Q: Car is taking longer than usual to start

asked by on October 17, 2016

Sometimes but not every time. Maybe 3 out of every 5 starts my car cranks for a long time before starting. The longest time it has took so far has been about 5 seconds. What could be the problem? Thank you

My car has 119700 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Car is hard to start Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

Hello. If this problem occurs more consistently with the "first startup of the day" or after the car has been sitting some time, the problem may be low residual fuel pressure. A check valve in the fuel system should maintain some fuel pressure so that the fuel pump doesn’t have to run very long (a second or two) before there is enough pressure to start the engine. If the valve allows pressure to leak down completely, the fuel pump has to run longer to develop adequate pressure. If you need assistance with these checks, I would recommend having a hard starting inspection completed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, to diagnose the problem, get an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.

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