97 se. Lately, it had been hard to start, I would have to give it gas while it was turning over to start, and it would sputter for a second or two. Today it turned over for a couple of seconds but didn't start, now all it does nothing! Tried jumping it off, the engine will not turn over at all. I turn the key, I hear 1 click at my starter but it won't turn over. Could it be the alarm system before I take the starter out?

 

along with the hard starting, did the starting sound also change each day.....as if it was dying. That happened to me a few months ago and even jumping it wouldnt start. So i think so far its the starter.

 

It sounds like the starter to me. I had the same thing happen to me a few times in the last few years. Mine had been really hard to start, and all that cranking probably overheated the stater and caused the brushes or something to fail. You mention it had been hard to get started, so the starter itself has been working some overtime. That's prolly what's going on. The click you hear is prolly the start relay, if this is what the noise is, I don't think your alarm is the cause.

The best way to test the starter is to pull it out, but if you have some skinny-**** arms like myself, there is a quick little test you can do to eliminate the alarm or any other issues. Two wires run to the solenoid on top of the starter. One is a big 2 gauge wire that hooks to the + battery terminal, and the other is a little wire with a gray connector. The big wire supplies the high-current to power the starter motor, and the little wire hooks up to the starter relay. when you turn the key, the starter relay sends power through the little wire, which activates the solenoid, engages the ring gear, and throws a big "switch" that sends power to the starter motor.

If you take hook up a wire and put 12 volts into the little wire, the engine should turn over. If it doesn't, then either your starter or solenoid is dead. Either way, you're gonna need to get the stater out.

It's easy enough to get the starter out, I can have it on the ground in a couple of minutes. Most importantly (and, like most things, I learned this the HARD way), DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. Take the intake pipe off from the TB to the air filter cover, disconnect the wires from the starter, and get a breaker bar and get it out. I think the bolts are 17 and 19 mm. Autozone will test it for free.

Let us know what you find.

 

i had this problem with my old one, i would like to know the outcome of what it was too

 

+1 on pulling the starter and checking to see if the starter is bad than to check the whole alarm system. Checking the starter is WAY easier than to check the alarm system. And since you're a 97 and not a 99 with a chip in the key, i highly doubt its the alarm system unless you put an after market one on there..then there is more of a chance...but still..check starter first..

 

Based on symptoms, sounds like starter. See if anyone you know has a working starter just to change it to diagnose the problem before getting a new one. Seems like something simple so don't want to start getting deeper or more technical.

 

or you can just take yours to pepboys and have them test it..

 

+1 on the starter.....the "click" you're hearing is the starter solenoid kicking in....but the starter Motor doesnt follow. Its probably dead.

 

the starter wouldnt be the case for it being "hard to start" you stated you would have to pump gas into it before it would fire....yet if its turning over, the starter was working fine then. so your starter might have gone bad since then...but i would say that you still have an underlying problem....of which i have no solution to