Didn't start but cranked over good

S

Sj08

Joined
Jul 27, 2021
Messages
51
Location
North Dakota
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 v6 just turned 70,000 miles
Was on the way to visit family about 170 miles away, and stopped after 60 miles for a quick pit stop and it wouldn't start. Spun over fast. Tried stepping on gas while cranking. Looked under hood, not sure what to look for, just tried wiggling battery cables and ground, everything tight and clean, and battery less than 2 years old.
After a half hour or so of trying, and called our family that is now a little over a hundred miles away to come and get us, I tried it again for the heck of it, and it started, but now the check engine light is on. Made it to our destination fine, and engine light still on. Turned engine off and it started right up.

Did a quick internet search and other than the common stuff like old battery and corrosion/ ground, it looks like something called Immobilizer key antenna can go bad and cause a random crank but no start issue, but not sure if that would cause the engine light to come on.

Anyone have any idea or suggestion what to look for? We don't have a scanner with, but thinking about buying one tomorrow. Might end up taking it to the dealer if they can get it in. Its not trustworthy right now. Plan on staying with family for a few days before going back home.
 
Sj08 said:
1 ) stopped after 60 miles for a quick pit stop and it wouldn't start . 2) After a half hour or so of trying, and called our family that is now a little over a hundred miles away to come and get us, I tried it again for the heck of it, and it started .
Click to expand...
Doesn"t sound like a bad battery . Maybe the CEL has the answer .
 
Sj08 said:
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 v6 just turned 70,000 miles
Was on the way to visit family about 170 miles away, and stopped after 60 miles for a quick pit stop and it wouldn't start. Spun over fast. Tried stepping on gas while cranking. Looked under hood, not sure what to look for, just tried wiggling battery cables and ground, everything tight and clean, and battery less than 2 years old.
After a half hour or so of trying, and called our family that is now a little over a hundred miles away to come and get us, I tried it again for the heck of it, and it started, but now the check engine light is on. Made it to our destination fine, and engine light still on. Turned engine off and it started right up.

Did a quick internet search and other than the common stuff like old battery and corrosion/ ground, it looks like something called Immobilizer key antenna can go bad and cause a random crank but no start issue, but not sure if that would cause the engine light to come on.

Anyone have any idea or suggestion what to look for? We don't have a scanner with, but thinking about buying one tomorrow. Might end up taking it to the dealer if they can get it in. Its not trustworthy right now. Plan on staying with family for a few days before going back home.
Click to expand...
My experience jumping a few 2.4 Sonata's
Hyundai's are very sensitive to voltage drop and battery condition
I'm cranking away at it, thinking surely it should start
I put the jump pack on it, it spins faintly faster, then it lights off
I'd start with a good battery charge/test, alternator check
Then move forward
 
I've had a bad coolant temp sensor cause a crank no start on a couple of different vehicles in the past. The vehicles would start back up after cooling off. Hopefully whatever code or codes stored in the ECM will give you a direction to go in.
 
Sj08 said:
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 v6 just turned 70,000 miles
Was on the way to visit family about 170 miles away, and stopped after 60 miles for a quick pit stop and it wouldn't start. Spun over fast. Tried stepping on gas while cranking. Looked under hood, not sure what to look for, just tried wiggling battery cables and ground, everything tight and clean, and battery less than 2 years old.
After a half hour or so of trying, and called our family that is now a little over a hundred miles away to come and get us, I tried it again for the heck of it, and it started, but now the check engine light is on. Made it to our destination fine, and engine light still on. Turned engine off and it started right up.

Did a quick internet search and other than the common stuff like old battery and corrosion/ ground, it looks like something called Immobilizer key antenna can go bad and cause a random crank but no start issue, but not sure if that would cause the engine light to come on.

Anyone have any idea or suggestion what to look for? We don't have a scanner with, but thinking about buying one tomorrow. Might end up taking it to the dealer if they can get it in. Its not trustworthy right now. Plan on staying with family for a few days before going back home.
Click to expand...

If the immobiliser prevented it, the little key wouldn't light up on the dash
 
Start with the basics. Proper fuel pressure and spark present at the spark plugs. If you are away from home, this might be difficult to verify. Many of the suggestions mentioned are guesses and throwing parts at it. If the engines cranks normally, it is doubtful that the battery is causing your engine to stop running. Unfortunately, if you are away from home, you might have to start guessing and throw parts at it which could get expensive.
 
Dealer? for what?

Start with a code scan.

Will assume that rodents didn't chew up wiring since you did pop the hood. And, will also assume that oil level is full too and that you run quality gas. Will also assume that you've minimally followed the basic maintenance intervals.

Just take it to the local autopart store and have them scan it and see what codes come up. Don't let them clear the codes. They'll try to sell you a bunch of parts. Get the prices and then say you'll have to wait for payday. Might need to repeat at different autopart stores to verify codes. Pretty sure Advance, Carquest, Oreilly, Autozone..... will scan for free. Not sure if Napa, Mighty, or BumperToBumper does a code scan.

At this time/mileage point, you're do for a ton of maintenance if it hasn't been done. Much falls under time in service and not mileage that too many rely on.
 
michaelluscher said:
My experience jumping a few 2.4 Sonata's
Hyundai's are very sensitive to voltage drop and battery condition
I'm cranking away at it, thinking surely it should start
I put the jump pack on it, it spins faintly faster, then it lights off
I'd start with a good battery charge/test, alternator check
Then move forward
Click to expand...
I had that happen on my Jeep once. Seemed to spin over just fine. Someone told me it needed a new battery. I didn't understand because it was spinning over just fine. I hooked it up to my car, it didn't sound any different ... but fired right up. And died as soon as I unhooked the cables.
 
The fact it happened on a road trip, makes me want to possibly consider a wet spark plug issue, or momentary fuel fouled plugs, since it was a quick stop after a lengthy warm up/hot engine.

Mind you, this is a big stretch, could have been a momentary rich condition and you pressing on the gas likely didn't help things, unless you had it to the floor and it has a clear flood mode.

Get the code and let us know.
 
It probably wouldn't hurt to unhook the batter completely from the vehicle over night to get a good hard reset on the ECU. While you're at it maybe add a trickle charger to top off the battery. Our original battery just dies on the Kia and it created several issues and a hard reset after a new battery did the trick. It cant hurt to try it while your troubleshooting.
 
sw99 said:
It probably wouldn't hurt to unhook the batter completely from the vehicle over night to get a good hard reset on the ECU. While you're at it maybe add a trickle charger to top off the battery. Our original battery just dies on the Kia and it created several issues and a hard reset after a new battery did the trick. It cant hurt to try it while your troubleshooting.
Click to expand...
I would get the code first before any lengthy battery disconnect. Just in case the code gets erased.
 
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