Family Cars Information

Engine cranks normally, but it does not fire

You turn the key to start and hear the starter motor crank the engine, but when you release the key, the cranking stops and there is silence.  This means that the battery and starting motor are working properly, but the engine is not firing.  If you continue cranking the engine over in this way, the battery will eventually run down and will need to be recharged, but the battery and starter are not the cause of your problem.

There are a number of causes for this type of no-start condition, the most common being that you are simply out of gas.  Assuming that you have fuel in the tank, you will need to go through a series of tests to determine what is causing the problem.  The testing procedure requires that you use specialized equipment in order to determine the problem area.  There are three main tests in order to get you pointed in the right direction.  You will need to test for Spark, Fuel and Compression, in that order.  As soon as you see a problem in one of those areas, that is where you will need to concentrate your efforts.