Dealing with a dead car battery is a common issue, but what happens when your car won’t start but the electronics still work? This means your battery is not dead, and you have an entirely new set of problems to deal with.
In this post, we talk about all the reasons your car won’t start but the electronics still work. We then show you the best ways to get your car started again.
Causes of Car Won’t Start But Lights And Radio Work
Common reasons the car won’t start but the radio and lights work are a bad starter motor, blown fuse or broken ignition switch. In addition, it can be due to bad spark plugs or no fuel pump.
You shouldn’t rule out the chance that the car is out of gas or there is a low battery.
Here is a more detailed list of why the car won’t start but the radio works and the lights work:
#1. Dying Battery.
A dead battery can’t turn on any lights or even the radio, however if the battery is dying, it may have enough juice for the accessories, but will not turn on the engine.
Many of the accessories only need a small amount of amperage. Often 20-30 amps. The starter typically needs around 300 amps to operate.
So, charge the battery with a battery charger and/or use a jump starter to start the car. If the car starts with a charger or jump starter, your battery is probably dead or possibly there is something draining the battery!
#2. Bad Starter.
The starter motor is the part that makes your vehicle start when you turn the key in to ignite. If the starter is bad, or possibly the solenoid, you may experience the same symptoms.
The starter requires power from the battery to engage. If the battery is good- fully charged- and the starter is bad it may only produce a clicking noise or won’t do anything at all. If the starter is bad it may actually make some strange screeching noise, if it doesn’t click at all.
In some cases your starter will give you some indication that it is going bad. If it seems like it takes more effort to start you may want to notice those things.
You may observe smoke from under the hood of the car coming from the starter if it is getting too hot. If you suspect your starter is getting bad- I would recommend to your starter.
#3. Blown Fuse.
Every new car today comes equipped with a number of fuses supplying power to the electrical components. On most vehicles, the fuse box should be on the driver’s side low and against the floor.
To obtain the specific location and a diagram of the fuses, check the owner’s manual.
If the fuse for the starter is blown, the starter will not be able to use the power supplied from the battery. The symptoms will be similar to a bad starter except you likely will not hear a clicking noise.
#4. Failed Ignition Switch.
This electrical part powers the fuel system and activates all of the accessories in the cabin. Placing the key in the ignition or pressing the button activates the switch.
In the event the ignition switch has an issue, you could get power to the exterior lights, and the interior accessories could also receive power, but your car won’t start.
When the ignition switch works in the first position, the lights and accessories function normally. The second position in the ignition switch turns on the ignition and fuel systems. It is the next position that may not start the engine.
#5. Bad Spark Plugs.
Spark plugs are necessary for the ignition system of your car. The spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture in the engine. Eventually, the plugs will wear out and become dirty.
If the lights and accessories work but you cannot crank the engine over, the spark plugs could be one of the problems. Most of the time, the fire plugs will fail and you’ll crank but do not start.
#6. Defective Fuel Pump.
Starting the engine requires gasoline and electric power. These are the two parts that start the vehicle and allow it to function.
If nothing from the electrical system is to blame, then you need to examine the fuel system. If the fuel pump is faulty, it will not pump gasoline to the engine.
As the fuel pump begins to fail, you may hear whining noises and the engine performance may start to suffer.
#7. Out of Gas.
You wouldn’t like to think that you would ever forget to put gas in the tank, but sometimes it happens. Maybe you got distracted or maybe there is an issue with the gas gauge, but your vehicle could simply be out of gas.
If you’re driving when the car runs out of gas, it may start to sputter and slow down, but before the engine cuts out. At that point, you’ll still have power to use the lights or radio because the power is coming from the battery in the car.
How to Fix Car That Won’t Start?
The easiest way to diagnose a car that will not start is by reading the error codes with an OBD2 scanner. You should also make sure the battery is charged and in good condition before replacing any parts!
#1. Test/Replace Battery.
If you can’t find anything else wrong, then rule out the battery first. With your multimeter, the battery should read 12.6 volts. If it gets down to about 12.3 volts, then it is starting to get low. Although, you may want to use a battery load tester to get an accurate reading.
Try jumping the car from a battery pack or another vehicle to see if it starts. If the engine runs when you use a jump pack or battery from another car, then you know it’s the battery. A new car battery will run you about $50 to $200.
#2. Replace Starter.
If a starter motor has failed on you, that is probably something that you will have to replace. Expect parts and labor to do so costing between $400 to $700.
You can probably do the replacement yourself and save on the labor. With many makes and models, a simple YouTube search should yield helpful how-to videos.
#3. Put in Good Fuse.
While replacing a blown fuse could be the least expensive solution to a vehicle that won’t start, a fuse should only be replaced if it is blown. You simply need to find out which fuse is blown, then replace it with a new one that is compatible.
Most car fuses will be $10 or less. Also, since this is a simple repair, you will not need to pay someone for labor.
#4. Change Ignition Switch.
You can change an ignition switch without a lot of effort. Most vehicles just require easy hand tools. Some vehicles even require programming your new ignition switch into your system, so check your repair manual before proceeding.
If you choose an aftermarket ignition switch, it could cost $25 to $100. If you use the OEM ignition switch, it could cost $50 to $300.
#5. Carry out a tune-up.
If your engine was having poor performance prior to not starting, you may need to complete a tune-up anyway. Part of this maintenance schedule requires replacing spark plugs.
Spark plugs can be cleaned, but it doesn’t make much sense to do that instead of just replacing them. This may cost $50 to $250 to install new spark plugs.
#7. Change fuel pump.
This is not the quickest fix to make, but it will be required when the fuel pump fails. Unless you possess skills well above a typical mechanic, this is not a job you want to tackle yourself.
People can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $1,000 to change the fuel pump. The labor parts may run anywhere from $125 to $300, while the part can cost $75 to $700.
#8. Add fuel.
If there is not fuel in the system, then you will have to fill it up to get the engine to start. This is not inconvenient if the car is parked at home. Just take an approved gas can to the local gas station and bring it back to your vehicle.
If you are on the road and run out of fuel, you could have a larger issue. If you’re away from a fuel station and don’t have an approved container, you may need to call roadside assistance.