Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 Ok, I can't figure out why my car won't turn...I bought a new starter (previous starter was fried) and I turned the ignition key it wouldn't click or anything so I decided to charge my batter, seeing how it has been sitting for almost a year. So after I put the battery back in the car doesn't want to crank. I hear a *clicking noise* from the starter (I believe) but nothing wants to crank. Any advice on what's going on? Bad spark plugs? Bad Battery? Bad distributor cap? Any help would be appreciated, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 How long did you charge the battery? Was it on trickle charge or fast charge? How old is the battery? It's definitely not bad plugs or dist. cap causing it not to crank although they might be bad. If you hear the clicking that's the solenoid engaging but you don't have enough juice to actually crank the engine over. Probably a bad battery. I would try a different battery and if that doesn't work then have that starter tested. If the starter is fine then you might have a corrosion problem but that would be unlikely if it sat for only a year. Before starting it you should at least change the oil and filter and think real hard about pre-lubing it. To prelube you remove the distributor and put an oil pump drive shaft down the hole and then run it for a few minutes with an electric drill. Do this after changing the oil. Let us know what you finally determine. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 Get the battery checked. I bet its dead after sitting for a year. Take all the plugs out and crank it to get the oil pressure up quicker. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 I took the batter to Advanced Autoparts to get it charged, they said it was charged all the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 Did they load test it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 Hmmm, not sure. It when through a testing before a charge but dunno if it was a load test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 Perhaps you have a bad ground ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 I swapped out Battery's with my 300ZX and it still doesn't want to crank but the solenoid will still click...However, would bad batter clamps not allow it to fire? The Positive clap seems to have a small, yet noticeable, chip out of it. Also, the positive lead that connects to the Starter has visible wires. Would replacing the positive and negative clamps do the trick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 There are 2 things that would make the starter only "click" once.....#1 a bad starter, thats probably not the problem because you have a new starter.....and #2 a bad battery cable will do the same. Make sure the connection are tight and that there is no corrision on the terminals. If it was a dead battery it would more than likely click multiple times while trying to start it. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAZRNR Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Sounds like you have bad battery cables. Replace BOTH pos & neg, verify that you have a good ground & charged battery and your car should start. If it still dosen't turn over try having someone turn the key so you hear the clicking and tap on the starter body with a hammer. You do not have to pound it with the hammaer but may times it has worked in the past on old chevys. Good luck Rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iaconsultants Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Before you go buying anything do this first. Pull the starter out of the car. Clamp it to a 2x4 so that you or a budy can handle it when it tries to start. Connect it back to your battery and all the other connections. Try starting it then. If the starter spins then your starter passed the first test. If not try using jumper cables from your battery to start it. If it starts running at that time that means your cables are bad. If still not try connecting to a battery that you know is good. If then it starts you know it is your battery. If it started in the first test where you strapped it to a 2x4 then you could try a burn test. get an old woden hammer handle or something wood that you can push with in that area. Start the starter running with jumper cables and try to stop it from spinning with the wood handle. I know this sounds strange but if it keeps running and smokes, or burns the wood handle then your starter is fine. If you have tested all this and it still does not crank over your engine, well sad to say but it will be a much more serious problem. If so drop me a line and I will walk you through some other tests and then you will know what is gone bad. I hope this helps. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Thanks! I might have to try that when I get home. I just wnated to point something out that I noticed. The cable wires to the battery don't spark or smoke or anything whenever I tap the negative to positive or positive to negative. Bad connectors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleeper-Z Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 you might want to check your neutral-safety switch if that is properly hooked up, samething happened to me, hear a click but no cranking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Neutral-safety switch? Where is that normally located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Electrical problems are the greater percent of any car problems. Usually, it's the simple things that go wrong first. I've watched people tear their whole ignition systen and turn signal assy apart because the car wouldn't start or turn over. I checked their battery cables/clamps, cleaned and tightened them, car started and ran fine. I'd bet money it's in your cable/clamp system. Remember, those cheap add on replacement clamps are a tempoary fix untill you can get a new cable with an attached clamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Electrical problems are the greater percent of any car problems. Usually, it's the simple things that go wrong first. Ditto!!!!!!! I would check the battery cables first! Trust me this is more than likely your problem! If the cables are in question at all replace them. Not just the clamps either, the whole cable as a unit. A few months ago a guy from sales(I am a Auto Tech at a Dodge dealer) asked us to put a starter in his car because it would only click once when trying to start. Now most of the time this is a starter that causes this problem, however after we installed the starter "as requested by the owner" it still only clicked. After the salesman paid for the 1 hour of diagnostics for us to check it out we found the postive cable to the starte was junk. Replaced that and the problem was gone. So he spent an extra $300 because he thought he know what the problem was. Yeah we all thought it was pretty funny! I think he learned his lesson too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 