the problems not too big

guys yesterday my car wouldn't start and i was in a rush so i had to leave it on the street.
when i tried to start it up everything on the dash kept flashing
wouldnt work.
Later that night i came and tried again, this time successful.
I thought it would be the battery, but the check engine light is on?

 

RED, well, when you say it wouldn't start, I am assuming you are talking about the engine would rotate, but you were getting no spark. If the motor wasn't turning over at all in the morning, then that is a lot easier fix as the number of problems is normally much smaller.

If the motor was rotating but not getting fire, then I would tell you to take the car to a local auto parts store and ask them to borrow their code reader (most Advance/Pep Boys/Autozone/etc). Get the code(s) from the computer and then report what they are. From there we can give you a lot more detailed explaination of what the possible problems are. Right now you are looking at most of the stuff under the hood without more detailed information. Also, if you can include the year and motor size, that will be helpful information too as there are slight differences between the different years and motors.

 

its an 02
so u dont think this could of been a battery problem?
everything was lit on the dash
when i turned the key
the dash would flash
and on occasion i would hear a little sound coming from the engine

 

sounds like it 'could' be battery.
i'd check the terminals. in the cold weather, it's not uncommon for marginal batteries to fail. it's also not uncommon to see other problems surface that go away when it's warm.
clean the terminals really good, and then take the car to your local Autozone / Checker / Pep Boys and ask 'em to run their tester on it.
Of course, chances are REALLY good that they'll tell ya you need a battery.... so you may want to clean the terminals and then wait and see......

 

redjag, it could very well be a battery issue. But, the code will tell you that. Normally when you have a battery issue, you will still get a "click" when attempting to start the vehicle. Also, if you attempt to jump the vehicle when the condition is present, the vehicle will start. So, that is a quick check that you can do.

But, lots of things can cause what you are seeing. But, odds are, you are looking at a bad battery, bad starter, or a bad battery cable.

 

always assume and check the easiest first, BATTERY! and very common no start on Xtypes. chances are your batt is 6 yrs old, 2 yrs free use, so have it checked or just buy a new one. The flashing lights is what Xtypes do with a weak battery as it tries to engage the starter the lights on the dash flash with each try, basically each second, and the check engine light is probobly faults for low batt voltage

 

I hope i win the lottery

 

You and me both...[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

ehh started up my car like 10 times today everything was fine
and the check engine light went away
these jags are weird man
ill prolly just clean up the terminals cuz they did look pretty corroded

 

That'll do it every time.....

 

When my battery was giving up, (after 3 years) I had the same symptoms..

 

Personally I'd change the battery whether it was the problem or not. It shouldn't cost more than a 100 bucks. Trust me you don't want to have no problems for a while and get somewhere with no cables/person to jump you. My mercury mountaineer had to have a new battery this summer and would on occasion not start the car. I knew it was the battery as this is about the 5th one I've had to get for each one of the vehicles I've ever owned. You'll rest easier knowing that it was this problem. Many times (my mountaineer was prime example) no matter whether I cleaned the posts completely so nothing was showing and even used di-electric grease on my posts it would corrode so my problem was the battery as I don't have that problem now. You'll also notice the engine crank over much quicker when you get a new battery.

So seriously think about changing the battery as the chances of it going dead as the weather gets colder is multiplied...