5.1.1. The engine will not start
Yes: see point 5
4. Malfunction in the ignition switch or in the wiring from the lock to the coil. In order to get to the nearest car service, you can apply emergency power to the ignition system. To do this, connect the “+B” terminal of the ignition coil and the “+” terminal with an additional wire. battery. Fasten the wires securely. Keep in mind that now, in order to turn off the engine, you will need to disconnect the additional wire from the "+" battery.
Warning
If a strong spark is noticed when connecting to the “+” terminal of the battery, this method will have to be abandoned - apparently, the wiring closes to ground.
5. Remove the center wire from the distributor cap. Insert a spare spark plug into the tip of the wire and press it with the metal part to the “mass” of the car. Turn the engine crankshaft with the starter. Be sure to use a thick rubber glove or pliers with insulated handles.
Warnings
Never test the ignition system for a "spark" between the wire end and ground, as this could seriously damage the switch.
Do not remove the terminals from the battery and the connector from the switch while the engine is running.
Is there a spark between the spark plug electrodes?
Yes: see point 7
6. There may be a malfunction of the switch, the Hall sensor in the distributor, or the ignition coil.
7. Remove the distributor cover by unscrewing the two screws. Carefully inspect the distributor cover from the outside and inside for damage (cracks, chips, destruction of the carbon contact inside the cover).
Any damage?
No: see point 9
8. Replace cap.
9. Check if the rotor (runner) of the distributor is damaged. Sometimes the noise suppression resistance in the rotor fails. There are also cases of breakdown of the rotor housing “to ground”.
At the same time turn the engine crankshaft with the starter.
Warning
If the distributor rotor does not rotate when the engine is turned by the starter, contact a car service. The timing belt may break or the distributor drive may break.
Any doubts? Replace rotor.
The resistance can be temporarily replaced with a spring from a ballpoint pen.
10. Once again, taking precautions, check for spark. Try to start the engine.
Is the engine running?
No: see point 12
11. Bon Voyage!
12. Check for spark at spark plugs. Remove the high voltage wire from any spark plug. Insert a spare spark plug into the wire end and press it with a metal part to the car's ground. Be sure to use a thick rubber glove or pliers with insulated handles. Turn the engine crankshaft with the starter.
Is there a spark?
No: see point 14
13. Replace spark plugs with new ones. You can first try to install not new ones, but proven ones, as they say, from a working machine.
14. Replace high voltage wires with new ones. You can first try to install not new ones, but proven ones, “from a working machine”.
Checking the power supply system of the carburetor engine
Warning
When checking the power system, do not smoke or use open flames!
PROCEDURE
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Your technical equipment must be impeccable - after all, the time you have is the same money that we hope you also have. Don't lose either one. If a missing tie or a pant leg burnt with an iron can cause a disruption in a business meeting, then what can we say about a car that does not want to start an hour before the scheduled negotiations.
Early in the morning, freshly shaved and full of great plans (the child is going to school, the wife is going to the hairdresser, and he is forging a penny), you jump into the car, "key to start" and... What the hell... One more time. More ... Nervous manipulations with the key and pedals do not bring success. The day is ruined from the start. Plans and mood - down the drain.
Take it easy. No need to rush under the hood in an English suit and, smearing oily dirt with a tie, try to make a diagnosis. In 5 minutes, most likely, you will not cure. Take another car, and leave the treatment of a sick friend until the evening. And it is better to entrust it to doctors with a good reputation, especially if you have an expensive car, and you are not a specialist. That will be cheaper. Well, if your friend is well known to you and you consider yourself a healer - well, try it yourself, if you are not too lazy to get dirty or there is no other way out.
The diagnosis should be made calmly
Study mentally the symptoms. First, is the starter spinning? And if so, how cheerfully? You already know the answer - remember what happened when you first tried to start the car. If you don't remember, try again.
If the starter does not turn at all and does not even click the traction relay when ignition on, then it is either defective (you can close the hood and follow the advice above: "Take another car .."), or the battery is in trouble - it turned off or sat down. Only in rare models can the starter power circuit be protected by a fuse - a 300 amp commercial - it is easy to find, especially if you know in advance where it is located. If the battery is to blame, then, as a rule, all electrical equipment does not work either. The simplest and easiest case is that one of the terminals has fallen off or dirty, but the battery is in order. Tighten the terminals on it and on the starter (if any). If it turns out that the battery is completely dead (forgot to turn off the headlights for the night), you can still leave. But with outside help. Here, as they say, options are possible. You can try starting from a push, from a hill or from a tow. Do not try to get around the pitfalls: a car with an automatic transmission or electronic fuel injection (if there is an electric fuel pump) cannot be started by these methods. You'll have to smoke at a neighbor's. True, for some machines this can lead to damage to the computer (read the instructions for the machine). If the starter is spinning, but sluggishly (this happens in summer, in winter this is a subject of a separate discussion), most likely, the battery is almost completely discharged. This will be seen by the weak headlights or frail signal. In this case, the above options for outside assistance come into play.
If the starter turns briskly, and the engine does not respond to attempts to start it, feel free to exclude everything related to the battery from further consideration. Blame the ignition or fuel supply system, you can't go wrong. When diagnosing and treating each of them, a systematic approach is required. It is better to start with the ignition - there are problems more often. Especially in wet weather.
From a spark will ignite ...
So, you need to look for a spark. Your car may be equipped with a classic (simple) contact ignition system, a rather complex electronic non-contact ignition system, or some combination. In any case, the system consists of three parts. Part one is low-voltage (breaker contacts in a classic system or a special sensor in an electronic one, plus a box with electronic filling that forms a spark). Part two is a step-up transformer, referred to in the world as an ignition coil. Part three - high-voltage (mechanical or electronic distributor and wires through which high voltage current is supplied to the candles). And, of course, the candles themselves. Checking all this economy should be carried out in stages and it is better to start from the end.
Stage one. High voltage part of the system. Check if there is a spark on the center wire - this is the one that connects the coil to the distributor. The tip of the wire must be removed from the distributor cap, brought closer to any part that has good contact with the mass of the car (it doesn’t matter if it is painted or not), and fixed so that there is a gap of 5–7 mm between the tip and the selected part.
