Car Sputters When Starting

Car sputters when starting happens if the engine is out of gas, the distributor cap has moisture, the timing belt is damaged, the coil is bad or there is a problem with the electronic ignition.

The reason why car sputters when starting

(1) Engine out of gas.
(2) Moisture in the distributor cap.
(3) Damage timing belt.
(4) Electronic ignition problem
(5) Bad coil

Car Diagnostic

Check your car if the car is out of gas. Fill the car with fuel then start again. Sometimes it's because the car is out of gas is reason a car sputtering when starting.

When a car sputters when starting in wet conditions, the possible cause is moisture in the distributor cap. The moisture in the distributor cap is a result of high humidity air, this moisture will interfere with the ignition system to operate properly thus the car will not start.

What to do?

Wait for the distributor cap to dry, or remove the distributor cap then clean with a dry cloth. To avoid having moisture on the distributor cap, just park the car inside covered parking when it is about to rain.

Open the hood locate the timing belt and check it. If the timing belt is damaged then this causes the problem. The timing belt is very crucial in operating the car, if there is a problem with the timing belt the car will not be started or the engine will run rough.

Bring the car to a reputable car shop and ask the mechanic to replace the damaged timing belt so that the engine will not sputter during starting. This kind of work is costly so be prepared. It is better to request a quote from a different car shop before bringing your car otherwise the shop will take advantage of the problem.

If the engine sputters at most speed.Check sparkplug and wires.

Ask a friend to sit on the driver's side then you have to pull off one of the spark plug wires then lay it close to the ground. Now, tell your friend to turn on the ignition key and crank the engine for a second. Observe if there is a spark that jumps from the spark plug wires into the ground. Put back the wires then test the other wires until all wires are tested.

If you observed that all wires have a spark that jumps from the end of the wires into the ground then a problem with electronic ignition is causing the engine sputter when starting.

If the spark jump to the ground for all the spark plug wires tested, then there is a problem with the fuel injection system. The likely cause of the starting problem you are experiencing. However, the problem could be that your fuel injection system is not operating normally.

Bring the car to a reputable car shop then ask the mechanic to check the electronic ignition for any problem and repair if necessary.

If the spark does not jump to ground for all the spark plug wires tested, then the problem is a bad coil or bad spark plug wires. This strongly suggests that there isn't ample current reaching one or more spark plugs, thus causing the engine to misfire or sputter. As you to check each of the spark plug wires and the result as indicated that with at least if one of them, you didn't notice a spark jump to the ground as the engine was cranking.

This means that either the spark plug wire is bad or the coil isn't providing enough current to the spark plug wire. Usually, the problem of the bad coil is causing the engine to sputter while starting.

In this situation, it is hard for anyone but a professional mechanic to determine which is bad: the coil or the spark plug wires. If your car isn't under warranty you'll need to find a mechanic. When talking to a mechanic, explain to him just what we explained to you. Tow the car to the nearest repair shop and ask the mechanic to remove and replace the bad coil to fix the problem.

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