Click but no start

[keny_kimmel]

Turn Key and Click but no Cranking.

Let me give you the situation. I turn the key, I hear the fuel pump, turn a little more and it goes * CLICK * and all the dash lights and ac controll lights turn off like normal but the car will not start. In the mornings when it's about 32-40F it is really bad. After about 10 trys and some giggles of the shifter from park to neutral and back it starts. In the afternoons after driving it to school and it has sat all day it usualy only takes two tries. I have driven the car every Thursday since December since I can't get a ride those days. Only recently (2-3 weeks) has it started to do this. My old man says it is the neutral switch that is miss-aligned. Also, the battery has been in it for 5+ years, it does need new cables/ends and a battery because if I clean the terminals Monday they are all corroded by Friday. Any sugestions as to what the problem is?

 

[fast4door]

when this happend to my car it was a loose connection on the starter. I would try and start it and nothing just dash lights and fuel pump. All I did was take out the starter took it to auozone tested it it was find put it back in and realized that a wire was not connected put it connected everything and started right up.

 

[wood_e]

Check the connections at your starter first. I bet you may need a starter, as the 4 I've had fail died that way.

 

[JMSHO]

I would replace the battery and the connections to the battery. But have the battery tested in case. But 5 years old odds are it is going. The corrision could be from a bad cell, which will cause the corrision.

 

[stevemainian]

The problem isnt fuel. You fuel pump is priming, the injectors are clicking. It is possssible that it is a starter, but since the problems varies with temperatures, this situation has battery written all over it. Make sure your terminal clamps are tight, and clean that corrosion off, if it does not work after that, replace the battery(test the old one first).

 

[ohfosho]

one of 3 things, wiring starter or battary.

check all the wiring connections first, tug on them gently to make sure they are not corroded a lot. you will notice if you have a bad wire, damage.

to check if its the starter, when you go to start the car, and it will not try to crank, get under and tap the starter semi-hard, and then try again. if the car now starts then you know you need a new starter solenoid, or whole starter assembly.

if when you car does start normal, you watch the dash lights, and they seem to be dimming a LOT when the car is cranking, and you can hear the the starter is cranking slower than usual...then its the battary.

 

[keny_kimmel]

Found It

Turns out it was a bad solenoid. After I fixed that it started fine, so then I changed the battery cables. Next I'll get that wiring harness for my lights.