If the ignition of your car is electronic, you need to fasten the wire especially securely - if it falls to ground, the electronics will instantly order a long life. For the same reason, you can not strike a wire on the body. We also do not recommend holding it with your hand, not even your own - it will shock you great.
Stage two. Turn the engine over with the starter. At the same time, look at what happens at the tip of the wire. There are two options. More favorable - there is a spark. Powerful, accompanied by a loud click. This significantly narrows the field for further searches.
The first step is to remove the distributor cap. Under it can be damp and dirty. Through such a "conductor" a spark willingly jumps anywhere, but not where it is needed. Wipe, scrub and dry. At the same time, it is harmless to clean the contacts of the distributor, for example, with a fine sandpaper. Examine the so-called "runner". If you find a dark trace of electrical breakdown on it or on the distributor cover, the part will have to be changed.
In the most biased way, check the wires coming from the distributor to the candles. Wires and their lugs must be dry and clean. If, in your opinion, everything is in order with them, you can put the cover back on, reconnect and try to start the engine. If the malfunction was hidden under the cover, the engine will start or, in worst case at least start sneezing. The symptom is also favorable - you are on the right track. True, you will have to turn out, clean and dry the candles - in an attempt to start the engine, you filled them with gasoline. If the engine does not even sneeze, the candles will still have to be turned out, cleaned and checked. It's easier if you have a spare set.
If you have already got to the stage of turning out the candles, you can quite effectively (and effectively) check the entire ignition system as a whole. By connecting to the inverted candles high voltage wires, collect the candles in a bundle, like carrots, and wrap them directly along their threaded part with bare soft wire. Make sure the wire makes contact with each spark plug but does not touch the center electrodes. Connect the free end of the wire to ground. Having placed a bunch of candles in a place convenient for observation from the passenger compartment, turn the engine with a starter. At the same time, cheerful sparks should jump between the electrodes of the candles in turn (in accordance with the order of operation of the cylinders). If so, then the entire ignition system is in order. The sound of the engine at the same time will be very unusual - do not be alarmed, because it is spinning with the candles turned out. Don't spin for too long. Worse, if at the second stage of the test there is another option: there is no spark between the central wire and the "case". So, it's not about high voltage circuits. Further searches will be more difficult, evaluate your time and desire. If both are available, proceed to the third stage. Check if voltage is applied to the ignition coil. This is easy to do with a tester, and if it is not there, you can use the engine compartment light. True, you need a couple of wires to connect it to the coil. In a classic ignition system, you need to connect a light bulb between ground and the input of the primary winding.
At the third stage, as usual, two options are also possible: voltage is either applied to the coil or not. If it is supplied, the coil is to blame - breakdown or short circuit, which, however, happens extremely rarely. The coil will need to be changed. More often there is a bad contact in fastening the wires to the coil. Or the same wet dirt, through which the spark flows away, no one knows where. Sometimes the coil is polished to a shine, but an invisible very narrow strip of dirt remains under it - a good conductor.
If, at the third stage, you made sure that no voltage was supplied to the coil, the electronics or contacts and unreliable connections in the low-voltage part of the ignition system are to blame. You can’t cope with electronics (switch and, less often, a sensor in the distributor housing) - special equipment is needed to diagnose them. You can only pull the sensor connector on the distributor housing - suddenly it will help. If you have a car with a classic contact system ignition, you can look further.
Remove the cover from the distributor and inspect the breaker contacts - they can oxidize, especially if the machine has been standing still for some time. Contacts must be carefully cleaned with a thin sandpaper or a special file.
Pull the cleaned contacts so that they either close or open. The voltage on them is only 12 volts, so you can pull it fearlessly. If the cleaning did not help and the voltage to the coil is still not applied, once again we advise you to stop trying to resuscitate the car for a while, since difficulties will begin further.
If voltage has appeared (when the contacts are pulled, the light flashes), restore everything that has been unscrewed and disassembled, start the car and, perhaps, still have time to go about its business. If it doesn’t start, but at least sneezes, turn out the candles and ...
Do not press to the floor - it will not help
It may also turn out that the entire ignition system was checked, everything is in order in it, and the engine, even if you crack, still does not start. This means that there are problems with another of the systems mentioned earlier - the power supply system, that is, the supply of fuel to the engine.
If you have a car with injection (injection supply system) of fuel, do not touch it (the system). You can only come to the conclusion that it was she who broke down: there is a spark, the fuel is suitable - it means that she, darling. Treatment only in a hospital. At home and with handicraftsmen, repairing it is useless and even harmful.
In a conventional carbureted engine, the fuel system is simpler - a tank, a gasoline pump, a set of pipelines and a carburetor. Here you can poke around yourself. The first step is to make sure that gasoline enters the carburetor. Disconnect the hose from the carburetor and press the manual priming lever. If a fairly powerful stream of gasoline has scored, everything is fine, it's time to move on to the carburetor. It happens that gasoline is supplied to the carburetor properly, but for some reason it does not enter it. If you have time and desire, take air filter, then ask someone to depress the accelerator pedal sharply. Or you can sharply pull the drive cable yourself throttle valve. At the same time, look into the carburetor from above (the air damper is open, otherwise you won’t see anything): if a trickle of gasoline does not appear in the first diffuser, it means that it is not in the float chamber. It is not there because the valve needle is stuck or (it happens not very often) the fuel filter in the carburetor is completely clogged - it is located in front of the float chamber. Or clogged jets. The filter is cleaned by blowing, but if you don’t have the necessary skills, it’s better not to mess with the carburetor internals at all, deal with sticking of the needle valve, clogged jets and other subtleties - let the experts do it.
If there is a trickle in the diffuser, pay attention to starting device carburetor - it often fails. On foreign cars, starting from about the 70s, automatic air damper control is used. The device, without your participation, depending on the temperature of the engine, closes or opens the damper as much as necessary, enriching the mixture when the engine is started. If this automation works, you can try manual manipulations with the air damper, but there are a lot of options and there are no universal tips. Before starting manipulations, connect and secure the previously disconnected fuel hose. The air filter can not be installed yet. If it starts, let the engine warm up and with God (having previously returned the air filter to its place). the gas tank itself - you can quite demonstrate your skill by pumping the gas line with a tire pump in the opposite direction to the movement of gasoline, i.e. from the carburetor to the tank. In the tank, booming, gurgling sounds should be heard.
