Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start?

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Chevrolet Suburban is an SUV that is quite difficult to imitate.

Not every car manufacturer can offer a car with ample leg room, comfortable yet spacious seats, the well-recognized nameplate in the fortune of the car industry, etc.

Not only is that, but the element of surprise is the customization they offer to their customers, providing them with a package that best suits their needs.

Knowing that Chevrolet Suburban cannot be compared with its competitors, it also has some bad days.

In those days, the users of this car often ask, why won’t my Chevrolet Suburban start?

They go around the city, trying to find a solution to this problem.

If you also have experienced something similar, sit back and read this article because I will discuss the most prominent causes of this situation.

  1. Jammed Air Filter
  2. Corroded Starter Motor
  3. Loose Battery Terminals
  4. Issues In The Combustion System
  5. Broken Battery

There can be many other causes of this issue, but these require the utmost attention because they tend to generate an expensive bill.

I have provided insights into all these issues down below.

What Would Cause A Chevrolet Suburban To Not Start?

Let's find out about the Chevy Suburban starting issues

No car has ever been formed that does not undergo malfunction. Chevrolet Suburban is no exception in this case as well.

There is no doubt in the fact that its audience loves it. However, at times it can give them a headache too.

I will now tap all the issues mentioned above individually and provide insights on how you can fix these problems without seeking the help of a mechanic.

You must understand that in some cases, however, professional help is the only way to fix a problem.

1: Jammed Air Filter

The air filter is your vehicle’s initial layer of protection, allowing clean air into the engine while blocking airborne pollutants such as dirt, dust, and leaves from being drawn into the engine bay.

This gets worse on a windy day or during extreme weather conditions. The vehicle’s air filter can grow dusty over time and lose its ability to filter the engine’s air entering.

If your air filter gets contaminated by dirt and debris, it may significantly impact your Chevrolet Suburban’s engine performance.

A blocked engine air filter can cause misfires, harsh idling, and hard starts.

The wretched air filter reduces the engine’s air supply, allowing unburned gasoline to build soot residue on the ignition system.

This clogs the spark plug, reducing its ability to generate the necessary spark for the combustor.

What Should You Do About It?

  • Getting your air filter replaced is not expensive enough, so you must do it as soon as you feel that your engine’s performance is reducing.
  • Buy a spray cleaner for your air filter so you can clean the filter from time to time and save labor costs.
  • Use a vacuum to suck out all the debris and dirt from the air filter. Also, avoid taking your Chevrolet Suburban out when it is windy outside.

2: Corroded Starter Motor

Corrosion is a huge problem for every car, no matter how expensive or cheap it is to maintain.

A car as posh as a Chevrolet Suburban can easily be attacked by corrosion if a driver is on a salted road during winters.

The starter motor, on the other hand, is one of the most important components of a car. The entire ignition system can be affected if corrosion makes its way toward the starter motor.

In the case of the Chevrolet Suburban, the starter motor holds more significance because it is a large-sized SUV.

The corroded started motor would stop the combustion process from happening, the chamber of combustion would not be provided with enough charge or energy to start the process, your key might get stuck, the steering wheel could be locked, and smoke might even appear coming out of the car.

What Should You Do About It?

  • Do not park a car as luxurious as a Chevrolet Suburban on a salted road during winters. Moisture makes its way to the internal components and damages them.
  • Use a greaser for the internal components as it forms a layer of protection against contaminants and rust.
  • Buy a new starter motor for your car or look for a refurbished one. It is not that difficult to find one.

3: Loose Battery Terminals

In some cases, the battery is completely efficient in producing power for your engine, but it is the battery terminals that are loose and the battery wires that are not able to supply the needed charge to the engine at the right time.

This might as well be because of the corrosion on these battery terminals.

Batteries terminal ends are essential in connecting your vehicle’s power system to your automobile’s battery through the battery cables.

Lead is used for the terminal ends because it is a conducting material with poor electrical resistance.

If your battery terminal fails, your overall electrical system may collapse. If your vehicle’s electrical system breaks down, you will be stranded.

Corrosion occurs when the terminals touch your Chevrolet Suburban’s battery and are subjected to acidic vapors from the battery acid.

Corrosion reduces your battery terminal’s capacity to carry power and can stop the power supply.

What Should You Do About It?

  • You can try cleaning the battery terminals with two items from your kitchen, baking soda and water. This would help in getting rid of the corrosion.
  • To connect the battery terminals with the wires, you can try using a heat-shrinking tube.
  • While doing any of this, take the battery cables out. Start with the negative cables and then move to the positive cables.

4: Issues In The Combustion System

Many factors are involved in the combustion system of your car’s engine.

