If you are running late from an important business meeting and the car refuses to turn on in the morning. It is because the car sputters when starting. Nothing is more frustrating. Sputtering is a sort of sound produced by the car engine when you start your car.
There are many reasons why a car sputters when starting. It can be due to a weekend battery, clogged air filters, leakage in gaskets, poor catalytic converter, and issues with the fuel pump. You need to get it fixed as this situation versions over time.
Common reasons why car sputters when starting.
Following are some common reasons why cars sputter when starting.
Battery issues
The battery is the most important component of a car, and almost every electrical component of the car works on it. If there is some issue with a car, the first out always go towards the battery. There can be a problem with your battery which makes the car sputters when starting.
When the engine of the car is starting up, it requires energy from the car battery. So when the engine does not gets proper energy, the car sputters when starting. Once the car is running, the engine does not require much energy from the battery. So, there is no sputtering afterward.
To avoid such a frustrating situation, you need to keep your car battery fully charged. The average life of the battery is about 5 to 6 years, after which they need replacement. So, you should keep checking for weakened batteries and get a replacement. You need to recharge the battery to solve this issue.
There are some simple steps you can adopt to increase battery power. You can seek help from a good working car to get your car battery charged. For this purpose, you need to have some jumper wires.
- As there are two battery terminals, attach the red colored clip of the wire to the red colored terminal of the body battery. Similarly, you will attach the black colored clip of wire to the black color indicated terminal of the battery.
- With the working car near your vehicle, attach the black color wire with the terminal of a battery and the other clip with the metallic part of the car body.
- Then turn on your car engine to make sure your car battery is being charged.
- It is the ultimate charge booster technique for your discharged car battery.
Air filter clogging
The second main reason is clogging in the air filter, which results in car sputters when starting. The air filter ensures that the car engine works properly. It has several sensors attached for proper working. Any dirt and dust accumulation in the air filter can clog it permanently. It causes the sensors of the air filter to go bad. It affects your car engine adversely, and the car sputters when starting.
To solve this issue, you need to change the air filter or clean it thoroughly. It gets the air filter to proper working in no time. In some cases, the cleaning help. Otherwise, you would have to purchase a new air filter and install it in place of the old one.
Faulty catalytic converter
The purpose of the catalytic converter is to remove the excess gases from the engine. It makes sure that the engine does not use those harmful gases. When the catalytic converter stops working, the wastage gases are mixed with useful ones to be utilized by the car engine.
These gases might cause a blockage in your car engine, and resultantly your car sputters. You should seek a mechanic instantly to get your catalytic converter replaced with a new one. Acquiring harmful gases is dangerous and can adversely affect the working of your car engine.
Non-workable ignition system
There can be some issue in the ignition switch of the car due to which it refuses to turn on. Sometimes you plug in your key to start the car, but the car refuses to accept the key. This is an annoying situation as the car does not respond to anything you do. The job of the ignition system is to signal the engine to start up.
A non-workable ignition system can cause serious problems for you. You should seek a professional technician to help you out. The car engine simply refuses to start in this case.
Leakage in gasket
The external components of the car, like exhaust, are prone to damage. It is because the car exhaust is working effortlessly all the time to throw out excess heat from the car body. It ensures that the car engine does not get heat up. Any problem with the exhaust system can be hazardous for your car engine. It can deteriorate the working of the car engine, and it may sputter when starting.
Any hole in the exhaust or gasket can prevent your engine from starting up, which causes the car to sputter. If you spray the water in the car exhaust system, the water leakage will help detect the exact exhaust leakage point. Sometimes the leakage is minor and can be fixed. In most cases, replacing the exhaust system is advisable. But you should always seek a trained technician or car mechanic for this purpose.
Fuel pump issues
Due to the malfunctioning fuel pump, the pressure of fuel drops inside it. As the engine cannot access the fuel properly it working is diminished. Similarly, there can be issues with the fuel filter, which affects the working of the engine. It is one of the reasons why cars sputter when starting.
You should increase the fuel pressure in the pump by installing a temporary fuel gauge. But the fuel pump needs to be tested for issues if the problem continues. The dirt accumulated in fuel injectors can also be a problem. To solve this issue, you need a thorough cleaning of the fuel injectors. You must locate the exact problem.
Fixing car sputters when starting.
There some common tips that you can adopt for fixing car sputters when starting.
- Sometimes only cleaning is required for certain parts. So try cleaning the parts manually rather than going for part replacement every time.
- You can not ignore the spark plug issues for a long time. Whenever some issue occurs, go straight to a car mechanic. These issues, when ignored, can cause a serious problem for your car engine.
- Some parts of the car are fragile, and you cannot reach them yourself, so always seek professional help.
- You can inspect the fuel injectors through a stethoscope. You should keep in check the fuel supply of your engine. Make sure that your engine does not run without fuel, even for a few minutes.
- As the battery is the main component of a car and about 60% of the car’s electric components work on it. So make sure that your battery is fully charged and is not dying out.
- The car filters are equally important. You need to change them regularly as prescribed by the car mechanic. You must keep a record of the mileage to keep your fuel and air filters in check.
- Seek professional help with your car engine. Do not try fixing the car yourself if you are inexpert.
So these are some common issues that show why your car sputters when starting.