With a fine fuel filter, everything is simple. Although on almost all modern models it is made in a transparent case, the degree of contamination cannot be visually determined. A dirty filter will allow you to start the engine, but will not allow you to drive normally. If it is completely clogged, the engine will not start. The most effective check: remove the filter and, if there is no new one, temporarily replace it with a suitable tube, for example, ballpoint pen cases, preferably transparent - you can see how gasoline flows. Do not try to clean the filter - a sealed (or sealed) case cannot be disassembled.
If you come to the conclusion that your car does not have a fuel pump, and there is no spare on hand - "Take another car ...".
We saved the rare but most unpleasant diagnosis for last. If the starter is working fine, you have already spent a lot of time and made sure that the ignition and power are in perfect order, and the car, however, does not start - it's worth inspecting the camshaft drive belt. However, decide for yourself, this check can be carried out at the beginning, especially if the engine has already passed more than 60 thousand. The difficulty is that you have to remove or at least partially bend the upper part of the plastic casing covering the belt. Perhaps the teeth of the belt were cut off - in belts, like in humans, teeth are lost from old age. In this case, the camshaft does not rotate and the engine will not work. It is clear that a toothless belt needs to be replaced (those who have a car with a camshaft chain drive do not face this trouble). The procedure for replacing the belt is not difficult, but troublesome. It is carried out in a hospital. Well, if everything is limited to replacing only the belt, and not bent valves or the entire head of the block - this also happens.
About the causes of atherosclerosis
Let's try to explain why the circulatory system of a car is sometimes affected by "atherosclerosis". Gasoline is the blood of the car. And the blood must be pure and run through clean vessels. And the fact that "cholesterol" accumulates in the vessels in excess of the permissible measure, as a rule, is our own fault. How often do you use a canister to add gasoline to the tank? If so, then the chances of clogging the gas line and filters increase, especially if your funnel is without a mesh. Garbage, rust, sand usually accumulate in the canister, and if the canister is painted inside, then paint particles. It is clear that the smaller the amount of intermediate containers used on the way of gasoline from the dispenser to the tank, the better. Oddly enough, even at the most seedy gas station, there is less dirt in tanks in specific terms than in a "home" canister. The scourge of our gas stations is not so much dirt as water. But here we are powerless. In our memory, only one crook got burned by diluting gasoline, and even then not with water, but with donkey urine, and not in life, but in the movies (see "Gentlemen of Fortune"). So you have to put up with it. However, in order not to add water to domestic diluted gasoline with your own hands, try to always keep the tank full. Condensation accumulates in an incomplete tank, especially in the off-season, when sudden temperature changes occur.
Fewer freeloaders
It is worth saying a few words about the battery. Since it is maintenance-free on most modern cars, it makes no sense to give operating instructions here. We will give just a few additional tips on how to keep the battery viable longer. Do not get carried away stuffing your car with additional energy consumers. The fact that the energy balance of the car has a certain margin that allows you to connect two or three "freeloaders" does not mean that you can hang six horns and ten fog lights on the car - have a sense of proportion. In addition, if you connect unforeseen tsatski yourself, there is a high probability of damage to the insulation. And in general, as practice shows, any, even the most qualified, surgical intervention in the electrical wiring of a car sooner or later makes itself felt. Trouble.
If your battery is dying, try not to chug your engine during countless city stops. Nothing rapes the battery like frequent use of the starter.
And the last (this applies not only to the battery, but to all electrical equipment in general). Remember: all terminals, contacts, wire lugs must be dry and clean and fit well to the "destinations". Dirty, oily insulation breaks through sooner or later, and burning and oxidation of any contact surface can serve as the only (and sufficient) reason for the failure of the ignition system. Or fire.
You can stop there. Meticulous motorists, of course, drew attention to some superficiality of our advice. We admit that we deliberately do not want to delve into the wilds. In order not to provoke you to self-treatment - it does not lead to good. Understanding the nature of pain in the lower abdomen on the right does not mean that you yourself have to remove your appendix. But you must accurately describe the symptoms of appendicitis to the doctor. It helps a lot with the treatment.
Hello! I have a VAZ 21213 Niva, when the key is turned in the ignition lock, there is no characteristic noise of turning on the fuel pump. . What to do? Thank you! (Pavlov Sergey)
Good day, Sergey. We will discuss the reasons for the failure of the fuel pump below.
Why is the pump not working?
So, what could be the reason for the inoperability of the element:
- First of all, it is necessary to check the operation of the fuses. Open the block and find the fuse or relay responsible for the operation of the fuel pump. If an element fails, you need to replace it.
- The motor itself has failed. In this case, it remains only to replace the pump assembly.
- No contact. You need to get to the device and check the operability of all contacts - is there a break, are all the wiring harnesses connected.
- Poor mass of the unit. Sometimes it happens that the mass wiring is oxidized and cannot transmit contact. In this case, you need to check its condition and, if necessary, clean it. If there is a lot of problems, then you will also notice that the gasoline level arrow will drop on the dashboard.
Now, as for the starter, why does it refuse to turn:
- The simplest is a dead battery. You may be the first, but we must warn you about it. Try or "light up" from another car.
- Signaling. In some cases, in practice, we have repeatedly encountered such a problem as the closure of the alarm. This happens for various reasons - due to water getting on the alarm unit, wire breaks, etc. But the result is the same - if the alarm unit closes, it will not, nor the fuel pump. The problem is solved by repairing the board or replacing it, although the search may take some time.
- Retractor relay failure. In this case, the starter will either be silent or buzz, but it will be impossible to start the engine.
- Bendix failure. This element is a gear located on the same shaft as the starter rotor. In the event that severe tooth wear has formed on the gear, problems may arise with starting the engine.
