What to Do When a Car Won't Start After Long-Term Parking?
2 Answers
Here are the reasons and solutions for a car not starting after long-term parking: 1. Fuel quality issues: Always refuel at reputable gas stations. When traveling, you can use a gauze wrapped around the fuel nozzle to filter out impurities. 2. Lack of antifreeze: Insufficient antifreeze can cause the entire cooling system to freeze in extremely cold winter conditions, leading to frozen engine components and a cracked engine block. This prevents the car's water pump from functioning, making it impossible to start the engine and potentially damaging other engine parts. It is advisable to visit a 4S shop for inspection and repair. 3. Excessive carbon buildup: Too much carbon buildup can also prevent the car from starting; simply cleaning the carbon deposits should resolve the issue.
I forgot to start my car during a recent business trip, and after leaving it parked for three months, it wouldn't start at all when I returned. What a frustrating experience! I first checked with a simple voltmeter and found the battery was down to just 9 volts—clearly completely drained. I quickly asked a neighbor to help jump-start it using his car and jumper cables, and it fired up right away. Later, I learned that the car's anti-theft system and infotainment unit quietly drain power in standby mode, especially faster in cold weather. To prevent this, I now proactively disconnect the battery's negative terminal if parking for over two weeks, or use a smart charger to maintain the charge. If jump-starting hadn't worked, I'd have needed to check for wet spark plugs or a faulty starter—old, degraded fuel could also clog the pump.
