I've been having occasional trouble starting my truck lately. Thought maybe anyone here (or your husband!) might be a mechanic, or have heard of this problem before & might be able to tell me some things to have checked!
The battery is OK. Everything turns on, the truck tries to start but just doesn't.
Here's what's happened each time so far:
1. It didn't start one morning, so I left it alone. Few hours later we tried it again & it worked.
2. It was a little low on gas (warning light hadn't come on yet) and didn't start. So, we tried adding a couple gallons of gas and it started!
3. We had stopped at a gas station, *filled* the tank, and then it wouldn't start! We pulled out the fuses for the fuel pump & stuck them back in (may have swapped one with another, I'm not sure) and it started.
4. My brother borrowed the truck, got to his destination, tried to leave & it wouldn't start. It was, again, kinda low on gas, so I told him to try adding some. That worked!
5. This morning it wouldn't start :( It has about half a tank of gas. It was raining & I was running late trying to get my daughter to school, so I didn't try anything with it yet. Ugh, so frustrating :(
Any ideas? I'm no mechanic, but I'm confused on it's different situations & outcomes! At first I thought maybe it was just because it was low on gas - sensor messed up or something & it couldn't get the gas to start. But with a full tank??? So then we thought the fuses. I dunno :( May we should replace the fuses??
Thanks for any tips!
S.
PS. In case it matters - it's a 2006 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab truck :) Bought from CarMax a few years ago. Never have had any major problems with it before.
Update - Husband just tried to start it and it started right up for him! bah... lol This is 1 hour after I was trying so hard to start it this morning :(
Thanks for all the info so far!!!
When I try to start it, everything seems normal. I turn the key, lights & radio & stuff come on, it tries to turn over, but it just never starts. No clicks or anything.
My dad wonders if the fuel pump fuse is not keeping a good connection. He is going to try to look at it this afternoon. I also have a friend who highly recommends a mechanic, so if that's the next step I have it covered! Hopefully it will be a simple, cheap fix tho!
I don't think the gas has anything to do with it. It's more likely the Starter or the Altenator going/gone bad.
My son has a Ford Ranger that would sometimes not start. Like you everything worked, lights, radio,.... and the battery check out ok. He took it to several places and spent a ton of money before taking it to a mechanic I have used for years.
He changed out the battery and my son has not had the problem since. The mechanic said sometimes a battery will check out good even though it is not charged enough to always start the engine.
You might also want to check the battery connections. Sometimes they do not make good contact. Both are easy and inexpensive fixes!
I hope this helps!
I have a Suburban that had problems when the battery was slowly dying. Had random times when it wold start, then I would get stuck somewhere.
Our fix was a new battery as well as leaving the dome light off all the time and unhooking the light under the hood of the truck. It seems we had something drawing energy from the battery all the time, thus killing it when we left the doors open too long.
The starter could be bad?
Well I would definately have a shop measure the battery power. It might not be fully charged and is thus susceptible ot cold. So it starts after the day warms up or if you drive it for a while the battery charges up. It might have enough power for lights, radio, etc. But not to start.
Also, could be an alternator issue?? I believe the car runs off the alternator not the battery.
Finally, my husband just got his car fixed yesterday. He had to jump his car every time he drove it for 3 days. Turns out something in the "brain" of the car was pulling too much current. A $600 fix :(.
I odnt' really know anything about cars, but thiese are my thoughts.
MechanicMama where are you???
When you say it doesn't start, does that mean you don't hear the engine turning? Do you hear a few clicks when it doesn't start? If so, it could be the starter.
When you turn the key, it could somehow be flooding the engine. So, My other guess would be dirty fuel injectors.
Be careful! I'dhate for it to die on you on the road and you are toting your kids around. gl
I have a 2005 Armada and it did the same kind of thing this summer. I had it towed to my local (45 minutes away) Nissan dealership and a part had gone bad. It was covered so free for me, and my insurance towed it.
Have you done research online? Or on any boards where people discuss your truck?
Starter or alternator?
there could be several things wrong with it. What happens when you TRY and start it?
Does it SOUND like it's trying to turn over?
Does it make a CLICKing noise?
Does ANYTHING happen?
Can you turn the key?
Fuel pump clogged
Fuel line clogged
Alternator wiring loose
Gas bubble/sensor is "off" & you don't have as much gas as you think you do
If you are going through gas faster than normal - you might have a gas line leak.
Spark plugs could be loose - it's rare - but it happens.
You could also have a problem with the ignition column in the steering wheel.
Could be a temperamental "girl" truck!!! :)
ok if it is real cold where you are it could be the starter or alternator. take it to oriellys or auto zone they can test them for you. if it is not that it is the fuel pump which is what I am thinking. if its not starting when it is cold and starting when it is warming up later in the day it is your starter or alternator. if it is your starter you can cheat by holding a screw driver on it and making contact iwth 2 of the bolts. it is called jumping the starter. it will spark when you do this so don't let it scare you make sure you use a rubber handled screwdriver though. I just seen your what happened no clicks is most likely the alternator. watch the battery gauge while driving it. if your alternator is going bad your battery charge will keep going down. if it is holding charge it is your starter.
for the mom that said bad battery connection that is a good possibilty. do your battery cables have white on them. if so get a battery cable connector cleaner at the parts store. it also could be your battery wires. there is a way of testing the alternator and starter with taking the wires off but I don't remember which wire to take off. you have to have jumper cables to do it. most rednecks can tell you how to do this just ask one. but I am still leaning to the alternator being bad. if it is not the fuel pump. and with it not clicking I am saying alternator over fuel pump my sos fuel pump is going out and it clicks
This has been a great week for me! Went to leave Monday morning and car wouldn't start. Took three hours to get a tow truck because people are stupid here when it rains. My company car needed a new battery.
The following night I pulled in my daughter's 2009 Jetta (trying to be nice) and neglected to turn on the lights. Yep, dead in the morning (thanks Mom!!!). She had another year left on the battery and it could have been prorated through the dealer but it was a better deal for AAA to come out and jump it and she could get a six year battery.
I don't like to be out places where my car won't start (love you Chevy!) and I certainly don't want my daughter to be stranded. It has been many times for you now, I don't want you to get stuck out there with your daughter. It's time to take it in!
