dnichols5053

I'm sure this has been gone over already but, I couldn't find it.

Starter issue: Cars been running fine. A day ago I pull into a gas station...turn off the car....fuel up....Go to start the car and
Nothing but a click...just one click, Everything else was working. Turn the key off and back on again click. Move the automatic shifter D to P a couple times.
Try to start.... click. So before burning the car to the ground...one last try....Wala. The thing fired. Drove the car home turned it off. Then tried to restart.....Click.
its done this about 3 times now. So are we looking at a new starter, front relay, solenoid on starter. Or just burn it to the ground.

Thanks for any help on this.

DougR

Are you absolutely certain the starter is the issue? Lots of people replace the starter and then find out the issue was the battery or something as simple as a loose cable or wire connection. There is a proper way to diagnose this ... first clean the battery terminals, cables and check the battery, verify it's fully charged, holds a charge, and delivers sufficient amperage at a minimum voltage. You could remove the battery from a vehicle that you know for certain is running without issues and install it in your vehicle and see if it will start. After you verify the battery is good, you test the starter. Then verify the charging system works, delivering sufficient amperage and voltage to charge the battery. Lastly, keep the battery terminals clean, check the battery cable for wear, check the charging cable for wear, check vehicle grounds, and check condition of the alternator belt. This is a thorough diagnosis that consists of about 6-8 separate tests that an experienced person can conduct with simple equipment.

Given the way you worded your post, I suspect you are not familiar with any of these tests and might not have a multimeter. If that is the case, then I suggest you go to YouTube, search for "how to test a vehicle battery" and make sure it's good. If in doubt, take the battery to a store and have them test it. Then progress to "how to test a car starter" and "how to test a car alternator". It's much easier to understand how to perform these tests if you can see visually how it's done in a YouTube video. Perform all the tests and let us know what you have discovered.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Either the starter solenoid is on its way out (which typically means a whole new starter), or your ignition switch is getting finicky. Until you get if figured out, carry around a short pole or broom or something just in case. If it does it again, pop the hood, and tap the starter with the pole. Should fire right up.

If all else fails, burn it to the ground.

TallTom

Perfect answer.

DougR

Perfect? Perhaps ... dnichols5053, you are in winter time conditions, therefore, having the battery checked is good insurance against being stranded with a failing battery. We don't know if the most basic maintenance, such as keeping the battery terminals clean has been done. Perhaps "burning it to the ground" suggests the car is overall in bad shape? If you have the time to invest, then learning to do a thorough and proper inspection of the starting and charging system by practicing on this vehicle is a very useful skill to have in the future. In the meantime, carry a big stick and you don't have to speak softly when you hit the starter :-)

TallTom

I would think that a warmed battery would give more than a single click when trying to turn over a car. A stuck starter solenoid can give a single click whether warmed or cold.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

My thinking too. If the battery was the culprit, the car would attempt to start and crank, but not actually start. From the OP's description, it's not even trying to crank over. Just a "click".

DougR

Just for fun, I Googled “starter clicks once but no crank”. Lots of hits. Most say a click once issue is likely a fault in the starter. However, it was easy to find an exception: “The starter again clicked once … so I removed starter … put it to a fully charged 12v battery, and everything worked correctly. I put the starter back into the car bolted everything down, and just click. This is starting to get to me.” Eventually, after much effort that guy found an issue with wiring at the starter.

My first reply was a thorough checkout because that's how I was trained to diagnose when I was working as an auto mechanic to earn money to pay for a university education. Run all diagnostics, verify fault in a particular component, then sell that component and also sell anything else that could lead to an issue in the near future. If something else, such as a battery or cable terminal failed within days, weeks or a few months, the customer would complain and think we caused the latter failure because we were the last ones to touch it. A complete inspection was always performed for any starting/charging system symptom.

So, dnichols5053, what’s the status? Can you post a picture of the battery and cables? Have you carefully checked the starter to verify it’s faulty before buying another one and replacing it?

dnichols5053

The Battery and the alternator are about 5 months old. I checked the terminals .....tight no corrosion. I do have a nice multi meter and will check the voltage to the starter...when it gets out of the 20's.
I have got it to start. With the car off and in park. If I move the shifter from park to the right and when I do that I hear a little click. If I do that a couple times......it fires? I've heard of a park neutral sensor??

ukmastermind

I got one "click" a few days ago and immediately picked up a new starter. Haven't had any other clicks in 2 days (10ish starts).

DougR

I have an automatic. The park/neutral position (PNP) switch in my car allows the starter to crank the engine if and only if the shift lever is in neutral or park. If the shift lever is in gear, turning the key produces an audible click under the dash and car will not start.

PNP switch is located on the transaxle.

See this video.
Are you able to easily and consistently start the vehicle with the shift lever in neutral? Are you able to consistently start the engine if you jiggle the shift lever in park? If the answer is yes to either one or both, then the PNP switch may be the fault. I’m not familiar with PNP circuitry and hopefully someone else can assist. I suggest downloading the factory service manual from a link in The Wizard’s signature. Look up P0705 code in the automatic transaxle section.

If you are not able to consistently start the engine by jiggling the shift lever in park or by shifting into neutral, then we are back to testing the starter for a fault.

User1

Starter solenoid 100%. I keep "Big Green" (a big green screwdriver that I named) between the pass seat and console to hit mine with. Been tapping on it for a year.