Have you tried to push start the car?

 

Check the wiring on the starter. You could be getting a bad ground or its shorting out. Therefor you wouldnt be getting full power. So it would be just enough to click like it was a dead battery. When you push start you bypass the starter thats why its firing right up.

 

Sounds like no clean voltage to the starter. Have a friend come over and locate the "click". All 12 volt accessories pull from ground, so check the ground cable off the battery. There's a bad spot where the cable earth grounds below the battery tray. Check the ground on the engine as well.
Try replacing the starter cable and solenoid wire as well. It only takes a little corrosion to impede voltage.
Good luck.

 

if the car was standing still for 6 months it probably has built up corrosion, you might have all 12 volts going to the starter but no amperage, clean battery terminals, and starter solenoid terminals, seems like it is not a big deal but it makes a big difference

 

I know this my not contribute to this thread but I had the same exact problem and mechanic fixed it in 5 minutes charged me 50bucks and woudl not tell me what it was all I know that I whent to get some water and when I came back car was good no more than 5 minutes!!!!!!!! btw I did all the same things you did cahnged the starter and everything.

 

He probably just cleaned the battery terminals

 

riubens post reminded me of a joke I once heard:
A blonde was driving her BMW one day when it suddenly sputtered and died. After calling for a tow truck, it was taken to a mechanic who fiddled with it and had it running in about 5 minutes.
"That’s fantastic", she said " what did you do?"
"Just crap in the carborator" said the mechanic.
To which she replied "How often do I need to do that?"

I cleaned battery posts first, then changed batteries. Checked replacement starter prior to installing, it was good. Have followed wires to and from starter and found nothing that could cause a problem. BTW, being a female has proven a problem for finding guys who don't mind working beside or helping me work on any of the cars I've owned. They either think I don't know what i'm talking about and tell me to just bring it to them, or just can't bring themselves to stand beside a woman and work together. It's silly I know, most generally you would think it would be a good thing to see a woman who knows a little bit about the car she's driving incase she gets stranded. Anyway, I did manage to find someone who came over today and we determined that the "click" was from the starter. He also mentioned the ignition switch, but I can't afford to spend cash on hopes. I go back to work on wednesday, and am ready to try the "crap in the carborator" theory!

 

Oh yeah, tired of working on it for tonight, but am going to check ground strap to frame tomorrow. Don't know why I didn't think to today, while checking all other wires, but will write note to remind myself tomorrow. Keeping fingers crossed.

 

I am having the exact same problem with only two exceptions. I have no clicking noise, and my ignition fuse keeps blowing. When I changed the fuse it clicked for a second and then blew. I am going to check all the wires today but if someone knows whats wrong that would save quite a bit of time.

 

Still push starting car to get to work but at least I can still do that....not totally without car...still looking for problem.

 

I think I have it figured out. At least on my car anyway I am pretty sure it is the black/yellow or black/white wire coming off of the ignition switch that is not getting current for some reason. Cause my car will go into ACC just fine and the seatbelts and all that other good shit works, the car just wont turn over. I have a complete wiring diagram and at 6 tomorrow morning I will be checking this so I will let you know if it works or not.

 

BTW, being a female has proven a problem for finding guys who don't mind working beside or helping me work on any of the cars I've owned

hey im all for a woman who knows her way around a garage.:thumbsup

SO anyway usually the culpret to a problem like this is A: Insufficient power, B: Bad connection, or C: Short in wiring (possibly a minute short to ground) do you have a multi-meter? Make doubly sure to check all grounds. If I was a betting man I would put my money on a loose or bad connection somewhere. Especially if you have changed both the battery and starter already with no resolution.

 

Ok, I just figured out what was wrong with mine. It may not be the same with yours but worth a try. Check the clutch sensor and see if its faulty or broken or whatever. Mine was and that was causing it to click and not start.

 

wow you guys need to read how electricity work first off earth ground only exists when your actually grounded, batteries don’t have a ground its a sloppy term used, the proper term is Negative. His battery was charged but test good. Was it tested for voltage only? Most likely it was I'm sure as soon as he load it’s (by starting it) the voltage kicks down to less then 5 volts. Batteries don’t like to sit without a float charge. The reason the fuses melt is because the power factor stays the same but the decrease in voltage is spiking the current for a second and that because the blown melted fuses. My suggestion is suck up and buy a new battery or even try jumping it just to start. If this does not work it sound like the solenoid may have a short in the windings and is not engaging the contacts hard enough.

 

wow you guys need to read how electricity work first off earth ground only exists when your actually grounded, batteries don’t have a ground its a sloppy term used, the proper term is Negative. His battery was charged but test good. Was it tested for voltage only? Most likely it was I'm sure as soon as he load it’s (by starting it) the voltage kicks down to less then 5 volts. Batteries don’t like to sit without a float charge. The reason the fuses melt is because the power factor stays the same but the decrease in voltage is spiking the current for a second and that because the blown melted fuses. My suggestion is suck up and buy a new battery or even try jumping it just to start. If this does not work it sound like the solenoid may have a short in the windings and is not engaging the contacts hard enough.

I think the point we are trying to make is that the battery is fine, whether it is grounded or negative or whatever you want to call it. Call it cheerios for all I care. I have an automatic and it does the same thing. Everything in the car works electric wise, but it clicks a few times before it will turn over. Power is flowing just not in the proper ways to the proper places. If that’s what you were trying to get at, then you didn't quite get there. All I got was "you guys and gals are dumb and know nothing because I already know it all..." you started to get somewhere when you got to the short in the solenoid windings. If you started with that and went from there, that would have been ok. I guess you didn't read any of the thread and just jumped right into know it all mode. The problem with the shorted starter theory is that the starter has been replaced. So not only have we sucked it up and bought a new battery, but we have sucked it up even further and bought a new starter all together. Needless to say, we are still getting that annoying click. I’m not sure what the differences between an automatic and a manual are in regards to ignition and such, but when I go to start my car, it will click a few times, usually 3 or 4, and then will behave and actually start. This also doesn't happen all of the time either. When I get the time, I am going to check all of the connections and such again. I've already replaced the battery and made sure that those where all positive connections. I’m sure in my case, it is a combination of corrosion and a loose connection seeing as how Florida has this wonderful amount of salt in the air, and the car has sat for several months before I got it, and the blatantly obvious, the car is old.

 

i apologize for the splashes of flame, but i so enjoy being called dumb and the like.

thanks

 

i didnt read all the replies but $100 its your starter relay its a double relay on the passenger fender far front by the battery

i got one two days ago for $19 from the local napa auto parts

 

im in the same boat to have been for bout a month now, just got the new starter in today and nothing just clicks. so im hoping in the im screwed boat and hopefully one of us can figure it out. tomorrow im going to go recheck my connections for the 30th time hoping something new will turn up. im also going to try the starter relay theroy for 19 bucks its worth ashot however i dont think thats it.

 

so it wasnt the starter relay any other ideas?

 

well first off you should collect your 100 dollars... then use that to help defray the costs of finding out whats wrong

 

^^^^ evil noob i see haha

 

found the problem embarassing but it turned out to be a ground:gaylaugh

oh yea and about the 100 bucks

 

found the problem embarassing but it turned out to be a ground:gaylaugh

oh yea and about the 100 bucks

:smacked49 wuts your paypal ?

 

just make it for 19 for that damn realy and we can call it a day:thumbsup

 

wrong forum

woo, this was a dead one.