- Worn bushings. The only way out is to replace them.
- Wear of the windings of the device. This happens as a result of the fact that the element has already worked out its service life. Replacing the windings is not an easy and time-consuming task, it will be easier to completely change the component completely.
Video "How to find the cause of a pump breakdown"
For details on finding the cause of the breakdown of the fuel pump, see the video (author - Sergey L).
Your technical equipment must be impeccable - because the time you have is the same money that we hope you also have. Don't lose either one. If a missing tie or a pant leg burnt with an iron can cause a disruption in a business meeting, then what can we say about a car that does not want to start an hour before the scheduled negotiations.
Early in the morning, freshly shaved and full of great plans (the child is going to school, the wife is going to the hairdresser, and he is forging a penny), you jump into the car, "key to start" and... What the hell... One more time. More ... Nervous manipulations with the key and pedals do not bring success. The day is ruined from the start. Plans and mood - down the drain.
Take it easy. No need to rush under the hood in an English suit and, smearing oily dirt with a tie, try to make a diagnosis. In 5 minutes, most likely, you will not cure. Take another car, and leave the treatment of a sick friend until the evening. And it is better to entrust it to doctors with a good reputation, especially if you have an expensive car, and you are not a specialist. That will be cheaper. Well, if your friend is well known to you and you consider yourself a healer - well, try it yourself, if you are not too lazy to get dirty or there is no other way out.
The diagnosis should be made calmly
Study mentally the symptoms. First, is the starter spinning? And if so, how cheerfully? You already know the answer - remember what happened when you first tried to start the car. If you don't remember, try again.
If the starter does not turn at all and does not even click the traction relay when the ignition is turned on, then it is either faulty (you can close the hood and follow the advice above: “Take another car ..”), or the trouble is with the battery - disconnected or sat down. Only in rare models can the starter power circuit be protected by a fuse - a 300 amp commercial - it is easy to find, especially if you know in advance where it is located. If the battery is to blame, then, as a rule, all electrical equipment does not work either. The simplest and easiest case is that one of the terminals has fallen off or dirty, but the battery is in order. Tighten the terminals on it and on the starter (if any). If it turns out that the battery is completely dead (forgot to turn off the headlights for the night), you can still leave. But with outside help. Here, as they say, options are possible. You can try starting from a push, from a hill or from a tow. Do not try to get around the pitfalls: a car with an automatic transmission or electronic fuel injection (if there is an electric fuel pump) cannot be started by these methods. You'll have to smoke at a neighbor's. True, for some machines this can lead to damage to the computer (read the instructions for the machine). If the starter is spinning, but sluggishly (this happens in summer, in winter this is a subject of a separate discussion), most likely, the battery is almost completely discharged. This will be seen by the weak headlights or frail signal. In this case, the above options for outside assistance come into play.
If the starter turns briskly, and the engine does not respond to attempts to start it, feel free to exclude everything related to the battery from further consideration. Blame the ignition or fuel supply system, you can't go wrong. When diagnosing and treating each of them, a systematic approach is required. It is better to start with the ignition - there are problems more often. Especially in wet weather.
From a spark will ignite ...
So, you need to look for a spark. Your car may be equipped with a classic (simple) contact ignition system, a rather complex electronic non-contact ignition system, or some combination. In any case, the system consists of three parts. Part one is low-voltage (breaker contacts in a classical system or a special sensor in an electronic one, plus a box with electronic filling that forms a spark). Part two is a step-up transformer, referred to in the world as an ignition coil. Part three - high-voltage (mechanical or electronic distributor and wires through which the current high voltage leads to candles). And, of course, the candles themselves. Checking all this economy should be carried out in stages and it is better to start from the end.
Stage one. High voltage part of the system. Check if there is a spark on the center wire - this is the one that connects the coil to the distributor. The tip of the wire must be removed from the distributor cap, brought closer to any part that has good contact with the mass of the car (it doesn’t matter if it is painted or not), and fixed so that there is a gap of 5–7 mm between the tip and the selected part.
If the ignition of your car is electronic, you need to fasten the wire especially securely - if it falls to ground, the electronics will instantly order a long life. For the same reason, you can not strike a wire on the body. We also do not recommend holding it with your hand, not even your own - it will shock you great.
Stage two. Turn the engine over with the starter. At the same time, look at what happens at the tip of the wire. There are two options. More favorable - there is a spark. Powerful, accompanied by a loud click. This significantly narrows the field for further searches.
The first step is to remove the distributor cap. Under it can be damp and dirty. Through such a "conductor" a spark willingly jumps anywhere, but not where it is needed. Wipe, scrub and dry. At the same time, it is harmless to clean the contacts of the distributor, for example, with a fine sandpaper. Examine the so-called "runner". If you find a dark trace of electrical breakdown on it or on the distributor cover, the part will have to be changed.
In the most biased way, check the wires coming from the distributor to the candles. Wires and their lugs must be dry and clean. If, in your opinion, everything is in order with them, you can put the cover back on, reconnect and try to start the engine. If the malfunction was hidden under the cover, the engine will start or, in the worst case, at least start to sneeze. The symptom is also favorable - you are on the right track. True, you will have to turn out, clean and dry the candles - in an attempt to start the engine, you filled them with gasoline. If the engine does not even sneeze, the candles will still have to be turned out, cleaned and checked. It's easier if you have a spare set.
If you have already got to the stage of turning out the candles, you can quite effectively (and effectively) check the entire ignition system as a whole. Having connected high-voltage wires to the inverted candles, collect the candles in a bundle, like carrots, and wrap them directly along their threaded part with bare soft wire. Make sure the wire makes contact with each spark plug but does not touch the center electrodes. Connect the free end of the wire to ground. Having placed a bunch of candles in a place convenient for observation from the passenger compartment, turn the engine with a starter. At the same time, cheerful sparks should jump between the electrodes of the candles in turn (in accordance with the order of operation of the cylinders). If so, then the entire ignition system is in order. The sound of the engine at the same time will be very unusual - do not be alarmed, because it is spinning with the candles turned out. Don't spin for too long. Worse, if at the second stage of the test there is another option: there is no spark between the central wire and the "case". So, it's not about high voltage circuits. Further searches will be more difficult, evaluate your time and desire. If both are available, proceed to the third stage. Check if voltage is applied to the ignition coil. This is easy to do with a tester, and if it is not there, you can use the engine compartment light. True, you need a couple of wires to connect it to the coil. In a classic ignition system, you need to connect a light bulb between ground and the input of the primary winding.
