What causes the dashboard lights to go out and the car to fail to start when ignition is attempted?
1 Answers
When the dashboard lights go out and the car fails to start upon ignition, it may indicate a malfunction in the ignition system. Ignition system faults can be categorized into two types based on their location: low-voltage circuit faults and high-voltage circuit faults. 1. Common low-voltage circuit faults include: insufficient battery charge; poor or incorrect wiring connections; poor battery grounding; damaged distributor or Hall sensor; faulty ignition switch or poor wiring; damaged transistor ignition control unit or poor wiring. Diagnostic methods for low-voltage circuit faults mostly involve using an ammeter or voltmeter to check each wire sequentially to identify and eliminate the fault point. 2. Common high-voltage circuit faults include: detached or leaking high-voltage wires; cracked or punctured distributor cap; eroded or punctured distributor rotor; excessive or insufficient spark plug electrode gap; excessive carbon buildup on spark plugs; damaged spark plug insulator; damaged ignition coil or detached wiring. High-voltage circuit faults are often diagnosed using the high-voltage spark test method, which involves removing the central high-voltage wire from the distributor or a cylinder's high-voltage wire, placing the wire end 3-6mm away from the engine block, and starting the engine to test for spark.
