Q: My car starts sometimes and other times it cranks over like normal but won't start.

asked by on September 01, 2016

My car starts sometimes. It has worked for the past two weeks but I tried it today and it won't start. It cranks over at a normal speed so I can pretty much rule out the battery as an issue. The starter is brand new. When I had it replaced I thought it would fix this issue but it did not. It will most likely start again but I need to go somewhere now.

My car has 222711 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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Without further detail this may be a shot in the dark, but I would start with checking to be sure the car is getting fuel. Pull one of the spark plugs out to see if it is wet with fuel after cranking it over. If it is, the you know you are getting fuel to the motor. Next, pull one of the spark plugs out and hook one of the plug wires to it, but be sure to do this away from the spark plug hole in the cylinder. Crank the car over very quickly just a few turns. Have someone watch the spark plug to see if it emits a spark. If it does then you know you have spark. These two initial steps will give you a good place to start. If you are not able to diagnose using either of these steps, I would suggest having a mechanic from YourMechanic come pinpoint your starting issue firsthand for an accurate repair.

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