When you insert and turn a key in the ignition, your car cranks and starts in about two to three seconds, after which you can be on your way to anywhere you want to go. Given the process for starting a car, you could be forgiven for thinking cars are primarily made up of mechanical components. 

Far from it, your car comprises several electrical parts that play a pivotal role in ensuring you have reliable and convenient personal transportation. Unfortunately, these parts can develop problems from time to time, just like the mechanical ones.

One of the clearest signs of a problematic car electrical system is experiencing difficulty in starting your vehicle. Here are four of the usual culprits behind this problem.

A dead battery

Your car battery is what provides the power needed to start your vehicle. It accomplishes this by delivering stored electricity to the vehicle's ignition system, as well as the starting motor (sometimes referred to as the starter).

Like several other parts of your vehicle's electrical system, the battery isn't built to last forever. Over time, it will become weak and lose its ability to store electricity. When this happens, you'll end up with a dead battery.

A dead battery won't provide enough electricity for your car to start normally. If the vehicle cranks but doesn't start, chances are good you need a battery replacement. But first, it's best to take your battery somewhere that does battery testing.

A bad starter

While the battery serves as your car's power reserve, it's the starter that cranks the engine and gets it started. If your car goes click-click when you turn a key in the ignition and you've confirmed that your battery is good, you may have a problematic starter. 

A bad starting motor will prevent your engine from starting under its own power, resulting in no-starts.

Faulty spark plugs

Your car's engine produces the mechanical energy required to generate motion by burning a mixture of fuel and air in the correct ratio. This combustion process requires ignition. This is where spark plugs come in.

Spark plugs are small plugs whose job is to produce the electric sparks necessary to ignite the fuel-and-air mixture. When they're dirty or defective, they can lead to difficulty in starting your car. The good news is that faulty spark plugs are relatively easy and cheap to replace.

A bad alternator

The alternator is the electrical component that keeps your car's battery charged so it will have enough power to get the engine running when you start the vehicle. If it's not working properly, the battery alone won't generate sufficient power to get the engine spinning and running on its own.

An easy way to know you have a bad alternator is when your battery is relatively new but doesn't seem to hold its charge.

Even though cars were completely mechanical systems in the early days, modern cars heavily rely on electrical components to operate reliably and efficiently. If you're having a hard time starting your car every time you want to go somewhere, visit a car service near you right away.