Thread: Car won't start, oh joy

Three weeks ago I was handed the keys to my freshly repainted and de-rusted 1991 B13, and damn is it shiny. Since then, the O-rings around the spark plugs failed, spilling oil onto the plugs. Then a fuel injector went out (thanks again Ameen for the help!). And now the bloody thing won't start. Here's the situation:

For several weeks the car had been cranking slowly. I took the battery in and it came back as still good. Shortly after that, the car wouldn't start, it wasn't attempting to turn over. I would get some fast clicking noises from behind the dash, but no effort from the starter. I took the battery in again, it came back fine. So yesterday out came the starter (new last year) for a test, but that came back fine. So did the battery after a load test. I took both to another shop, both tested as fine (I could hear the starter fire up). So I reinstalled both into the car, cleaned the battery terminals, cleaned where the negative battery cable attaches to the body (battery in trunk), cleaned the connection the starter cable has with the positive battery cable, checked the clutch switch. I tried to start the car, and now the sound behind the dash is gone, I just get a single *click* when I turn the key. I tried jump starting it, but it didn't change anything. The car is in a spot where I'd need about 4 people to help me push-start it, so that is out for the moment. On a thread I researched for this problem, someone suggested that if the headlights dim significantly while turning the key, it is a bad ground. Headlights barely dimmed at all when I tried to start the car. Some people mentioned checking fuses, which ones? The fuse on the positive cable near the terminal is fine. Since the car had been cranking slowly for a while before it died, I don't suspect a fuse.
Suggestions?

When it clicks, does the power to all of your accessories, dash/etc. go out? Or does it just click and then you have to try and crank it again?

The car seems perfectly fine when I try to crank, no dimming, I have power to everything. It just clicks once each time I try to start the car.

If you only hear one click it is because of the starter most likely. The one click is caused by worn brushes on the commutator, when the brushes don't make a good enough connection they don't have the power necessary to turn the starter motor over. So the gear just gets stuck against the flywheel but there isn't enough torque to turn the motor over.

I would def get the amp problem fixed though. you seem to have a high amount of resistance from the battery to the front of the car. I would try using a thicker ott gauge cable to reduce the voltage loss from the higher resistance.

But 99% of the time if you hear only one click, it is the starter man.

co-sign on a bad alternator or starter.

take a mallet and tap the starter a couple of times and try to restart it again. This crap happened to the NX the DAY i sold it... Had to give the buyer my other starter.

You should have checked the engine-to-chassis ground by the thermostat/old battery tray. I'm leaning towards grounding issue. If you take the jumper cables and jump from the engine to the chassis and it starts right up, you have an engine grounding problem. This is so common around here it's not even funny.

When tested, the starter had these results:
Starter current tested at : 11.5 volts
Starter free running current: 62 amps
Solenoid current: 37 amps
Free run current pulsation: 7 amps
Test status: Pass

I will tap on the starter later today when I am back under the car and see if that helps. In the meantime, I have to run to Home Depot to get a metal drill bit so I can drill out the bolt that just sheared off when I tried checking the chassis to body ground by the battery tray. Where is the thermostat? And Ben, could you be more specific on where to put the jumper cables in the engine bay to jump start the car? Since my battery is in the trunk, I had been putting them there.

the only prob with the starter is they will normally only fail under a load. if the test is done with no load on it then it is useless.

yep.. when i check my starter out of the car i get a peice of wood and put it toward the blades then i jump it if it eats the wood up then its a go. im sure its your starter dude. i had the same problem like 2 weeks ago.. my starts would be slow.. sometimes fast .. the last few days that it lasted it felt like my car was not going to turn over and start. i changed it and its all good now