Car Wont Start??

[Driver_X]

OK...

put the key in and turn to on then start position. Car acts like it wants to start but just turns over and over but never catches. Tried several times...same thing. The car had worked earlier that day just fine. Noticed though how my temp said it was overheated... when it is 29 degrees outside and the car had been sitting for 4 to 5 hours. I tried getting a jump, thinking that I didn't have enough to start the car...but that didn't work either? Lights all work fine. The car is cold to touch but yet it says that it is hot! I did notice that during the jumping process, the temp gauge went to half instead of HOT.

Q: Will a electrical problem (low battery) cause the temp to read HOT when it really isnt?

Q: Could my CAI be causing the engine to not start because of the cold weather - (29 degree with a little sleet)

[MSP3.5]

Is your check engine light on?

[Driver_X]

Not that I now of... I will check when i go back out there... anything else to look at

Edit: car is still at my work

[03.5MSP]

You can rule out the CAI. I would recommend checking your fuses, make sure you didn't blow a fuse.

[bradboyd80]

How old is the battery? What kind of shape are the battery cables in (clean or corroded)?

[dstmsp03]

FUSES!! if your cars temp reads so high, it will usually blow a fuse to prevent any extra damage, most newer cars do this.. check this first!

[Driver_X]

what fuse would I be looking for...something on the side panel or under the hood

[dk_d_mexican]

i have kind of the same problem ... 93 protege ... usually when im bout to start the car the check engine and the rest of the lights turn on like the battery and all of those.. crank it and the car starts right away, but now the check engine is not turnin on and the car its not turnin on either

[Driver_X]

How old is the battery? What kind of shape are the battery cables in (clean or corroded)?

Well I dont know for sure how old the battery is... I havent changed it since I've owned the car.. (april of 07) So...it could be possible that the battery is bad

Cables/ connectors are good cause I changed them out to the big gold connects used for systems

[bradboyd80]

I'd check the fuses first as mentioned. I've never experienced the funky temp readings, but that could explain it. When I had trouble getting my car started, it was because the battery was toast.

[Driver_X]

what fuses should I be looking for????

[bradboyd80]

Doesn't hurt to check them all. Wont take long to do.

Edit: Hard to pinpoint exactly which one went bad as it could be a multitude of things.

[dk_d_mexican]

wat can we check??? i have same problem.. i checked the fuses all of them r good

[Driver_X]

I was going to do that too...but if there was a specific one it would help because it is cold outside and the more info I have on what I'm looking for the better...

Why does everyone keep saying to check the fuse...why would a fuse blow, causing this problem??? I'll check them when I go back to my car.

[dk_d_mexican]

dang im goin nuts i dont know wat could be wrong with ma car lol the check engine light dont turn on when i turn the key it used to but now it wont and the car wont start just cuz of that

[Driver_X]

do the keys any any type of sensor in them that if they get wet the car wont start??

should the check engine light go off if you let the key sit in the ON position

Worst case: Let say I didnt have enough coolant in the motor, would that cause the Temp to read Wrong? during freezing conditions???

[bradboyd80]

I don't know why half of the things happen to this car. When I had problems with my car starting, I found out a surge fried my alternator, battery, AND turbo timer all at the same time. I thought I had a blown fuse but they were all good. Just a freak incident I guess. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'd say try the ignition fuse under the hood. That's where I'd start.

[bradboyd80]

Could also be a starter problem? Sounds a lot like the problem I had back when I had my civic. All the lights would come on and crank, but wouldn't turn over. Although that doesn't explain the hot temp reading.....

Edit: Like I said, I'm not an expert.....just giving my 1 cent.

[Driver_X]

so what did you do to fix your problem with the civic???

[dk_d_mexican]

hey take one of the spark plug cables out stick a screw driver in it and touch it witha ground and crank it and see if u get spark

[dstmsp03]

check the main power fuse under the hood by the battery

[bradboyd80]

so what did you do to fix your problem with the civic???

I had to replace the starter because it was bad. But another thing to check is the connections. If the wire going to the starter is loose, it has the same effect as having a battery cable loose. Like dstmsp03 said, check the main fuse under the hood.

[Driver_X]

off to check these items

[dk_d_mexican]

does anybody know which fuse,relay or sensor turns the check engine right before u turn on the car????

[Driver_X]

**S O L U T I O N **

Well after checking all the fuses, ALL GOOD, the car still wouldn't start. It finally clicked on me that when I got the car it had an extra security system on it. The battery for it had gotten low, so it didn't automatically disarm itself like it normally would. Instead I had to manually disarm it. I know some of you are thinking...should you have heard the alarm going off or something...NOPE this one doesn't go off or sound an alarm. Anyhow I just need to get a new battery for it and it will be all good.

As for the temp gauge thingy... I don't know why the security thing made it show full hot on the TEMP...Haven't a clue...but once it was disarmed, it went down to regular level and functioned like normal.

thanks for all the help guys/gals

[bradboyd80]

Wow, that's crazy. Well its good to hear you figured it out!