Q: The car won't start unless it sits for over four hours

asked by on July 29, 2016

In the last several months, my car has been having troubles starting up. But, it happens in particular situations. If I start up the car after it sat for four hours or more, everything's fine. However, if I start it after it sat for a shorter period of time, say an hour and a half, or 40 minutes, then it cannot be started. When it happens, I have to let it cool down for several hours more in order to get it running again. I've been to the mechanic's and I had so many things done, including the battery replacement, cleaning the wires, replacing the fuel pump, checking for any electrical issues, checking the parts under the hood, filling in fuel. The issue remained the same. The dash shows no lights on either. Any ideas?

Hello there. A few possible faults could cause this type of intermittent no start condition. The most common would be a battery, starter, battery cables, fuel pump, fuel injector, or a wiring issue. This type of failure indicates a fault that only occurs once the vehicle is hot and can be difficult at times to duplicate. To verify what is causing the problem, a qualified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, will be able to diagnose the starting issue and perform any repairs required.

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