Common Reasons Why Your Car Turns Over but Won't Start

The car turns over but won't start when the ignition key is turned on. if a car turns over and won't start the possible problem is the battery, so before going to the repair shop check first the battery condition.

How to check if the battery is the one causing the car not to start
1) Turn on the headlights of the car.
2) Start the car engine while the headlights are on.
3) Observed the brightness of the headlights if there are changes during starting.

4) If there are changes in the brightness of the headlight while turning on the engine then it means that the problem is battery related. But if there are no changes then the battery is not a problem. If the problem is the battery then do the following.

1) Open the hood of the car and locate the battery.

2) Once the battery is located, check the battery terminal. Look into the terminal if there is the presence of corrosion on both the terminals, it looks like a white cruddy substance that is a presence on the cable end and on the top of the terminals.

3) If there is a presence of this substance then this restricts the flow of the current into the starter making the car won't start. However, if the substance is not present then this means that the problem is a week battery.

Possible cause
Corroded Battery Terminal or Weak Battery

How to fix a problem of a car that turns over during starting
If the problem is the corroded battery terminals, do the following.

1) Clean the terminals using a wire brush, apply baking soda and water on the terminals while cleaning with a brush to help dissolve the corrosion.

2) Once the terminal is cleaned, apply petroleum jelly on the terminals to help prevents future formation of corrosion in the future.

3) Ensure that both battery terminals are coated with petroleum jelly.

But, if the problem is a weak battery do the following.

1) Open the battery fluid filler cap and look through the filler hole to see the fluid level, the fluid should cover the top of the plates, if not then there are not enough battery electrolytes that is why the battery is weak.

2) Pour-in distilled water into the filler hole the water should be enough to cover the battery plates.

3) Bring the car battery to any battery shop, the battery technician will be going to check if the battery needs to be recharged or replaced.

If your car won’t start on a very cold temperature then the problem is that the battery electrolytes freezes up.

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