6 Reasons Your Car Is Hard To Start After Sitting For A Short Time: Archer Volkswagen Maintenance Tips
When you go to turn your key and your car won't start, most drivers instinctively blame a bad battery -- but what if your car has only been sitting for a few hours? If you just came back from a trip and your car started up fine, there's no reason why the battery should suddenly be dead. That means something else is making it difficult to start your car.
We can help figure it out at Archer Volkswagen! Our service team has compiled a list of the most common things that can cause this problem. However, this list is by no means exhaustive, so be sure to consult with one of our talented technicians to find out exactly what's wrong with your car. Below, we'll give you a little insight into what could be going wrong.
6. Wheel Lock Engaged
Most of the time when your car isn't easy to start, it's because nothing happens when you turn the key -- but what if your key refuses to turn in the first place? That could be because you engaged the wheel lock accidently. When you turn the steering wheel with the engine off and the key removed, the steering wheel will lock in place. This lock will also prevent the key from being turned as an anti-theft measure. To release this lock, you'll have to turn the steering wheel slightly to release the tension on the ignition.
5. Malfunctioning Anti-Theft Immobilizer
Another anti-theft mechanism can make your car difficult or impossible to start: the anti-theft immobilizer. This system detects a chip in your key and allows the engine to start. If a key is inserted without this chip, the key won't turn. If this system malfunctions, the ignition may not detect the key and won't let you start the car. To fix this, you may need a new key or a fix to the anti-theft immobilizer.
4. Bad Intake
In order to start the engine, you'll need an impulse from the starter -- that cranking noise you hear when you turn the key -- plus the right amount of air, fuel and a spark in the engine.
If the mass airflow sensor or O2 sensors aren't working correctly, the throttle body is clogged with excess carbon or if the engine air filter is very clogged, you might not get enough air into the engine. This can make your car hard to start -- but, once you start driving, the forward momentum of your car means it'll run like normal. To get your car starting up quickly and easily, stop by Archer VW and our technicians can hook you up with a new engine air filter or other repair.
3. Fouled Spark Plugs
Inside each of your engine's cylinders, a spark will fire to ignite the air/fuel mixture. It's the resulting explosions that create the power that moves your car. However, if your spark plugs are old and worn out, or they've been fouled with carbon build-up or engine oil, a spark may not fire consistently. That can make your car hard to start, and it can make your engine run roughly and inefficiently, too. If your car is hard to start, belching black smoke from the tailpipe and idling roughly, new spark plugs may be in order.
2. Bad Starter
The starter is a small motor that spins a gear called a pinion gear. When you turn the key, the pinion gear engages with the engine's flywheel and begins to spin. That's the initial push that lets the engine begin running under its own power.
Over time, the teeth on that pinion gear can wear down and not mesh properly with the flywheel. You may need to try several times before the engine will start. To fix this problem, we'll simply need to replace or repair the starter.
1. Low Fuel Pressure
At the end of the day, the most common reason that your car might not start up easily, even if it's only been sitting for a few hours, is low fuel pressure. If the engine's fuel injectors aren't getting enough fuel, combustion can't begin in the engine and it won't start running on its own.
There are all sorts of things that can cause low fuel pressure in your car. From a failing fuel pump to a clogged fuel filter, from a leaking gas tank to dirty fuel injectors, we can fix them all at the Archer Volkswagen service department! If your car is hard to start, performs poorly or even dies on the road, you could need work on the fuel system.