Engine Backfires when Starting

When you are trying to start your car the engine backfires.


Possible Cause Why the Engine Backfire when Starting

There is a Moisture on the Distributor Cap

When the engine backfires happens when you start the car on a wet condition surroundings, moisture in the distributor cap is one of the possible reason. Moisture is condensation that is resulted from humidity in the air. The moisture interferes with the ignition system to operate properly which causes the back fire.

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In this situation there is nothing much you can do. To avoid such problem from happening in the future it is advisable to park your car in a dry place like inside of the garage when it is about to rain.

There is a Problem on the Timing Belt

When the timing belt is damaged it will seriously affect the engines timing. Only a slight tolerance for timing belt error is considered when it comes to timing belt therefore when the timing belt has problem the engine operation is affected and may also result to backfiring.

Now, check if the timing belt is damage. Open the hood of your car and locate the timing belt, refer to your car owner’s manual for the location. Usually timing belt is located behind a plastic case which is the timing belt cover. This can easily be removed to check if the belt is damaged or not.

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Tow the car to a reputable car shop and have the Timing Belt replace. This kind of job is expensive so be sure to look for shops that offer a reasonable price before towing your car. You may also consider replacing the belts by yourself just refer to service manual for instructions.

See Also: Engine Backfires while Driving

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