In this case, for your Chevrolet Suburban, the combustion system requires a mixture of fuel and air with some assistance from the spark plugs to provide them with the necessary charge.

The starter motor is required to power this entire system.

If the leakages in the fuel tank, contaminated fuel filter, clogged fuel lines, polluted air filter, damaged spark plugs, and the broken starter motor stop the combustion system from starting, the engine of your car will not be able to produce enough energy to survive and would eventually die out.

The combustion system is the most important system of your car.

This is where the entire process ends because if the combustion fails, there is no point in catering to multiple other issues.

This is quite more difficult to tackle than the issues discussed above.

What Should You Do About It?

  • Make sure there are no issues in your car’s fuel tank, fuel line, or fuel filter. Only get supreme quality gas for your car.
  • The air filter needs to be pollutant-free because if any dirt or debris enters the air-fuel mixture, the engine will fail to recognize that and will not start combustion.
  • Make sure the starter motor has no traces of corrosion. Grease out the important components of your Chevrolet Suburban.

5: Broken Battery

Having a broken battery is like having a broken fridge. You would have to starve if you would not provide with the right amount of food every day.

The battery stores enough power for the engine to work under optimal conditions. However, in some cases, the battery gets damaged for several reasons.

One of these reasons could be a low charge being provided to it. The issue might be with the alternator that might not provide an adequate charge to the battery.

The issue might also be with the corrosion of the battery cables that cannot provide or supply the necessary charge back and forth. Moreover, the issue might be with the battery itself.

If the battery is being used for quite some time and you have not considered replacing it, then the battery would not stay efficient and would malfunction.

What Should You Do About It?

  • If you have used your battery for a long time, it is time to replace it with a new one. Do not trust a refurbished battery as much as a new one in the case of a Chevrolet Suburban.
  • Check for issues in the alternator. Use a voltmeter to see how much charge it produces and supplies to the battery. It should not go below 12 volts.
  • Do not exhaust your battery by using your car in extreme weather conditions, as it would have to exert much more energy to keep the engine going.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start With New Battery?

A new battery, often in the case of SUVs, takes 2-3 days to adapt to the new environment.

Before asking this question, ensure you have given that much margin to the new battery and make sure it is fully charged.

If it is still not working, you need to grab a screwdriver to see if all the bolts and wires are in place.

Q2. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start Even With A Jump?

Giving a jump start to a large SUV like Chevrolet Suburban is not an easy task. You might not be doing it right, or the charge you provide is too high or too low.

If that is not the case, then the issue does not even lie with the car’s battery, and you must search for problems in other components.

Q3. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start But Lights Work?

If the lights of your Chevrolet Suburban are working, then you need to relax because the issue is not with the electrical system but with the battery or all the components that provide power or energy to the engine.

It would take you some time to get into the nitty-gritty of this.

Q4. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start But Cranks?

I know how terrible cranking a Chevrolet Suburban might sound, but you need to set out a sigh of relief because it is not that expensive to get this issue fixed.

In this case, the main cause of concern is a dead battery and low fuel in the engine. You can easily get this replaced or buy a refurbished one.

Q5. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start Just Clicks?

Now is the time to start worrying because clicking on a Chevrolet Suburban does not bring good news but an expensive maintenance schedule.

The alternator, electrical system, starter motor, etc. everything needs to be checked because we do not know what the point of origin for this sound is.

Q6. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start In The Cold Weather?

Chevrolet Suburban is an SUV that becomes the home for many rodents during cold weather.

These rodents tend to feed on the sweet-flavored wires of the car and disrupt the entire electrical system.

Another reason is that the chance or probability of rusting is much higher in cold weather.

Q7. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start After I Get Gas?

A certain type of class and lifestyle is to be maintained if you have a Chevrolet Suburban.

You cannot inject inexpensive fuel into the system of this car because it would fail to work in that situation.

Moreover, if you inject premium quality gas and it still does not work, that means there is a leakage in the tank.

Q8. Why Won’t My Chevrolet Suburban Start But Radio Works?

If your Chevrolet Suburban’s radio is working, you do not need an electrician to see the electrical system.

Instead, you need to see the starter motor of the car and the ignition switch. You also need to make sure the combustion system is not at fault in this case.

Related: What Are The Worst Years For The Chevy Suburban?

Conclusion

Despite being the number one choice of families looking for SUVs, Chevrolet Suburban can tend to disappoint its users.

However, the company is working on making this better for you by making the components directly associated with this issue, e.g., the alternator, a lot stronger.

This article would make you stop asking yourself, why won’t my Chevrolet Suburban start?

Now, you need no longer worry about expensive bills or mechanic tours because all the suggested solutions, if implemented on the car, fix your car in only a few hours.