At the third stage, as usual, two options are also possible: voltage is either applied to the coil or not. If it is supplied, the coil is to blame - breakdown or short circuit, which, however, happens extremely rarely. The coil will need to be changed. More often there is a bad contact in fastening the wires to the coil. Or the same wet dirt, through which the spark flows away, no one knows where. Sometimes the coil is polished to a shine, but an invisible very narrow strip of dirt remains under it - a good conductor.
If, at the third stage, you made sure that no voltage was supplied to the coil, the electronics or contacts and unreliable connections in the low-voltage part of the ignition system are to blame. You can’t cope with electronics (switch and, less often, a sensor in the distributor housing) - special equipment is needed to diagnose them. You can only pull the sensor connector on the distributor housing - suddenly it will help. If you have a car with a classic contact ignition system, you can look further.
Remove the cover from the distributor and inspect the breaker contacts - they can oxidize, especially if the machine has been standing still for some time. Contacts must be carefully cleaned with a thin sandpaper or a special file.
Pull the cleaned contacts so that they either close or open. The voltage on them is only 12 volts, so you can pull it fearlessly. If the cleaning did not help and the voltage to the coil is still not applied, once again we advise you to stop trying to resuscitate the car for a while, since difficulties will begin further.
If voltage has appeared (when the contacts are pulled, the light flashes), restore everything that has been unscrewed and disassembled, start the car and, perhaps, still have time to go about its business. If it doesn’t start, but at least sneezes, turn out the candles and ...
Do not press to the floor - it will not help
It may also turn out that the entire ignition system was checked, everything is in order in it, and the engine, even if you crack, still does not start. This means that there are problems with another of the systems mentioned earlier - the power supply system, that is, the supply of fuel to the engine.
If you have an injection machine ( injection system supply) of fuel - do not touch it (to the system). You can only come to the conclusion that it was she who broke down: there is a spark, the fuel is suitable - it means that she, darling. Treatment only in a hospital. At home and with handicraftsmen, repairing it is useless and even harmful.
In normal carbureted engine fuel system simpler - a tank, a gasoline pump, a set of pipelines and a carburetor. Here you can poke around yourself. The first step is to make sure that gasoline enters the carburetor. Disconnect the hose from the carburetor and press the manual priming lever. If a fairly powerful stream of gasoline has scored, everything is fine, it's time to move on to the carburetor. It happens that gasoline is supplied to the carburetor properly, but for some reason it does not enter it. If you have time and desire, remove the air filter, then ask someone to sharply press the accelerator pedal. Or you can sharply pull on the throttle cable yourself. At the same time, look into the carburetor from above (the air damper is open, otherwise you won’t see anything): if a trickle of gasoline does not appear in the first diffuser, it means that it is not in the float chamber. It is not there because the valve needle is stuck or (it happens not very often) the fuel filter in the carburetor is completely clogged - it is located in front of the float chamber. Or clogged jets. The filter is cleaned by blowing, but if you don’t have the necessary skills, it’s better not to mess with the carburetor internals at all, deal with sticking of the needle valve, clogged jets and other subtleties - let the experts do it.
If there is a trickle in the diffuser, pay attention to the carburetor starting device - it often fails. On foreign cars, starting from about the 70s, automatic air damper control is used. The device, without your participation, depending on the temperature of the engine, closes or opens the damper as much as necessary, enriching the mixture when the engine is started. If this automation works, you can try manual manipulations with the air damper, but there are a lot of options and there are no universal tips. Before starting manipulations, connect and secure the previously disconnected fuel hose. The air filter can not be installed yet. If it starts, let the engine warm up and with God (having previously returned the air filter to its place). the gas tank itself - you can quite demonstrate your skill by pumping the gas line with a tire pump in the opposite direction to the movement of gasoline, i.e. from the carburetor to the tank. In the tank, booming, gurgling sounds should be heard.
With a fine fuel filter, everything is simple. Although on almost all modern models it is made in a transparent case, the degree of contamination cannot be visually determined. A dirty filter will allow you to start the engine, but will not allow you to drive normally. If it is completely clogged, the engine will not start. The most effective check: remove the filter and, if there is no new one, temporarily replace it with a suitable tube, for example, ballpoint pen cases, preferably transparent - you can see how gasoline flows. Do not try to clean the filter - a sealed (or sealed) case cannot be disassembled.
If you come to the conclusion that your car does not have a fuel pump, and there is no spare on hand - "Take another car ...".
We saved the rare but most unpleasant diagnosis for last. If the starter is working properly, you have already spent a lot of time and made sure that the ignition and power are in in perfect order, but the car, nevertheless, does not start - it is worth inspecting the drive belt camshaft. However, decide for yourself, this check can be carried out at the beginning, especially if the engine has already passed more than 60 thousand. The difficulty is that you have to remove or at least partially bend the upper part of the plastic casing covering the belt. Perhaps the teeth of the belt were cut off - in belts, like in humans, teeth are lost from old age. In this case, the camshaft does not rotate and the engine will not work. It is clear that a toothless belt needs to be replaced (those who have a car with a camshaft chain drive do not face this trouble). The procedure for replacing the belt is not difficult, but troublesome. It is carried out in a hospital. Well, if everything is limited to replacing only the belt, and not bent valves or the entire head of the block - this also happens.
