my car wont start. It has had a starting problem which i never got around to fixing but I did just take it for a drive. I got home and it sat for maybe 1 hour and now it wont start.

I didnt leave anything on so the battery isnt drained. All electricals work.

When I turn the key nothing happens. Dash lights and such light up but the starter doesnt even try to start the engine or anything. There is just a click.

where should I start looking for the problem??

 

your battery might be old, try using like a portable jump starter or jump start it with another car. if it starts, you probably need a new battery.

 

if you try to jump it, the battery is prob drained. lights will still come on even if there isnt enough power to move the starter. if you jump it and still nothing, then change the starter.

 

okay ill try and jump it....

just wondering. does anyone know how to hotwire a car? If jump starting doesnt work then im gonna try and rule out the ignition switch.

 

this just happened to my car about three weeks ago. turned out to be my starter. if you have a manual trans try push starting it. if you have a dmm(digital multi meter) check the batt voltage before starting it and check it with it running. batt voltage should be between 11 and 13 volts without the engine running and with the engine running it should be between 13 and 15 volts. if all those check out, switch out the starter relay with a known good relay(like the wiper relay) and if it still doesn't start replace your starter.

 

well looks like everything points to a bad starter....still didnt crank when i tried to jump start. and unfortunately i have an autotragic so i cant push start.

What starter do we need in our cars. and does anyone know where i should buy one in such short notice...autozone?? dealership??

 

i went to advance auto parts.. called 'em up told them i have a 97 max, etc.. and it was 150ish? i dont have a part number or anything.. just a rebuilt starter...

 

okay i tried starting the max again and well...it actually started to crank and started!! BUT...i shut it off and tried again and well...same thing. Nothing but a click. Tried again a couple of times and just a click.

is this the symptoms of a faulty starter or can there just be a loose connection?

 

These starters go bad pretty regular. I got a NAPA for $117 exchange, about a 45 minute job to swap yourself.

 

Id take the starter out first...open it up, clean and regrease it. Then try it. Its about a 2hr job, but it saves you $100+...

 

is there a special type of grease i should use?

and how do i remove the old grease? brake cleaner?

 

I used some lithium grease, got it at advance for under $3. Its in a tube, not aerosol. Then just dismantle the starter, use WD40, Throttle Body cleaner, really anything, and clean it. Wipe it down, get it all nice and dry, and apply the grease. Put it in all the spots you saw grease and then some. Dont be modest with it. Its not too hard, just messy...

 

How can I check a starter while it is on the car.

I need to find what part is causing me trouble as my dealer could not help.

And I cannot reproduce my problem of car stopping suddenly while I am driving.

 

you cant check a starter while it is on a car. you can have someone try t start it andyou bang on it hard while they are holding the key. that however wont tell you for sure the starter is the problem if it still does nothing.

 

would a bad started cause a car to stall in the first 5 feet of take off? My car wont turn over but I can jump it. Tested the battery and it is fine. Now when I jump it and put it into drive it stalls in the first 5 feet.

 

No, beyond starting the car, the starter does nothing else. You have a different issue.

To the OP: Could be a bad solenoid, or a bad ignition switch. Switch is ~$30 at the dealer, and is a common failure part in the A32. Replace that first, it's quicker and easier than the starter anyway. Or just take out the starter and have it bench tested. Easy way to do that, get a battery charger, hook up ground to the housing, hook up positive to the main lug on the solenoid, then cross the signal terminal with the positive lead off of the charger, it should kick out and spin.

 

I actually just fixed the same problem today. Turned out the connection to my negative post was so rusted and corroded that there was not enough connection. So I cut the old one off got out a bit of the fresh copper cable and attached a new lead. Started up fine.