Starter Will Not Engage...

[Mavrick]

Trying to fire the car up for the first time in 5 or 6 months. I have hid the wires on the passenger side of the engine bay and lengthened all of them while doing so. I put a new fuel pump in a couple weeks ago as well, but that works (it primes and thats not the problem)

When i go to start the car (with the clutch to the floor) i get nothing. If i hold the ignition on (as if im trying to crank the car) something will click after 3 or 4 seconds. This click is coming from the passenger side of the engine bay somewhere.

Was reading my hanes, and with the prong wire off the starter relay, i jumped the relay and it turned the motor.

Where do i go from here? Grounds are good.

Thanks

 

[Mavrick]

TTT

 

[Mavrick]

Anyone? Does this sound like a bad ground?

Does the starter ground itself to the motor itself, or is there a seperate ground wire?

 

[Blandnuts]

I assume you're talking about the starter solenoid on the drivers side? If so, and you jumped one side to the other and that started the car, your solenoid is bad.

I suggest buying one from autozone and not from discount...I think it's red.



fred

 

[Mavrick]

Ok, hmm.

Do selenoids usually just go bad from sitting??

 

[Blandnuts]

Electrical...well pretty much anything will go bad from not being used in awhile. Mine went bad from sitting a little over a month. Also, depending on how old the car is you might want to change the power cables on the battery and the one leading to the starter from the solenoid. This might set you back 30 bucs with everything and just 13 or so for the solenoid (red one).




fred

 

[Mavrick]

I bought a new selenoid from carquest, $25. Same thing, i turn the key and i get fuel and power etc, but no crank at all.

I jumped the selenoid and had the car running for a while, and it runs a little rough (i think, nothing to compare to)

So what is next on the check list? Im sure jrichkerr has something on this??

 

[HISSIN50]

if you are still using the OEM solenoid (driver side): pull the slide on wire off (small gauge). put a test light on it (ground the other test light terminal). when in the crank position, the test light should light up. if it does not, your wiring from ignition switch to the solenoid is open (could be the clutch safety switch, ig switch wiring, etc).

if you have 12 volts to the little push on wire, put the car in neutral and touch the wire to the battery side of the solenoid (with all the connections). the car should start. if it does, your solenoid works. if it does not start, but starts with the jumping of both big lugs (like with a screwdriver), that suggests the solenoid is bad.

the starter is grounded via its being mounted to the motor. so the motor to frame grounds are important. but it does not sound like a ground issue - if it were, when you jumped the solenoid, the starter still would not energize.

good luck.

 

[Mavrick]

Bought a new selenoid so thats not the problem. I jumped the car with the selenoid and the small pin on stud at the top, works fine.

 

[HISSIN50]

i tossed the solenoid idea out, cause some have gotten bad solenoids out of the package. sounds ok.

i would try the test light on the small wire, and trace wires from there. the first place i would look at is check for continuity at the neutral safety switch. you can unplug it and jump it with a blade fuse, for testing purposes (by passing the switch).

good luck, Mav.

 

[Mavrick]

HISSIN, there are like 8 wires that go to the clutch safety switch. Which ones do i jump to bypass the switch?

 

[HISSIN50]

Mav, it has been awhile since i did mine. if i recall correctly, there are two connectors. i think the clutch safety switch is the lower one. it has a two terminal connector. one terminal has two wires terminating in it. i think one or more of the wires is red/lt green. you can trace the actual switch to its connector, too.

you could try a test light on the terminals in crank position (though if the ignition switch/wiring is bad, you wont light the switch anyhow).

good luck.

 

[Matts89LX5.0]

maybe the battery is just about dead? just an idea...

 

[Mavrick]

The car cranks fine when i jump the selenoid. It's not the battery.

My battery is in the trunk. I tried putting it in the stock location to see if that was the problem, but when i did that, all i got was an amp light on the dash. No pump prime, nothing... only an amp light.

A bad motor ground?

PS after i got the amp light, i put the battery back in the trunk and it worked fine. (still would not crank but didnt get amp light)

 

[Matts89LX5.0]

sorry Mavrick didn't realize that. I had a similar problem with my old hatchback. My starter just didn't crank because it was getting too hot so it went bad. Bought a new hi torque mini starter and it was fine. Maybe your starter is going OR do you have MSD or any other ignition, that may be going bad. Couldn't start my old hatch when the MSD box went bad.

 

[jrichker]

See http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d8019595f.gif for a very good diagram of the starter & neutral safety switch wiring

 

[Mavrick]

Thanks jrichkerr, ill take a look at that.

Matts89LX50.. the problem must lie with a bad connection or something, because when i jump the selenoid, the car cranks and fires right up. My problem is that when i turn the key, the starter does not engage what so ever, and the motor does not crank or turn at all.

 

[GhstfaceStang88]

I seem to be having the same problem. I just replaced the starter selenoid and it still wont start. All I get is a Click when I turn the key. I just replaced the starter about a year ago, I dont think thats it. I have an aod so I cant pop start it. Any advice to what it could be now?

 

[Mavrick]

I ordered a new ignition switch, ill have it installed by the weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Mizark347]

Do let us know.....I have the same problem