Car won't start? What to check first before you ring anyone
A car that won't start is nearly always telling you what is wrong. Here is how to read the symptoms and decide between a jump start and a recovery.
A car won't start and you have somewhere to be. Before you ring anyone, spend one minute listening to what the car does when you turn the key, because the sound (or the silence) narrows the problem down fast. Most of the no-start calls we get around Kilkenny are a flat battery, and a flat battery is a ten-minute job. A few are something else, and for those a jump start is a waste of your time and money.
This guide goes through the four common symptoms, what you can safely check yourself in the car park, when a jump start will fix it, when the car needs to go on the truck, and what a roadside visit costs in general terms.
Listen first: what the car is telling you
Turn the key or press the start button and pay attention to three things: whether the dash lights come on, whether you hear a click, and whether the engine turns over. Those three answers split nearly every no-start into one of the groups below.
Car won't start, just clicking
One loud click, or a fast rattle of clicks, with the dash lights dimming at the same time, is the classic flat battery. There is enough power to pull the starter solenoid in but not enough to turn the engine. If the clicking is a single solid clunk every time and the lights stay bright, the battery is probably fine and the starter motor itself is the suspect.
Nothing at all, no lights, no sound
A completely dead car is usually a battery that has gone fully flat, a loose or corroded battery terminal, or a main fuse or earth lead problem. Check the terminals first. If the clamp moves when you push it, that is your problem.
Dash lights on but no crank
Lights and chimes work normally, you turn the key, and nothing happens. The battery has enough power for the electronics, so look at the obvious blockers: an automatic that is not fully in Park or Neutral, a manual that needs the clutch pressed to the floor, a steering lock that has jammed (wiggle the wheel while turning the key), or an immobiliser not reading the key. If none of those apply, the starter motor or its wiring is the likely fault.
Cranks but won't fire
The engine turns over at normal speed but never catches. The battery is doing its job, so a jump start will not help. This is a fuel, spark or sensor problem: empty tank (gauges lie), a failed fuel pump, a crank sensor, flooded plugs on an older petrol, or wrong fuel if someone filled it recently. A diesel that cranks and will not fire in cold weather is often glow plugs or air in the fuel system.
Car won't start but the battery is fine
This is the one that catches people out. Headlights are bright, the radio works, the battery was replaced last year, so it must be something expensive. Not always. A battery can show a healthy voltage and still collapse the moment the starter asks for real current, especially after a cold night. The only way to know is a proper load test, which we carry on the truck.
If the battery genuinely passes the test and the car still will not crank, the fault is usually the starter motor, the solenoid, a corroded earth strap or the ignition switch. These are garage jobs, not roadside jobs, and the honest answer is a recovery to your mechanic rather than a jump start that will not work.
Car won't start in the cold
The first frosty morning of the year is our busiest morning. Cold cuts a battery's available power by a large margin and thickens the engine oil at the same time, so a battery that was marginal in September gives up in November. If the car was slow to crank for the last few weeks, that was the warning.
Diesels suffer more. If the glow plug light goes out and the engine cranks for ages, then fires with a cloud of white smoke, the glow plugs are tired. Wait for the light to go out before cranking, and do not crank for more than ten seconds at a time or you will flatten the battery and cook the starter. If a jump start gets you going on a cold morning, get the battery tested that week.
What you can safely check yourself
None of this needs tools and none of it will make things worse. Work through the list before you ring, because the answers will help whoever comes out.
- Is the car in Park or Neutral, and is the clutch fully pressed on a manual?
- Do the dash lights come on, and do they dim or go out when you turn the key?
- Are the battery terminals tight and free of white or green crust?
- Is there fuel in it? Check the trip distance since the last fill, not just the gauge.
- Did anyone else fill the car recently, and could it be the wrong fuel?
- Has the steering lock jammed? Turn the wheel firmly while turning the key.
- Try the spare key. A flat fob battery or a damaged key chip will stop an immobiliser.
- Were lights, a dashcam or a phone charger left on overnight?
When to ring for a jump start in Kilkenny
If the symptoms point to the battery (clicking, dimming lights, slow cranking, a car that sat for a week or two), a jump start is the right call and it is the cheapest call. We are in Kilkenny city in twenty to thirty minutes most of the day, and the job itself takes a few minutes. We test the battery and the charging system while we are there, so you leave knowing whether this was a one-off or whether a new battery is due.
Kilkenny Recovery Truck comes out for jump starts in car parks, driveways, the train station and the hospital car parks as often as on the roadside. Ring 087 288 2280 and tell us the symptoms. If it sounds like something a jump will not fix, we will say so before anyone moves.
When it needs recovery, not a jump
Some no-starts should go straight on the flatbed. A car that cranks normally but will not fire is one, because the fix is in the fuel or ignition system. A car that has been filled with the wrong fuel is another, and it should not be started at all. A starter motor that has failed, a timing belt that has snapped (the engine will crank unusually fast and freely), or a car that has been sitting for months with flat tyres and old fuel are all better off being carried to a garage.
We also recover rather than attempt a fix on the motorway. If your car dies on the M9, we take it to the next junction and look at it there, every time. That is the only safe way to work on the hard shoulder.
What a roadside visit costs, in general terms
A jump start within Kilkenny city is usually the smallest bill we send. There is no call-out fee and no membership, and the price is agreed on the phone before the truck leaves Three Castles. A jump start at the far end of the county costs a bit more because of the distance, and a recovery to a garage costs more again because of the time and the kilometres involved. If the battery is finished, we will tell you, and the battery itself is the real cost rather than our visit.
Card, cash or bank transfer all work, and whatever you are quoted is what you pay. One thing worth knowing: if your insurance includes breakdown cover, ring the insurer's assistance line first, because the cover normally only pays for help they send, not for a recovery you arrange yourself. If you have no cover, or they quote you a two-hour wait in a cold car park, ring us.
Questions people ask about this
My car won't start and is clicking. Is it definitely the battery?
Usually, yes. Fast clicking with dimming dash lights means the battery cannot deliver enough current to turn the engine. A single solid click with bright lights is more likely the starter motor, which a jump start will not fix.
Can I jump start a car that cranks but won't start?
No, and it will not help. If the engine is turning over at normal speed the battery is fine and the problem is fuel, spark or a sensor. That car needs a mechanic, so a recovery is the right call.
How long does a jump start take in Kilkenny?
Within Kilkenny city we are usually with you in twenty to thirty minutes and the jump itself takes a few minutes. We test the battery and alternator before we leave so you know whether to expect a repeat.
Will a jump start damage my car's electronics?
Done correctly, with good leads or a jump pack connected in the right order, no. Done badly, with leads touched together or connected backwards, it can blow fuses or damage control units. If you are not sure, leave it to us.