Car Not Starting Noise

[piroska]

It cranks, it turns over but there is that, um, farting kind of noise? Puh Puh sort of thing.
What does that mean?

Not my car BTW.
Eventually, after ages,so it has a damn good battery,  it will go but then back to that again next time round.

[R2x1]

Maybe check the spark plugs are tightened correctly?

[piroska]

It's not an electric issue or a spark issue.
Puh puh...

It cranks just fine.

[SueDonim]

Air leak somewhere? Or timing issue?

[zqwerty]

Check spark getting to spark plugs, check petrol getting to carburetor and then to cylinders.

Sounds to me like petrol supply or ignition problems.

If it's a diesel engine then maybe fault with decompression system.

If not check state of spark plugs and gaps.

Could also be flooding if not starting after many tries I guess.

Once started does it drive and keep going perfectly well or not.

If you spray Engine Start (product to start recalcitrant engines first time) into the carburetor via the air filter does it start immediately?

Remove air filter and try a start without filter, old engines clog up air filters with oil from positive crankcase pressure due to leakage around worn piston rings.

All things to try to understand what problem may be.

Cranking is just an electric motor (starter motor) being correctly connected to the flywheel and turning the engine over, there are other vital details required.

[harm_less]

How long was the engine going the last time it was started?

Some cars have a starting sequence that takes a few minutes to complete. If the car had previously been started and stopped in quick succession previously such as being shifted a short distance and reparked it may have not completed such a starting sequence. This causes difficulty starting next time you go to drive them similar to what you're describing.

We had a Nissan March that we encountered this issue with. A friend who is a car dealer diagnosed the problem for us as he had encountered the same thing with Subarus he had driven.

[piroska]

Sounds to me like petrol supply or ignition problems.

If it's a diesel engine then maybe fault with decompression system.

Once started does it drive and keep going perfectly well or not.

Remove air filter and try a start without filter, old engines clog up air filters with oil from positive crankcase pressure due to leakage around worn piston rings.

Spark fine.
Not flooding.
Yes it goes eventually and isn't running on 3 or anything. But try again and same thing.

Petrol not diesel. 

 It er does this sputter , well not quite. Whuff, whuff, whuff. try again, all the while the starter is doing is usual rrrr ok. But whuff whuff, finally after ages, Vroooom....

[Kenj]

Sounds to me like petrol supply or ignition problems.

If it's a diesel engine then maybe fault with decompression system.

Once started does it drive and keep going perfectly well or not.

Remove air filter and try a start without filter, old engines clog up air filters with oil from positive crankcase pressure due to leakage around worn piston rings.

Spark fine.
Not flooding.
Yes it goes eventually and isn't running on 3 or anything. But try again and same thing.

Petrol not diesel. 

 It er does this sputter , well not quite. Whuff, whuff, whuff. try again, all the while the starter is doing is usual rrrr ok. But whuff whuff, finally after ages, Vroooom....

I'd flog it off. Put in advert... "genuine reason for selling. Motor's stuffed"


Sorry, I know that's not helpful, but it just brought back memories of 50 or so years ago when my mate and I started up a muffler business here in Napier. We used to buy, do up and sell cars to supplement our income. That was always his saying when we were flogging one off. 

[harm_less]

Spark fine.
Not flooding.
Yes it goes eventually and isn't running on 3 or anything. But try again and same thing.

Petrol not diesel. 

 It er does this sputter , well not quite. Whuff, whuff, whuff. try again, all the while the starter is doing is usual rrrr ok. But whuff whuff, finally after ages, Vroooom....

How long did you let the engine run before "trying again"?

The starting issue I mentioned above is like an ECU related anti-flooding protection that has got out of step because the engine hadn't been running for long enough to reset this function. My car dealer mate was having it happen to cars that had been shifted in his sales yard, and then shut down after a minute or so running. The starting procedure was disrupted even if the car had then been left for as long as days afterward so it took him a while to figure out why some cars became bad starters for no apparent reason.

[driftwood]

What sort of car is it?

[piroska]

What sort of car is it?

A heap of shit I'd say.

It's not mine. Neighbour. He's persistent, on and on and on....goes off to work, comes home. Goes out again, wind, wind, wind. Start all over in morning.

PITA actually. Youngish and male too, you' think if he can't fix it himself he's at least have a mate to look at it.