Why Won't the Car Start in the Morning?
4 Answers
The reasons why the car won't start in the morning are: 1. Abnormal starting circuit, poor contact or looseness; 2. Battery depletion due to prolonged parking; 3. Excessive carbon deposits on the throttle, spark plugs, or cylinder block; 4. Low fuel pressure causing poor fuel atomization; 5. Forgetting to turn off lights and onboard electronics leading to insufficient power; 6. Wear of carbon brushes inside the starter motor. The solutions for a car not starting in the morning are: 1. Replace the fuel filter and fuel pump screen; 2. Inspect and replace spark plugs; 3. Repair the starter motor; 4. Check and repair the power supply circuit; 5. Check the battery level and charge it promptly; 6. Press the accelerator while starting to increase air intake and fuel injection; 7. Clean the fuel injectors.
Yesterday morning my car also went on strike! Leaning by the window, all I heard was a clicking sound, and I immediately realized the battery was dead. This sudden cold weather is particularly harsh on car batteries. For instance, my three-year-old battery loses about 30% of its charge in low temperatures. If your headlights dim or the dashboard starts acting up, chances are it's time to replace the battery. When jump-starting, remember to connect the positive terminal of the rescue vehicle first, then the negative terminal to the car frame. Always remember to turn off the AC and headlights after shutting down the engine. Especially nowadays, the popular parking surveillance feature of dash cams consumes a lot of power—it’s more worry-free to buy one with a low-voltage protection function.
When the engine roars but fails to start, it's likely a fuel system issue. Last week, I repaired an old Volkswagen Bora where the owner used low-quality gasoline, clogging the injectors. Nowadays, ethanol-blended gasoline tends to absorb water, especially when the fuel gauge is near empty, accumulating more moisture. Diesel vehicles suffer even worse in winter; using high pour-point diesel can cause it to solidify into wax. A temporary fix is to press the accelerator deeply to start, relying on intake pressure to clear the injectors. For long-term parking, remember to add fuel stabilizer, avoid always running on the last drops of fuel, and occasionally take a highway drive to flush the fuel system—it's crucial.
The starter motor trio is the most easily overlooked. My neighbor's car wouldn't start even with a new battery, and upon disassembly, we found the starter's carbon brushes had piled up like a small mountain, with the field coils rusted through. Common symptoms include complete silence when turning the key, or hearing the motor spin freely without engaging the flywheel. Modern starter designs are so compact that DIY replacement often requires removing the intake manifold. Prevention is simple: don't crank for more than 5 seconds, and wait 30 seconds between attempts to let the motor cool. Older cars especially need attention for wiring corrosion - I once saw a Buick Excelle's solenoid terminals completely green with oxidation.
