need help urgent

liqdsilver

Registered User
my car doesn't start. last night, no problem. this morning, i turned the key, all it does is 1 click sound. not the battery. thinking it's the starter because there is not the slightest hint of it trying to turn the engine... just a click sound. is it possible for a starter to go dead with no warning? never had a problem before. please help!
 
Yes it's possible. Why can't it be the battery? When you hear the click do the lights on the car go dim?

Check the battery cables. They could rub up agains the exhaust and be damaged from that.

Also check that all the connections at the starter and at the relay in the engine bay are all tight.

Try tapping the solenoid on the starter and then see if it will start. If so, it's the solenoid, not the starter. If not, pull the starter and have it checked before you replace it.
(Make sure the battery is fully charged before you do any of this)
 
where is the solenoid? the starter is bottom right when looking at the engine from front? not the battery because i hooked up cables to it to make sure.
 
The starter is on the passenger side of the engine. So if you are standing in the front of the car looking at the engine it would be on your left. Jack the front of the car up (use jack stands for safety) you can get a good look at the setup. The solenoid is mounted on the starter. I had the same problems and it turned out to be a loose wire on the starter solenoid. Good luck.
 
The solinoid is bolted to the fenderwell behind the battery. If it is the solinoid, then you can take a screwdriver and arc it between the two large bolts on the solinoid. Make sure it is in park, if it's a stick it needs to be in neutral. If you do this and the starter turns then engine, then you have a bad solinoid. If it doesn't turn over then check all your connections, battery, and starter. Mine done this the other day, it was the solinoid. I just turned the ignition on and jumped the two bolts and got it home. Biggin"
 
i don't get it. one guy says the solenoid is on the starter, the other one says it's where the battery is. i'm a little confused
 
and, out of curiousity, could it be changed with a jack, unscrew 2-3 bolts and put the new one on, or is it more complicated than that.
 
There are 2 solenoids. There is one behind the battery and one mounted on the starter itself. If the one on the starter is shot jumping the terminals of the solenoid by the battery will not do anything. Take a look under the car with a flashlight, you will see what I am talking about. Do as Mike said and tap on the starter solenoid with a hammer. I'm thin and I can barely squeeze under the GFX to tap on the starter, maybe you can. In my case the spaid connector on the solenoid has come loose and when I would tap on it the wire would connect. After having to tap on the starter everytime I shut the car off I finally broke down and fixed it.
 
There are two bolts retaining the starter to the engine block which can be accessed with standard wrenches. You would also need to remove the wires connected to the solenoid of which there are 2 or more often 3. (I have't looked at mine, but it's turning slow these days so it's going to be gone soon)

Technically, there is a solenoid, and a relay. This is FORD specific. While Chrysler and GM may have exactly the same, often the systems are only similar. (they have to do the same things, they just use different devices to do it)

The relay is on the fender, the solenoid is on the starter. The relay is responsible for taking a 12 volts on high gauge wires from the ignition switch to trigger a path for 12 volts connected to low gauge wires that can handle the current a starter requires (and are connected to the starter)

The solenoid is responsible to take the 12V on the lower gauge wires and energize a magnetic field that moves a shaft that forces the spur gear to engage with the flywheel , and also turn the starter motor. It takes a considerable amount of CURRENT at 12volts to turn the starter motor when it is trying to turn the engine.

Why tap on the solenoid?

Typcially tapping on a solenoid will allow the starter to function if the following failures occur:

The shaft that is supposed to move the spur gear out can develop corrosion that prevents it from moving. Typically in this failure mode you hear the starter spin, but the engine isn't turning over. The starter is just spinning. Tapping on it can free the shaft from this corrosion momentarily.

The contacts in the solenoid can fail such that an air gap is created between the internal contacts. Tapping on the solenoid can jar these contacts (typically a copper disk that can rotate) such that they move slightly, reducing the air gap sufficiently to let you start the car.

Both instances could happen again at any time, but this will often get you out of the parking lot of the video store you stopped at.
 
wow, you guys sure know what you're talking about. I am really impressed and very thanfull. i'll try it in the morning and let you know how it turns out. THANKS AGAIN!
 
ok. it's not the relay. can someone be a bit descriptive on where the starter is/looks like ??? couldn't make out anything from looking underneath. gonna jack it up, but would like some help as to where exactly i'm looking for it. passenger side. (front,back,or side?) thanks.
 
The starter is on the passenger side of the car in the area where the motor bolts to the tranmission. Jack it up and PUT IT ON STANDS. Do not go under the car with out safety in mind. The starter is cylinder shaped and has a bulge on one side, this is the solinoid. The wires should be attached there. Biggin'
 
Check the battery connections first

Before you start removing solenoids and starters, pull and clean both battery cables. If you have a bad connection jumping it with cables won't do anything.

Most often it's the negative cable.

David
 
okay, guys...it was the solenoid on the starter. there is a little connector that attaches to the solenoiid which was a bit loose. i plugged it in better and cleaned it up and shot some liquid wrench on it. cleaned up and started like a charm. i'd like to thank you guys for the instructions and support. sounds cheezy maybe, but i had no clue on how to go about this, or where the starter even was located. you guys saved me towing charges and getting ripped off by a garage. thanks a million! you guys are great.
 
Some advice for you. Invest $20 in a Haynes manual for your car from your local car parts store. Then sit down on a rainy saturday and read it, front to back.

I don't mean read every word, but look at the pictures, read the captions. Find the sections they discuss and review them.

It will help you become familar with the various components that might cause you issues.
 
does that mean you don't want to help out anymore? just joking.
thanks for the advice. i'll prob go order one next week. then, if i still can't figure it out, i'll just bother YOU. thanks. Tom
 
Mike8675309 .. good explanation.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Specially that solenoid vs. relay thing. But you're explanation as to the effectiveness of a hammer on freeing up a stater was off somewhat.. The hammer is most effective at getting rid of the gremlins inside the starter. ;) The first whack jars the gremlins inside, and the second whack shakes them out of the mechanism before they can figure out whats happening. Thats why its important to time it just properly.
 
Guys, I have the same problem. Nothing like your brand new (to you) to have starting problems.

I just tried to jump the relay behind the battery, no luck, same click. Just some sparks everytime I jumped it. i didn't have anyone pressing the clutch in, soes that matter?

I got underneath, I didn't jack it up, I just barely could slide in enough to play with the wire on the starter solenoid.

there's only one, right? I took it off the connector and replugged it back in. Nothing. My starter looks to be really rusted. Everything else is clean, except for the starter.

Could it be the starter? or should I try to jack it up tomorrow afternoon and play with the wire more?

Any help appreciated, I hope this isns't a sign of things to come. :)

thanks, ronnie
 
do what was said. you said you took off the wire, then replugged. tap the solenoid. look at the previous post, he explains it. i played with the wire, but i also tapped the solenoid itself a few times, turned the key, and it fired right up. TAP TAP TAP the solenoid.
 
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