# Car starts but won’t turn on

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-starts-but-won-t-turn-on/139182>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [April 24, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-starts-but-won-t-turn-on/139182 "2019-04-24T21:40:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bradley\_Street](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Bradley\_Street](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bradley_Street)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-starts-but-won-t-turn-on/139182/1 "2019-04-24T21:40:30Z")

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So the car starts but won’t turn on. I told my girlfriend to turn the ignition key to the off position and then the on position and wait a couple seconds and repeat that process a couple times. I assumed the engine wasn’t getting any fuel. She did this and it worked and turned right over.

I’m not a car expert but I know a few troubleshooting things to get me by. What could be causing this? Bad fuel pump is the only thing that comes to mind.

This has only happened once. It works fine right now, however I’m trying to see if there is a problem I need to have addressed. She works so far away and I’d like to avoid her being stranded.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-starts-but-won-t-turn-on/139182/2 "2019-04-24T21:54:38Z")

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The problem might be with the anti drain-back valve on the fuel pump.

This problem usually shows up when the vehicle sits over an extended period of time.

Tester

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**Author:** ![Bradley\_Street](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Bradley\_Street](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bradley_Street)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-starts-but-won-t-turn-on/139182/3 "2019-04-24T21:59:07Z")

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Thanks. The vehicle is used daily. That kinda confirms my suspicions of it being a fuel pump problem.