About the causes of atherosclerosis
Let's try to explain why the circulatory system of a car is sometimes affected by "atherosclerosis". Gasoline is the blood of the car. And the blood must be pure and run through clean vessels. And the fact that "cholesterol" accumulates in the vessels in excess of the permissible measure, as a rule, is our own fault. How often do you use a canister to add gasoline to the tank? If so, then the chances of clogging the gas line and filters increase, especially if your funnel is without a mesh. Garbage, rust, sand usually accumulate in the canister, and if the canister is painted inside, then paint particles. It is clear that the smaller the amount of intermediate containers used on the way of gasoline from the dispenser to the tank, the better. Oddly enough, even at the most seedy gas station, there is less dirt in tanks in specific terms than in a "home" canister. The scourge of our gas stations is not so much dirt as water. But here we are powerless. In our memory, only one crook got burned by diluting gasoline, and even then not with water, but with donkey urine, and not in life, but in the movies (see "Gentlemen of Fortune"). So you have to put up with it. However, in order not to add water to domestic diluted gasoline with your own hands, try to always keep the tank full. Condensation accumulates in an incomplete tank, especially in the off-season, when sudden temperature changes occur.
Fewer freeloaders
It is worth saying a few words about the battery. Since it is maintenance-free on most modern cars, it makes no sense to give operating instructions here. We will give just a few additional tips on how to keep the battery viable longer. Do not get carried away stuffing your car with additional energy consumers. The fact that the energy balance of the car has a certain margin that allows you to connect two or three "freeloaders" does not mean that you can hang six horns and ten fog lights on the car - have a sense of proportion. In addition, if you connect unforeseen tsatski yourself, there is a high probability of damage to the insulation. And in general, as practice shows, any, even the most qualified, surgical intervention in the electrical wiring of a car sooner or later makes itself felt. Trouble.
If your battery is dying, try not to chug your engine during countless city stops. Nothing rapes the battery like frequent use of the starter.
And the last (this applies not only to the battery, but to all electrical equipment in general). Remember: all terminals, contacts, wire lugs must be dry and clean and fit well to the "destinations". Dirty, oily insulation breaks through sooner or later, and burning and oxidation of any contact surface can serve as the only (and sufficient) reason for the failure of the ignition system. Or fire.
You can stop there. Meticulous motorists, of course, drew attention to some superficiality of our advice. We admit that we deliberately do not want to delve into the wilds. In order not to provoke you to self-treatment - it does not lead to good. Understanding the nature of pain in the lower abdomen on the right does not mean that you yourself have to remove your appendix. But you must accurately describe the symptoms of appendicitis to the doctor. It helps a lot with the treatment.
Your technical equipment must be impeccable - after all, the time you have is the same money that we hope you also have. Don't lose either one. If a missing tie or a pant leg burnt with an iron can cause a disruption in a business meeting, then what can we say about a car that does not want to start an hour before the scheduled negotiations.
Early in the morning, freshly shaved and full of great plans (the child is going to school, the wife is going to the hairdresser, and he is forging a penny), you jump into the car, "key to start" and... What the hell... One more time. More ... Nervous manipulations with the key and pedals do not bring success. The day is ruined from the start. Plans and mood - down the drain.
Take it easy. No need to rush under the hood in an English suit and, smearing oily dirt with a tie, try to make a diagnosis. In 5 minutes, most likely, you will not cure. Take another car, and leave the treatment of a sick friend until the evening. And it is better to entrust it to doctors with a good reputation, especially if you have an expensive car, and you are not a specialist. That will be cheaper. Well, if your friend is well known to you and you consider yourself a healer - well, try it yourself, if you are not too lazy to get dirty or there is no other way out.
The diagnosis should be made calmly
Study mentally the symptoms. First, is the starter spinning? And if so, how cheerfully? You already know the answer - remember what happened when you first tried to start the car. If you don't remember, try again.
If the starter does not turn at all and does not even click the traction relay when the ignition is turned on, then it is either faulty (you can close the hood and follow the advice above: “Take another car ..”), or the trouble is with the battery - disconnected or sat down. Only in rare models can the starter power circuit be protected by a fuse - a 300 amp commercial - it is easy to find, especially if you know in advance where it is located. If the battery is to blame, then, as a rule, all electrical equipment does not work either. The simplest and easiest case is that one of the terminals has fallen off or dirty, but the battery is in order. Tighten the terminals on it and on the starter (if any). If it turns out that the battery is completely dead (forgot to turn off the headlights for the night), you can still leave. But with outside help. Here, as they say, options are possible. You can try starting from a push, from a hill or from a tow. Do not try to get around the pitfalls: a car with an automatic transmission or electronic fuel injection (if there is an electric fuel pump) cannot be started by these methods. You'll have to smoke at a neighbor's. True, for some machines this can lead to damage to the computer (read the instructions for the machine). If the starter is spinning, but sluggishly (this happens in summer, in winter this is a subject of a separate discussion), most likely, the battery is almost completely discharged. This will be seen by the weak headlights or frail signal. In this case, the above options for outside assistance come into play.
If the starter turns briskly, and the engine does not respond to attempts to start it, feel free to exclude everything related to the battery from further consideration. Blame the ignition or fuel supply system, you can't go wrong. When diagnosing and treating each of them, a systematic approach is required. It is better to start with the ignition - there are problems more often. Especially in wet weather.
From a spark will ignite ...
So, you need to look for a spark. Your car may be equipped with a classic (simple) contact ignition system, a rather complex electronic non-contact ignition system, or some combination. In any case, the system consists of three parts. Part one is low-voltage (breaker contacts in a classical system or a special sensor in an electronic one, plus a box with electronic filling that forms a spark). Part two is a step-up transformer, referred to in the world as an ignition coil. Part three - high-voltage (mechanical or electronic distributor and wires through which high voltage current is supplied to the candles). And, of course, the candles themselves. Checking all this economy should be carried out in stages and it is better to start from the end.
Stage one. High voltage part of the system. Check if there is a spark on the center wire - this is the one that connects the coil to the distributor. The tip of the wire must be removed from the distributor cap, brought closer to any part that has good contact with the mass of the car (it doesn’t matter if it is painted or not), and fixed so that there is a gap of 5–7 mm between the tip and the selected part.
If the ignition of your car is electronic, you need to fasten the wire especially securely - if it falls to ground, the electronics will instantly order a long life. For the same reason, you can not strike a wire on the body. We also do not recommend holding it with your hand, not even your own - it will shock you great.
