Trouble shooting (vehicles)

This page is dedicated to help those who have a non-running vehicle figure out what they did wrong. There are two main catagories for "not running" that applies to cars. Bike specific troubleshooting can be found in the bottom of this page.

## First category

This category pertains to if the vehicle was running as is (i.e. it used to run but it suddenly quit running and will not start back up).

* Is there fuel in the tank? Check the fuel gauge. If it shows empty then that's probably gonna be your problem.
* Did you put oil in the engine? Check the dipstick. If empty, then check the condition of the engine block. If the block is damaged or has a hole then you forgot to put oil in the engine.
* Did you put coolant in the radiator? Take the cap off the radiator and look down the radiator. If there's some coolant at the bottom but not filled to the top you probably forgot to put coolant in it, in which case as long as you didn't run it to much, the engine should be fine. Also, check the head(s) for damage and, if the condition is fine, just put coolant in the radiator.

## Second category

The second category pertains to if you just put the engine in and trying to start it but it is not starting.

### Does not crank at all

* Verify you have a battery
* Verify you have a starter
* Verify you have wires
* Verify you have alternator
* Verify all bolts for above parts are tight

### Cranks but does not run

1. Fuel system
	1. Check fuel line
	2. Check fuel pump
	3. Check fuel tank
	4. Did you put the right fuel in?
	5. Are all the bolts tight for these parts?
2. Ignition system
	1. Check spark plugs
	2. Check ignition coil
	3. Check distributor
	4. Check plug wires
	5. Are all these parts tight?

### Cranks and runs but only for a few seconds

* Verify rockers (This applies to the V8 engine only as far as I know)

Now onto the more technical stuff, if the above fixes don't work you really messed up the process of building an engine (also a bit of a guide on this)

If the car is a Chad or Bart you can remove the grill, valance and fenders and lean into the engine and get a good view of the internals

* Check for head gasket(s)
* Check for cam and cam chain
* Check pistons, engine won't run if you're missing even a single piston

### Car runs yet has no drive

* Check that you have a gear stick (can't shift gears if you ain't got the gear stick)
* Check that you have a driveshaft and transmission, along with differential and rear axles
* Pull the transmission and look at the clutch (ain't gonna move with no clutch, this also applies to automatics)
* Verify you have the right pedal set for the transmission (automatics can use both but manual transmissions require a clutch)

### Car moves yet does not stop

* Check that you have brake fluid
* Check that you have brake calipers and rotors
* Check that you installed brake pads (make sure you installed two pads per caliper as one will have no effect on braking)
* Check that the hard line is installed (easy way to check is to look under the master cylinder and see if there is a mess of brake line there)
* Check that you have the soft lines installed and tightened

### Car slows down but pulls to one side while braking

* Check condition of rotors and calipers of the side that the car drifts from (i.e. if it's pulling to the right, check the left brakes, but sill check both sides)

### Parking brake does not work

* Parking brake lever (foot lever)
* Parking brake cable is secure to the axle

### Gauge cluster does not work

* Replace with new (remove it with the pry tool)

## Troubleshooting for Bikes

This section pertains to bikes only and will list potential solutions to your problems.

### Does not crank at all

* Does the kicker even work? If not, check that the kick pedal and starter gear is in working order (will not crank of starter gear is bad)

### Cranks but does not run

* Check fuel line
* Check fuel tank
* Did you put the right fuel in?
* Check spark plugs
* Check plug wires
* Check alternator and alternator rotor
* Check clutch/transmission input gear

### Bike runs yet has no drive

* Verify the drive gear and chain are present on the bike and that the transmission is working

### Bike will not turn off

* Check that the end of the ignition grip is chrome. If it's black with specks of rust, it's broken and will not turn the bike off.