8 Answers

Without anything more to go on than, "car doesn't start" it's hard to offer suggestions on what to check. There's a bunch of reasons as to why a car won't start.

Is this the fist time you've had trouble stating it?

Does engine at least turn over?

Can you turn your headlights on? If not, possible dead battery.

Is there gas in the gas tank?

Did you flood the engine? Wait about 5 minutes then try again without touching the gas pedal while turning the key.

Fuel filter could be clogged.

Spark plugs could be misfiring, when was the last time they were changed?

You could have a vacuum leak, car might start though, just idle rough and stall if you don't stay on the gas.

Maybe the battery needs replacing or new starter?

I would hope you got that thing started since you posted this question. If not, I would suggest you check out a local Bus Schedule.

Spark plugs.

Well i assume when you say key doesnt not engage,no lights etc what you mean is that when you turn the key nothing happens,no ignition lights,no starter cranking,nothing.Then when you went bank and retried it it started.Ok if that is the case then you have a bad wiring connection most probably an earth - negative battery lead !!!.If one minute it is electrically dead,i.e no ignition/dashboard warning lights when you turn the key then when ok the next time you try that rules out a faulty battery cos it wouldnt work again on its own,if it was the solenoid then youre dash/ignition lights would still come on.If originally you did have dash/ign lights and it never started did they dim when you tried to start it??.Yes then solenoid is drawing a current and is ok the problems the starter motor.No then it's not drawing power so it's knackered or the connections are.The fact it was fine later strongly points to wiring.99% of the time it is a wiring fault so check n clean all connections,particularly earths

Colleen

Yeah, I missed the bit about no lights. Could be a bad ground on the battery terminal as you said.

shoot the bloody thing

Have you checked to see if the vehicle is out of gas? :-)

Sorry for not giving more detail, key has not engaged therefore all seems dead, no cranks, no lights, etc, when i retried it, it started immediately,Nice to know i can be heard by asking question, appreciated your answer

Colleen

Could be a dead spot in your starter solenoid. The solenoid is typically found on the firewall near your battery. It is small and will have wires running from it to your battery.

Suggestion, have your battery tested first to to be sure it's fine. If it is (and it sounds like it is), I'd go ahead and replace the solenoid. Sears or pep boys or any garage will test your battery for you. A solenoid is not expensive and pretty much anyone can replace one. If the problem persists, then it's the starter. Unfortunately, with a problem like this, it's ends up being a process of elimination.