Stage two. Turn the engine over with the starter. At the same time, look at what happens at the tip of the wire. There are two options. More favorable - there is a spark. Powerful, accompanied by a loud click. This significantly narrows the field for further searches.
The first step is to remove the distributor cap. Under it can be damp and dirty. Through such a "conductor" a spark willingly jumps anywhere, but not where it is needed. Wipe, scrub and dry. At the same time, it is harmless to clean the contacts of the distributor, for example, with a fine sandpaper. Examine the so-called "runner". If you find a dark trace of electrical breakdown on it or on the distributor cover, the part will have to be changed.
In the most biased way, check the wires coming from the distributor to the candles. Wires and their lugs must be dry and clean. If, in your opinion, everything is in order with them, you can put the cover back on, reconnect and try to start the engine. If the malfunction was hidden under the cover, the engine will start or, in the worst case, at least start to sneeze. The symptom is also favorable - you are on the right track. True, you will have to turn out, clean and dry the candles - in an attempt to start the engine, you filled them with gasoline. If the engine does not even sneeze, the candles will still have to be turned out, cleaned and checked. It's easier if you have a spare set.
If you have already got to the stage of turning out the candles, you can quite effectively (and effectively) check the entire ignition system as a whole. Having connected high-voltage wires to the inverted candles, collect the candles in a bundle, like carrots, and wrap them directly along their threaded part with bare soft wire. Make sure the wire makes contact with each spark plug but does not touch the center electrodes. Connect the free end of the wire to ground. Having placed a bunch of candles in a place convenient for observation from the passenger compartment, turn the engine with a starter. At the same time, cheerful sparks should jump between the electrodes of the candles in turn (in accordance with the order of operation of the cylinders). If so, then the entire ignition system is in order. The sound of the engine at the same time will be very unusual - do not be alarmed, because it is spinning with the candles turned out. Don't spin for too long. Worse, if at the second stage of the test there is another option: there is no spark between the central wire and the "case". So, it's not about high voltage circuits. Further searches will be more difficult, evaluate your time and desire. If both are available, proceed to the third stage. Check if voltage is applied to the ignition coil. This is easy to do with a tester, and if it is not there, you can use the engine compartment light. True, you need a couple of wires to connect it to the coil. In a classic ignition system, you need to connect a light bulb between ground and the input of the primary winding.
At the third stage, as usual, two options are also possible: voltage is either applied to the coil or not. If it is supplied, the coil is to blame - breakdown or short circuit, which, however, happens extremely rarely. The coil will need to be changed. More often there is a bad contact in fastening the wires to the coil. Or the same wet dirt, through which the spark flows away, no one knows where. Sometimes the coil is polished to a shine, but an invisible very narrow strip of dirt remains under it - a good conductor.
If, at the third stage, you made sure that no voltage was supplied to the coil, the electronics or contacts and unreliable connections in the low-voltage part of the ignition system are to blame. You can’t cope with electronics (switch and, less often, a sensor in the distributor housing) - special equipment is needed to diagnose them. You can only pull the sensor connector on the distributor housing - suddenly it will help. If you have a car with a classic contact ignition system, you can look further.
Remove the cover from the distributor and inspect the breaker contacts - they can oxidize, especially if the machine has been standing still for some time. Contacts must be carefully cleaned with a thin sandpaper or a special file.
Pull the cleaned contacts so that they either close or open. The voltage on them is only 12 volts, so you can pull it fearlessly. If the cleaning did not help and the voltage to the coil is still not applied, once again we advise you to stop trying to resuscitate the car for a while, since difficulties will begin further.
If voltage has appeared (when the contacts are pulled, the light flashes), restore everything that has been unscrewed and disassembled, start the car and, perhaps, still have time to go about its business. If it doesn’t start, but at least sneezes, turn out the candles and ...
Do not press to the floor - it will not help
It may also turn out that the entire ignition system was checked, everything is in order in it, and the engine, even if you crack, still does not start. This means that there are problems with another of the systems mentioned earlier - the power supply system, that is, the supply of fuel to the engine.
If you have a car with injection (injection supply system) of fuel, do not touch it (the system). You can only come to the conclusion that it was she who broke down: there is a spark, the fuel is suitable - it means that she, darling. Treatment only in a hospital. At home and with handicraftsmen, repairing it is useless and even harmful.
In a conventional carbureted engine, the fuel system is simpler - a tank, a gasoline pump, a set of pipelines and a carburetor. Here you can poke around yourself. The first step is to make sure that gasoline enters the carburetor. Disconnect the hose from the carburetor and press the manual priming lever. If a fairly powerful stream of gasoline has scored, everything is fine, it's time to move on to the carburetor. It happens that gasoline is supplied to the carburetor properly, but for some reason it does not enter it. If you have time and desire, remove the air filter, then ask someone to sharply press the accelerator pedal. Or you can sharply pull on the throttle cable yourself. At the same time, look into the carburetor from above (the air damper is open, otherwise you won’t see anything): if a trickle of gasoline does not appear in the first diffuser, it means that it is not in the float chamber. It is not there because the valve needle is stuck or (it happens not very often) the fuel filter in the carburetor is completely clogged - it is located in front of the float chamber. Or clogged jets. The filter is cleaned by blowing, but if you don’t have the necessary skills, it’s better not to mess with the carburetor internals at all, deal with sticking of the needle valve, clogged jets and other subtleties - let the experts do it.
If there is a trickle in the diffuser, pay attention to the carburetor starting device - it often fails. On foreign cars, starting from about the 70s, automatic air damper control is used. The device, without your participation, depending on the temperature of the engine, closes or opens the damper as much as necessary, enriching the mixture when the engine is started. If this automation works, you can try manual manipulations with the air damper, but there are a lot of options and there are no universal tips. Before starting manipulations, connect and secure the previously disconnected fuel hose. The air filter can not be installed yet. If it starts, let the engine warm up and with God (having previously returned the air filter to its place). the gas tank itself - you can quite demonstrate your skill by pumping the gas line with a tire pump in the opposite direction to the movement of gasoline, i.e. from the carburetor to the tank. In the tank, booming, gurgling sounds should be heard.
