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If the Engine Won’t Start
Diagnosing why the engine won’t
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position:
Turn the ignition switch to the
START (III) position. If the
Nothing Happens or the Starter
Motor Operates Very Slowly
When you turn the ignition switch to
the START (III) position, you do not
hear the normal noise of the engine
trying to start. You may hear a
clicking sound or series of clicks, or
nothing at all.
headlights do not dim, check the
condition of the fuses. If the fuses
are OK, there is probably
something wrong with the
You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine’s starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
electrical circuit for the ignition
switch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to
determine the problem (see
Emergency Towing on page 242 ).
Check these things:
Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed
all the way to the floor or the
starter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or neutral.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine
does not start up and run.
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the
engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of the
battery and terminal connections
(see page 217 ). You can then try
jump starting the vehicle from a
booster battery (see page 229 ).
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. Turn on the
headlights, and check their
brightness. If the headlights are
very dim or do not come on at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jump Starting on page 229 .
227