hahah I bought a new positive cable and now things beep in my car when the key is in. (it didn't do that with the old junker positive cable) but it still only clicks once. So tomorrow I am going to take out the starter and bring it back to Advanced and have them check it out to see if it's even good (stupid me didn't have them check it when I bought it). Wish me luck guys, if you still have anymore advice let me know! I need to sell this car quick lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 Perhaps you have a bad ground ? I'm with Xander. Like what he said. Ground strap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeech Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Hmm, did you buy a new solenoid when you bought a new starter motor?! Let's do some old fashioned backyard mechanic troubleshooting before spending money - or jumping to assumptions there's something really bad wrong! Here's what to do . . . and by the way, you did good in checking your battery, but you did it the hard way. Synopsis - you turned the key and heard "clicking", but no "starting" noises, i.e. the starter motor doesn't turn the engine over - right? Fortunately for you, it's happened in the most convenient place possible, i.e. at home next to your shop and tools. This can happen in the worst of places, a parking lot when you're the last one to pull his boat from the lake, in the woods in the middle of nowhere (your date won't be amused), etc. Remember, the Boy Scouts have it right, "Be prepared!" Before turning a wrench, I too check the battery, but I'm lazy (smart, experienced - choose your adjective). How do you do it when you're away from home and have no tools? The same way "I" do it if I 'am' at home! I turn on the headlights and see how bright they are. Are they as bright as usual? If they are, then it's not the battery. If they're not as bright as usual, you have other problems (and the clicking solenoid caused by a low battery, or a poor connection simulating a low battery by not allowing the juice through, is but a symptom). Thus, presuming the lights are strong, it's fair to rule out the battery as being the root cause of the problem. Next, pop the hood and check that all connections are clean and that there is nothing wrong with them. A visual inspection is often adequate (you do maintain your ride, right . . . or are you one of those lazy fools who maintains their battery connections with a repair when something goes wrong?) Hence, I next use logic (Occams Razor will do - i.e. always use the simplest theory which fits the facts), to guide me. Let's recap. If you crank the car and nothing but clicking occurs when you turn the starter switch, and the battery is good and cable connections all look good (I presume this fellow did all this before baring his soul and asking us for help), then there's probably something wrong with the solenoid itself - either there's not enough juice getting to it (for the thing to engage), or it's stuck. Why such an involved answer? Because it's better to teach him to fish than to buy him a Fillet-O-Fish :>) Anyway, for those who don't know, a solenoid is just a magnetic switch; an electromagnet actually. When you energize the electromagnet (just like the one you made in grade school), it slides within the solenoid body and when it reaches the other end it, it closes an electrical circuit. "This" is the circuit (equipped with the big wires that go to the starter motor) that permits the large amounts of juice drawn by the electric starter motor to do its thing without melting the little wires in your ignition switch. Right about now (usually), a smart-ish student will wonder, "What makes the solenoid element move in the other direction once you de-energize the electromagnet?" Instead of leaving it as an exercise for the student, I'll just tell you. The answer is, "A spring does it!" Yes, the electromagnet has to be strong enough to overcome a small internal spring (which opposes its movement). The spring moves the internal piston (opening the switch) hence de-enerizing the starter motor's circuit when you open the circuit leading to the solenoid (the ignition switch). In the case of the Chevrolet V8 solenoid, it resembles a cyclinder with a piston. When the face of the piston moves within the cylinder it makes contact with one end and closes the circuit. Well guess what? In case you are new to Chevy V8 engines, Chevy solenoids are "notorious" for getting cooked by headers, or a lack of heat shields on manifold/exhaust systems and getting stuck! Thus, this is a case ideal for visual inspection and then a bigger hammer! Huh??? The clicking is the solenoid trying to move - but not being able to. If there's enough juice to move it and it doesn't, it's likely stuck! Often an electrical connection is what's wrong (we're not getting enough juice to energize the magnet which moves and closes the starter motor circuit - but presuming all the wiring connections look OK following visual inspection (and the battery is good), my next move would be to grab a rock (hammer, wrench, what have you), and tap "lightly" on the side of the solenoid. This often is enough to unstick a stuck solenoid, so now try to start the engine again (either using the key in the ignition, or by shorting the terminals of the solenoid with a wrench, screwdriver, etc. - and no, don't do it with your wedding ring if you value your ring finger and/or the relationship. Anyway, if you are rewarded with the starter motor turning the engine over, then it's possible one of life's little problems has been resolved. However, what if you still get clicking noises? It's time to tap a little less lightly! I advise you to balance how energetically you tap with how far away from civilization you are - all while balancing this by how desperate you are vs. how much trouble replacing a somewhat dented solenoid (in which the circuit can "never" close because the damn thing can't move due to the dent in the side) will be. Seriously, this will probably fix your problem as the tapping on the side unsticks the darn thing! Trust me. Ford on the other hand, uses a remote solenoid - away from header heat and more conveniently located for energizing their starter motors . . . by the way, nothing wrong with adapting this system to your Chevy. Anyway, lightly tapping a solenoid with a hammer often frees them right up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pegasus76 Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Alright, so finally I got tired and took the starter back out to have it tested at Advanced (I tried starting it at home through the battery but it didn't work, I was probably doing it wrong) well, as they were testing it...The Starter started SMOKING!!!! So now I have to go and get a new one. Lesson learned = Always have them test the product Thanks for the help guys, I'm hoping the starter was the reason behind everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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