With a fine fuel filter, everything is simple. Although on almost all modern models it is made in a transparent case, the degree of contamination cannot be visually determined. A dirty filter will allow you to start the engine, but will not allow you to drive normally. If it is completely clogged, the engine will not start. The most effective check: remove the filter and, if there is no new one, temporarily replace it with a suitable tube, for example, ballpoint pen cases, preferably transparent - you can see how gasoline flows. Do not try to clean the filter - a sealed (or sealed) case cannot be disassembled.
If you come to the conclusion that your car does not have a fuel pump, and there is no spare on hand - "Take another car ...".
We saved the rare but most unpleasant diagnosis for last. If the starter is working properly, you have already spent a lot of time and made sure that the ignition and power are in perfect order, but the car, nevertheless, does not start - it is worth inspecting the camshaft drive belt. However, decide for yourself, this check can be carried out at the beginning, especially if the engine has already passed more than 60 thousand. The difficulty is that you have to remove or at least partially bend the upper part of the plastic casing covering the belt. Perhaps the teeth of the belt were cut off - in belts, like in humans, teeth are lost from old age. In this case, the camshaft does not rotate and the engine will not work. It is clear that a toothless belt needs to be replaced (those who have a car with a camshaft chain drive do not face this trouble). The procedure for replacing the belt is not difficult, but troublesome. It is carried out in a hospital. Well, if everything is limited to replacing only the belt, and not bent valves or the entire head of the block - this also happens.
About the causes of atherosclerosis
Let's try to explain why the circulatory system of a car is sometimes affected by "atherosclerosis". Gasoline is the blood of the car. And the blood must be pure and run through clean vessels. And the fact that "cholesterol" accumulates in the vessels in excess of the permissible measure, as a rule, is our own fault. How often do you use a canister to add gasoline to the tank? If so, then the chances of clogging the gas line and filters increase, especially if your funnel is without a mesh. Garbage, rust, sand usually accumulate in the canister, and if the canister is painted inside, then paint particles. It is clear that the smaller the amount of intermediate containers used on the way of gasoline from the dispenser to the tank, the better. Oddly enough, even at the most seedy gas station, there is less dirt in tanks in specific terms than in a "home" canister. The scourge of our gas stations is not so much dirt as water. But here we are powerless. In our memory, only one crook got burned by diluting gasoline, and even then not with water, but with donkey urine, and not in life, but in the movies (see "Gentlemen of Fortune"). So you have to put up with it. However, in order not to add water to domestic diluted gasoline with your own hands, try to always keep the tank full. Condensation accumulates in an incomplete tank, especially in the off-season, when sudden temperature changes occur.
Fewer freeloaders
It is worth saying a few words about the battery. Since it is maintenance-free on most modern cars, it makes no sense to give operating instructions here. We will give just a few additional tips on how to keep the battery viable longer. Do not get carried away stuffing your car with additional energy consumers. The fact that the energy balance of the car has a certain margin that allows you to connect two or three "freeloaders" does not mean that you can hang six horns and ten fog lights on the car - have a sense of proportion. In addition, if you connect unforeseen tsatski yourself, there is a high probability of damage to the insulation. And in general, as practice shows, any, even the most qualified, surgical intervention in the electrical wiring of a car sooner or later makes itself felt. Trouble.
If your battery is dying, try not to chug your engine during countless city stops. Nothing rapes the battery like frequent use of the starter.
And the last (this applies not only to the battery, but to all electrical equipment in general). Remember: all terminals, contacts, wire lugs must be dry and clean and fit well to the "destinations". Dirty, oily insulation breaks through sooner or later, and burning and oxidation of any contact surface can serve as the only (and sufficient) reason for the failure of the ignition system. Or fire.
You can stop there. Meticulous motorists, of course, drew attention to some superficiality of our advice. We admit that we deliberately do not want to delve into the wilds. In order not to provoke you to self-treatment - it does not lead to good. Understanding the nature of pain in the lower abdomen on the right does not mean that you yourself have to remove your appendix. But you must accurately describe the symptoms of appendicitis to the doctor. It helps a lot with the treatment.
Hello! I have a VAZ 21213 Niva, when the key is turned in the ignition lock, there is no characteristic noise of turning on the fuel pump. . What to do? Thank you! (Pavlov Sergey)
Good day, Sergey. We will discuss the reasons for the failure of the fuel pump below.
[ Hide ]
Why is the pump not working?
So, what could be the reason for the inoperability of the element:
- First of all, it is necessary to check the operation of the fuses. Open the block and find the fuse or relay responsible for the operation of the fuel pump. If an element fails, you need to replace it.
- The motor itself has failed. In this case, it remains only to replace the pump assembly.
- No contact. You need to get to the device and check the operability of all contacts - if there is a break, if all the wiring harnesses are connected.
- Poor mass of the unit. Sometimes it happens that the mass wiring is oxidized and cannot transmit contact. In this case, you need to check its condition and, if necessary, clean it. If with a lot of problems, then you will also notice that on dashboard the fuel gauge will drop.
Now, as for the starter, why does it refuse to turn:
- The simplest is a dead battery. Perhaps you are first of all, but we are obliged to warn about this. Try or "light up" from another car.
- Signaling. In some cases, in practice, we have repeatedly encountered such a problem as the closure of the alarm. This happens for various reasons - due to water getting on the alarm unit, wire breaks, etc. But the result is the same - if the alarm unit closes, there will be no fuel pump. The problem is solved by repairing the board or replacing it, although the search may take some time.
- Retractor relay failure. In this case, the starter will either be silent or buzz, but it will be impossible to start the engine.
- Bendix failure. This element is a gear located on the same shaft as the starter rotor. In the event that severe tooth wear has formed on the gear, problems may arise with starting the engine.
- Worn bushings. The only way out is to replace them.
- Wear of the windings of the device. This happens as a result of the fact that the element has already worked out its service life. Replacing the windings is not an easy and time-consuming task, it will be easier to completely change the component completely.
Video "How to find the cause of a pump breakdown"
For details on finding the cause of the breakdown of the fuel pump, see the video (author - Sergey L).