Reasons Your Car Won't Start After Sitting Overnight: 3 Tips From Capitol Subaru In Salem

August 13, 2019

There are all sorts of reasons that a car can be difficult to start up -- but if your car was running like a clock just hours before, that's actually important to know. It means that it's unlikely that your engine itself has a problem. Instead, the problem is likely to be with the system that starts it.

If your car won't start and the engine won't even "crank" or attempt to turn over when you turn the key, that indicates a failure in your vehicle's charging system or starter. We'll tell you about three things that commonly go wrong with these systems in the article below. However, this list is by no means exhaustive! If your car won't start, get a jump start and head to Capitol Subaru so our expert technicians can make your car start reliably once again.

3. Drained Battery

As you might've guessed, a dead battery can prevent your car from starting up. If you leave on some accessories overnight, such as a dome light, that could be enough to drain the battery until there isn't enough juice left to start the car in the morning.

That's because, as you drive along, the engine runs on gasoline, and powers an accessory called the alternator. The alternator creates an electric current that recharges your battery. Then, the battery stores that charge to power your stereo when the engine is off and start the engine up when you turn the key. You might just need to have the battery recharged, then try starting the vehicle again.

2. Bad Alternator

Just because the battery has drained doesn't mean the battery needs to be replaced. If the alternator goes bad, it won't recharge the battery as you drive, and the battery will quickly run out of juice. However, it might only need to be recharged to keep working well.

At the Capitol Subaru service center, we can perform a battery health test for you. If your battery is healthy, but it ran out of charge entirely, that tells us that your alternator isn't doing what it should. You may need a new or refurbished alternator installed on your car to get it to start quickly and consistently.

1. Burned-Out Starter

If your charging system is working well, but the engine still won't turn over when you turn the key, the next thing our technicians will look at is your starter.

When you turn the key, the battery sends a jolt of electricity to the starter. The starter is a small but mighty little motor. It just needs to give the engine an initial turn so that it can begin to run under its own power. If your starter motor burns out, the engine won't "crank" and won't be able to start. If your battery drains, then no electricity can make it to the starter. But, if the battery is in good shape, and the starter still won't activate, the starter motor itself or its electric solenoid has probably failed.

No matter why your car won't start up in the morning, the team at Capitol Subaru can fix it. If your car problem is electrical in nature, it can be tough to properly diagnose -- at least without the special tools and know-how that our team has in our service center.