Cars & Trucks Logo

Related Topics:

Anonymous Posted on Jul 18, 2013

My car won't start when it gets really hot outside

My car randomly won't start when it gets really hot outside. It won't even turn over but the air conditioning and radio and everything electronic works so it's not the battery.

2 Answers

brandolee

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Corporal:

An expert that has over 10 points.

  • Contributor 6 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 18, 2013
brandolee
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Corporal:

An expert that has over 10 points.

Joined: Mar 27, 2013
Answers
6
Questions
1
Helped
16393
Points
14

First, make sure you have good clean battery terminals. A malformed, loose, or corroded terminal will act like a resistor and may let accessories work but will intermittently keep from supplying the current needed by the starter just like you're describing.
Still, don't assume battery is good just because a few accessories are working. All vehicles require much more current to engage the starter and turn the engine over than it does to run accessories.
With a simple multimeter set to DC Voltage you can diagnose the related systems. The three main components of a starting/charging system are 1)Battery 2) Alternator 3)Starter
Next would be to note the voltage of the battery with key off, engine NOT running. This should be 12 Volts give or take a few tenths a volt. Battery is considered low if anything less than 11.33 Volts.
Then start the vehicle. Check and note battery voltage while running you should see between 13.5 and 14 Volts. Anything less than 13 Volts would indicate a charging system problem.
Next, with engine NOT running...disconnect the Negative terminal of the battery. Check and note the voltage again. Is it the same as when connected? Should be. If the voltage goes up AT ALL. I'm talking like .1 range. Then there's a internal draw...and that's another discussion...lol..
Otherwise a good battery can be fully charged, and when left DISCONNECTED from vehicle over night will read the EXACT same voltage as 12 hours previous. If it looses even 1/2 a volt it is bad. (I've seem to have had this happen with any battery I've ever bought from Advance!)
Once these steps have been completed and if you still are having issues then diagnostic procedures would have to be performed for starter next.
hope this helps! :)

Stephen

Level 3:

An expert who has achieved level 3 by getting 1000 points

Top Expert:

An expert who has finished #1 on the weekly Top 10 Fixya Experts Leaderboard.

Superstar:

An expert that got 20 achievements.

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

  • Cars & Trucks Master 21,873 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 18, 2013
 Stephen
Cars & Trucks Master
Level 3:

An expert who has achieved level 3 by getting 1000 points

Top Expert:

An expert who has finished #1 on the weekly Top 10 Fixya Experts Leaderboard.

Superstar:

An expert that got 20 achievements.

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

Joined: Jun 22, 2012
Answers
21873
Questions
0
Helped
6209941
Points
67230

Could be a bad connection, or the starter.
Have you checked to see if the starter is getting power when the key switch is in the start position ?

Ad

Add Your Answer

×

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

×

Loading...
Loading...

Related Questions:

0helpful
2answers

Car won't start when it gets really hot outside

Could be the battery if it is over 4 years old
Could be the starter or it's solenoid
Only use the battery to turn the starter ,so
it has to be able to provide 300 amps or more
Don't think the problem is heat related,more of a
voltage drop issues or lack of current.
0helpful
2answers
0helpful
1answer

My 98 taurus se 24valve dohc 3.0 shifts fine when started and driving but when its hot outside and i drive for more than 30 minutes my ****** will not engage but when i turn it off and let cool i can

it's possible that you may just need to replace the filter and trans fluid maybe as it gets hot it won't let fluid through do to a clogged filter
0helpful
1answer

Why does my 1994 honda civic ex not start only when it is hot outside?

My first guess would be the fuel pump relay or the ignition module.
Look for something that gets hot and fails like a relay or electrical part.
When it won't start, check for spark at the plugs and the fuel pressure.
0helpful
1answer

AC stops blowing when really hot

Be sure the ac fan (mounted on the condenser) is working properly
0helpful
1answer

My car will randomly not start. I'm putting the right key in and it will turn over, the dash lights and radio comes on but it won't even try to start. After a few attempts it will start. Happ

No--- the car has to be in the hands of an experienced
mechanic & one that has reference material for your
car,so it can be diagnosed
0helpful
1answer

Car randomly won't start

first thing to do is to add a relay in your starter. relay should be connected to the solenoid of your starter then giving it addition amperes to let the starter motor running.

if adding a relay does not do the trick. replace the carbons bushings in your starter.

another problem should be your ignition timing. if you are experiencing hard starting only when the engine is hot, then your ignition timing is overly advanced.
1helpful
1answer

P0300 Engine Code Ford ZX2 2002 ZTEC dual over head cam engine. Has 107K miles. Has new plugs, Only thing I really notice is when I turn on AC the car seems to stumble at steady speeds, especially...

P0300 Random Misfire

Misfires can be caused by worn or fouled spark plugs, a weak spark (weak coil, bad spark plug wire), loss of compression, vacuum leaks, anything that causes an unusually lean fuel mixture (lean misfire), an EGR valve that is stuck open, dirty fuel injectors, low fuel pressure, or even bad fuel.

A Random Misfire code usually indicates a vacuum leak or bad gas.

NOTE: If a misfire in a specific cylinder should lead you to check the spark plug, fuel injector and compression.
0helpful
2answers

Chevy blazer wont start 2002

if it turns over there are a cocuple of things to check. crankshaft sensor and the coil pack maybe the computer.id start with the crankshaft sensor
Not finding what you are looking for?

54 views

Ask a Question

Usually answered in minutes!

Top Cars & Trucks Experts

ZJ Limited
ZJ Limited

Level 3 Expert

17989 Answers

john h

Level 3 Expert

29494 Answers

Arnie Burke
Arnie Burke

Level 3 Expert

7339 Answers

Are you a Car and Truck Expert? Answer questions, earn points and help others

Answer questions

Manuals & User Guides

Loading...