Car Hard To Start Problems: 6 Things To Watch Out

Car hard to start problems are not life-threatening malfunctions, but these can be irritating and make getting around difficult. Think about jumping into your car, and turning the key in the ignition, but it just cranks a few times. Frustrating, right? Well, there could be several causes of car having trouble starting, and you need to check everything from the fuel system to the starter motor to find out the culprit.

6 Things That Cause Car Hard To Start

These issues mainly occur in the winter season as cold temperature affects an automobile in various ways. Especially, if you park outdoors on a cold night, you may notice the car hard to start in the morning.

1. Low level of fuel

You need to keep the fuel tank full or at least half full during the colder months. It’s easier for a low temperature to condense a small amount of fuel than a full tank. So, if the oil level gets too low, the fuel line may freeze because of the condensation, preventing the fuel distribution to the engine. The result is having difficulty in car hard to start when cold in the morning.

Causes of hard starting — Parking outside in the cold could be trouble. (Photo: George Chernilevsky)

2. Thick oil

The fuel can get thicker for two reasons – low temperature and not doing an oil change at the recommended time. As you know, a liquid cannot flow quickly if it is condensed. In that case, the engine has to push around a lot to spin and start because not much oil can get into the fuel line and the engine.

You will need to change the oil filter regularly too if you do not want your car has a hard time starting. It catches dirt and particles over time, and these things can get into the oil and the engine, contaminating them gradually.

3. Slow battery

Cold start car problems are the most common when starting an automobile in winter. Extreme cold can affect the battery performance too. It produces electrons through chemical reactions, but the process slows down at low temperatures. As a result, it generates fewer electrons and supplies less than sufficient energy to the starter. This obviously causes your car struggles to start. The same issue can occur in the case of a worn-out battery.

Note: You can try a trickle charger to save a slow battery. Here are the top 10 best trickle charger products recommended for you.

4. Bad starter

The function of a car starter is to harness the power of the automotive battery. Once you insert the key inside the ignition switch and turn it, the starter cranks the engine to allow the piston to create a suction drawing in the fuel and air mixture into the cylinder. A bad starter is one of the reasons causing car having trouble starting that you cannot avoid. At one time or another, the starter motors will wear out and suffer a breakdown.

You should check the starter when absolutely nothing happens after turning the ignition switch, or the car turns over slowly with faint dash lights.

car hard to start — Hard starting makes getting around difficult. (Photo: Mario Gutiérrez./Getty Images)

5. Failing solenoid

Looking like a cylindrical coil of wire, basically, the solenoid is a component to bridge the connection and allows power to flow from the battery to the starter. That is why your car struggles to start if the solenoid is broken or worn out. If there is not any sound from the starter when you turn the key, then it is highly that the solenoid is bad.

A checking process is simple, you just test whether there is power flowing from the battery to the starter. Make sure your battery is in good condition. A diagnosis of the starter will help you to determine whether the glitch is with the motor or the solenoid. If the second one is defective, you have to replace it.

6. Worn-out ignition switch

It’s one of the most common causes car hard to start. As it tends to deteriorate over time, you will need to replace it when it stops working. If the switch feels hot to the touch, there must be a problem with its wiring.

However, before spending an amount of money to replace an ignition switch, you should take a thorough diagnosis of what causes a worn ignition switch. Heavy key chains are the top culprit for this issue. Holding weighty and keepsake key chains for a long time definitely wears an ignition switch. So we recommend you keep your car key on a separate chain.

Watch the video to know more about car start problems:

FAQ – Car Hard To Start

Q1: “Toyota Rav4 starting problems – My RAV4 has been getting harder to start. The car has a new battery and I know the starter works well. Any thoughts?”

A: Replace the ground strap, and add an extra directly from the battery (-) to the engine. A picture of mine might still be posted somewhere on here …

Also, check/clean the battery cables.

Q2: “Toyota Corolla starting problems – Driving down the road car died when you turn the key clicks but won’t crank battery has full power what could it be.”

A: Battery not charging because of age 60 months / 5 years they tend to fail, have it tested 12.6 volts and a load test based on cranking amp hours. It can also be loose or corroded terminals connections on the battery preventing it from charging or cranking, next the alternator may have stopped functioning,(100,000 miles there tired) letting the battery discharge and stalling the car out then only a click when you try and restart.

Q3: “Toyota Tacoma starting problems – It’s incredibly hard to start when the outside air is hot.”

A: For the hot start, hold the gas pedal to the floor while you turn the key to see if that does anything. If it helps then you may have a leaking fuel pressure regulator or fuel injector sending fuel into the intake on hot shutdown. The other possibility is heat-soaked ignition components. If the pedal on the floor doesn’t help, check for a spark. Since it only takes 5-10 minutes, it’s not so bad. Try leaving your hood open a couple of times as you go into the store or whatever. That would allow things to cool down.

Q4: “Honda Fit starting problems – Today, I put the key in and it wouldn’t turn…took 35 minutes of trying (tried both keys I had for the car) before I could start it. had this happen a couple of times before but usually got it in three or four tries. I was ready to have the thing towed back to the dealership…any thoughts?”