hesitation. Mechanic says nothing wrong with it. A vague recollection of a click and clack show and I picked up new spark plug wires from NAPA and put them in myself. 97 RAV4 with 300k+ miles and still runs like a champ.
If the vehicle turns over but won't start, there are many things it could be. Failure to turn over is not so complicated.
Off-again, on-again cranking problems can be due to a bad battery connection. It's generally due to gunk or corrosion at the point where the cables join the battery posts. It's more common with top post batteries than with side posts. Sometimes the bad cable connection gets hot due to resistance.
A simple test from the old "Motor" manual, circa 1965. Turn on the headlights and try to start it. If the lights go dim, it's the battery, the cables, or the cable connections. If the lights stay bright, the problem is in the starter circuit or the starter itself.
This test still works on newer vehicles, despite all their electronics. I used it last week.
Cracked spark plug wire, too fine to visually see. Every time it rains and humidity jumps, car won't start. Couple hours later after sun comes out and having it towed the mechanic, fires right up without hesitation. Mechanic says nothing wrong with it. A vague recollection of a click and clack show and I picked up new spark plug wires from NAPA and put them in myself. 97 RAV4 with 300k+ miles and still runs like a champ.
Because of Click & Clack I know what to do if I have a car with engine which won't start but good brakes and a second car with a good engine but no brakes...
Tow the car with good brakes with the car with no brakes, the car with good brakes slows and stops them, the other car pulls them.
@williwaw I'm not sure who contributed to society more, Einstein or Click and Clack.
My WAG is that there is something going on with the ignition key/switch.
I did own a few old ford trucks that were pretty decent; Grampa owned an old Ford truck that he drove until he sold the farm.
Dodge or GMC have always been my favorite.
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1972 chevy shortbed K10.?ÿ Spark and fuel.?ÿ 73 they added a clutch engage switch that made me not ever want a new fangled machine.?ÿ :). Jp?ÿ?ÿ
@jp7191 one of my parent's friends had a truck with the plastic arm which rode on the clutch.?ÿ SQUEEEK SQUEEK every time the clutch was engaged.
My go to solution for anything is going to my contacts list in my phone.?ÿ Try C first.?ÿ If he doesn't answer, call J.?ÿ If he doesn't answer, call Z, son of J.?ÿ DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT allow me to attempt to solve it on my own.?ÿ My mechanic skills rival that of the goofball in the Liberty Mutual commercials with the emu.?ÿ He is laying under a car and tells the emu to give him a ratchet wrench or something, so the emu gives him a teddy bear.?ÿ Repeat with some other tool request that results in being given something weird.?ÿ Guy comes out from under car with a transaxle or something.
My most recent car mystery was an intermittent crank, no start. Crank sensor code, and having to change plugs every week. After exhausting everything I could think of and read about, I took it to a mechanic with an excellent reputation. They replace the coils and it was fine(they thought). Until I tried to take it home. Anyway, $1200 later they sent the car home with the same symptoms. After getting a partial refund, I did more research and trial & error methods. I replaced the injector?ÿ o-rings based on a vague mention in a car forum. Purred like a kitten for a few months until something let go internally and locked the engine down.?ÿ
I have a 2014 GMC Sierra.?ÿ Yesterday, I get to the office and when I walk behind my truck, I see that the back-up lights are on.?ÿ After a quick google search, it is more than likely caused by a relay in the fuse box.?ÿ The problem is that the relay is in the form of a PCB instead of an interchangeable part.?ÿ $280 fix for what should be a $3 fix.
When ever I hear a no start problem my first thing is to load test the battery. ?ÿI worked on cars a lot more in the past but I still do. ?ÿFor years I didn??t own a load tester but finally bought one about 10 years ago. ?ÿLess than $50. ?ÿThere are an amazing amount of problems caused by a weak battery to poor start conditions to the vehicle not running right to electrical gremlins. ?ÿThat said if the battery checks out it could be about a dozen things, starter, relay, ignition switch etc.?ÿ
The problem seems to have cured itself, at least for now.
Maybe towing vibrated whatever it was back into position. Maybe the car has a soul and just wanted personal attention, who knows.
