Why Won't My Car Start??

Winter weather is tough on vehicles. When temperature drops below freezing and you get in one morning and turn the key, only to find your vehicle won’t start. What are you supposed to do? WHY CARS AND COLD WEATHER DON’T GET ALONG.... We tend to think about our vehicles as machines, but there’s also a lot of chemistry involved. Car problems related to the cold are usually caused by a combination of chemical and mechanical malfunctions. A battery that worked fine during the spring, summer and fall can fail as the mercury drops. Your battery runs on a chemical process, one that gets slowed down by low temperatures. The colder it gets, the less power the battery will produce. If your battery’s condition is marginal, it may not be able to start your vehicle as temperatures drop toward single digits. When you turn the key, you may hear the starter running very slowly, or not at all. If you think your battery might be at fault, kill everything else that would draw power from it. Turn off the lights, the heater and the stereo. Unplug any phone chargers. And, if you have a manual transmission, hold the clutch down. If you think your battery might be at fault, kill everything else that would draw power from it. Turn off the lights, the heater and the stereo. Unplug any phone chargers. And, if you have a manual transmission, hold the clutch down. Now turn the key in the ignition, or push the start button. Hold it for about 10 seconds, but no longer. If all goes well, your engine should start. If not, wait a few minutes and try again. If this doesn’t work, try to tighten or clean your battery cables, or get a jumpstart. If you have some timeyou can remove the battery and take it indoors where it can warm up. If all else fails... get a tow to your mechanic.