Car Won't Start
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Kuwait
Car Won't Start
HELP..any ideas what the problem is.. Here's the story..
I last parked the car around 5am got up in the morning and parked it inside the garage..I was about to go back out at 12pm and when you turn the ignition all you here is a clunk and the fuel indicator goes to 0 and back up again. Everything works except the car won't run. Any ideas. I checked the fuse boxes..nothing is wrong..please help.
Regards,
KU104
BTW it's a 2000 E240..
I last parked the car around 5am got up in the morning and parked it inside the garage..I was about to go back out at 12pm and when you turn the ignition all you here is a clunk and the fuel indicator goes to 0 and back up again. Everything works except the car won't run. Any ideas. I checked the fuse boxes..nothing is wrong..please help.
Regards,
KU104
BTW it's a 2000 E240..
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 332
Likes: 0
From: LI, NY
02 W163, 84 W123, 03 E39, 98 E39
Try this
Sometimes corroded battery terminals or clamps can pass enough current to make the gauges work, but when you turn the starter motor on the large current draw makes everything go dead. Try cleaning your battery terminals and clamps. If that dosn't work maby your battery is at the end of it's life and only has enough power to run the gauges, but not start the car.
Good luck.
Good luck.
The battery was just dirty I guess..
Senior Member
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 332
Likes: 0
From: LI, NY
02 W163, 84 W123, 03 E39, 98 E39
Glad to help
I had an old Pontiac that I was sure the starter moter had gone bad in. Just because I didn't want to spend money, and I didn't want to spend the time, almost just for fun, I cleaned the battery posts and the clamps and the car started perfectly.
This taught me two important lessons.
1. If there is a problem with starting a car, first clean the terminals and the posts, then move on to checking the battery, then the starter motor.
2. Maby the most impostant lesson. No matter how sure I am that a problem is not a simple problem, I always start out checking the simple, cheap, easy to check things. Check fuses, check for dirty or broken contacts, check for low fluid levels, etc. before moving on to repairing or replacing expensive parts.
Hope this helps.
This taught me two important lessons.
1. If there is a problem with starting a car, first clean the terminals and the posts, then move on to checking the battery, then the starter motor.
2. Maby the most impostant lesson. No matter how sure I am that a problem is not a simple problem, I always start out checking the simple, cheap, easy to check things. Check fuses, check for dirty or broken contacts, check for low fluid levels, etc. before moving on to repairing or replacing expensive parts.
Hope this helps.
