any ideas why my car won't start after being unused for about two weeks?

[skim milk]

My car was working fine before I left, now I come back and the car won't start.

Do I just need to jump start the battery? It has been sitting in the outside parking lot for two weeks.

Please help!

 

[MacBaine]

Probably just misses you

 

[Ornery]

Exactly. Something trickled off the battery. Sometimes that can actually kill it, but not usually. Wouldn't hurt to check the level of the fluid in the cells at this point. Jump it and run it around for 20 minutes, or use a charger on it for a few hours.

 

[NL5]

dead battery

 

[Vic]

"Won't start" is a little too vague if you want someone to diagnose your problem. Let's start simple. Did the starter crank the engine or not?

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: Vic
"Won't start" is a little too vague if you want someone to diagnose your problem. Let's start simple. Did the starter crank the engine or not?

yea it did

sounds like almost starting but not starting
then after couple more tries by turning the key, the noise started getting weaker

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Vic
"Won't start" is a little too vague if you want someone to diagnose your problem. Let's start simple. Did the starter crank the engine or not?

yea it did

sounds like almost starting but not starting
then after couple more tries by turning the key, the noise started getting weaker

Battery.

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Vic
"Won't start" is a little too vague if you want someone to diagnose your problem. Let's start simple. Did the starter crank the engine or not?

yea it did

sounds like almost starting but not starting
then after couple more tries by turning the key, the noise started getting weaker

Battery.

Yeah.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Vic
"Won't start" is a little too vague if you want someone to diagnose your problem. Let's start simple. Did the starter crank the engine or not?

yea it did

sounds like almost starting but not starting
then after couple more tries by turning the key, the noise started getting weaker

Battery.

Yeah.

No. Obviously the battery is run down now after cranking but it's not why the car didn't start when the battery was properly cranking the starter.

 

[Demo24]

bad gas

 

[ironcrotch]

battery = teh dead

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: Vic
No. Obviously the battery is run down now after cranking but it's not why the car didn't start when the battery was properly cranking the starter.

If I had to guess, I'd say the fuel pressure bled off while the car was sitting. When he first tried to start it, there wasn't enough pressure, and by the time there was, the battery was too weak to start it. Course that's just a guess.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg

Originally posted by: Vic
No. Obviously the battery is run down now after cranking but it's not why the car didn't start when the battery was properly cranking the starter.

If I had to guess, I'd say the fuel pressure bled off while the car was sitting. When he first tried to start it, there wasn't enough pressure, and by the time there was, the battery was too weak to start it. Course that's just a guess.

Not a bad guess though. Could very well be right. The car was working fine before he left (so he said) so the problem now shouldn't be anything serious.

Jump it and see if some more cranking will help. Don't crank for more than 15 seconds at a time. If it still doesn't start after a few more tries, then something else is the problem, still not the battery.

 

[amdskip]

Push and hold the gas to the floor. Do not pump, just once to the floor, hold, crank.

 

[luvya]

Have you check your aero fluid?

 

[imported_Phil]

It may very well be the discombobulator, or the plasma junction.

 

[0roo0roo]

garanteed battery.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
garanteed battery.

Has the OP recently filled his blinker fluid or replaced the muffler bearings?

 

[Epoman]

Originally posted by: luvya
Have you check your aero fluid?

 

[PingSpike]

Make sure the flux capacitor is on and that mister fushion has sufficient garbage to create a nuclear reaction.

 

[bugoox]

do you guys really think that stuff is funny?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: bugoox
do you guys really think that stuff is funny?

It's no different than people who think the battery is at fault for an engine not starting just because it was run dead.
You - "It cranked and cranked and wouldn't start."
BAD mechanic - "Sounds like you need to replace the battery." :roll:

 

[skim milk]

so it's not he battery

i called someone over and we tried to jump start the battery... no go.

 

[SilentRavens]

Could be a number of things, but I would just try and jump start it first.

I don't know if this is a modern - old or whatever car, so there may be a vapor lock in the fuels lines from getting hot while sitting.

If neither of those are it you got me.

 

[Demo24]

find a hill, put the car at the top. put it in neutral. let the car get to a decent speed 5 or 10 then put it in drive with the ignition on and see if it will turn over. (works better with a manual)

I think its the gas. Gas breaks down after awhile. try putting something like fuel injector cleaner in or premium to try and get it to a level where it will ignite properly