My car has been giving me a starting problem for a while now. I was sure I knew what it was, but found out today it isn't that. In the past, every once in a while when I would turn the key, you'd hear a click (starter) and nothing, when you would "bump" the key a few times, she'd start. Its gotten progressively worse, happening more and more (to the point where its almost everytime I start the car) and takes more and more "bumps" to get it to start. First I replaced the ignition switch since I had to replace the brights switch anyways. The problem went back to like it was before, then within the week was as bad as it was. I thought for sure it was the starter, since power is getting to the starter (click; rules out VATs right?) and the ignition switch is brand new (AC Delco). Well I picked up a starter today, and before I installed it, hooked up a test button to it. The motor would try and start everytime with the button, and would still fail with the key. With the key it would actually try and start, then click a few times, then try and start again, then click for the next 10+ times, then try and start again (not consistent).

I'm lost, if the wiring was bad the starter wouldn't click right? I heard somewhere that the clutch safety switch wears out and causes resistance in the wiring, could this be causing it not to start?

 

Good troubleshooting.

Yes, extra resistance in the starting circuit could easily cause your symptom.
I recomment putting a voltmeter on the starter solenoid (the purple wire) and turning the key. If the starter only clicks, the voltage should not drop much, you should still see around 12V. If you see much less, you have a problem in the starter circuit.
Then you can repeat this voltage test continuing upstream all the way to the ignition switch (or you can go downstream, it's your call). That would help you identify the component that causes the voltage drop.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

I am having a similar problem, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

any luck with this problem????

 

im having the same problem but my security light doesnt come on and it makes a clicking sound.now if i wiggle the key it comes on and only cranks for about 5 seconds.aany suggastions on that.

 

How are your battery cables? My girlfriends car had a similar issue, after going through a few other options I ended up finding the problem. I had cleaned corrosion from the battery terminals before but had never actually looked thoroughly at the cables. Turns out that white corrosion/oxidation stuff that you sometimes see on one of the terminals had built up through the first 6" of negative battery cable coming off of the battery. The cable was literally solid for that first portion.

Even if it isn't directly corrosion in the cables, it could be result of a poor ground. Id check all of your cables to the starter as well as your grounding cables to/from the battery.

 

Search"neutral safety switch".

 

I would assume its not the nuetral safety switch since if it was bad (same result as if you tried to start it in gear), there would be no clicking sound at the starter, there would be no sound at all, just nothing.

 

check battery terminals to make sure they are tight and not corroded. Then make sure the battery is charged, my car was doing this and it had a dead battery.

 

Went to a certified mechanic,ran some test,comes to be its a bad starter,possible dead spot of the starter..thats what I get for buying a ministarter from KMYperformance on EBAY,this starter was junk from day one,looks great good price but had this problem since I installed it,I thought NOWAY it could be bad ITS NEW!, but yea it was so it happins.....Im gona try a powermaster starter.

 

I have the same issues. Moving the shifter allows my starter to crank, rather than just kick the bendix into position. I've tried this after various #'s of attempts to get the car to start. As soon as I go to neutral and back to park, it'll crank. Maybe the switch isn't shot, but on it's way.

 

Ive tryed that to,if i hold the key ON,and run it through the gears it clicks when it hits neutral and park..sooo whats the neutral saftey bypass..lol maybe one more test before i buy a new starter ay?

 

If you hear clicking from the starter when turning the key and your shifter switch allows that only in Park or Neutral, the shifter switch is fine and your starter is not right.
Before replacing the starter, howerver, I would check why it's clicking. Could it be that it's hitting the flexplate and not engaging the teeth? That would be a shimming issue.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

It sounds like the nuetral safety is working just fine

Im very curious if the new starter fixes this so keep us up to date. From my experience, it's really uncommon to get a bad 'new' part no matter how cheap it was. The cheapness of it would show up when it fails in 6 months instead of 2 years IMO. Im still banking on the starter not getting good power due to a bad ground or similar issue. I believe the way to test this it to hook up a multimeter and watch the voltage drop on the power going to the starter when the key is turned, try it using different grounds and both the power wire at the battery and at the starter, see what differences you get.

Good luck though, I do hope its whatever you try next (sounds like youre going starter), chasing a problem you cant fix is never fun.

 

Im just throwing this out their as a possibility because it happened to me.

I had an aftermarket "kill switch" that worked when I shocked a bolt under the dash. It stopped working efficiently so I hit the kill switch for the kill switch (their was actually an on off switch under the dash on the steering column.

After a while I started having similar symptoms, and one day it just wouldn't start altogether. Once I completely removed the kill switch system, everything was green.

 

Similar problem here as well.


When I turn the key it might crank once, usually not. Then nothing but a click. You can see the starter pinon (bendix?) extend, hit the flywheel, and stop.

Now, if I hook up a starter button directly to the starter it cranks fine, each and every time.
The funny thing is, when testing votage at the little terminal on the starter I am showing right at 8 volts when using the key and also 8 volts when using the starter button.

This stumps me since both methods produce the same voltage to the solenoid. There is something here I am missing...

 

Are you grounding the starter button at the starter or the battery?

 

Hooking up one wire (red) from the button to the larger positive terminal where the positive battery cables connect and the other wire (black) to the smaller space terminal where the purple starter wire connects from the ignition.

 

Here is one you guys, I need som big time help. I turn the key and get one click. I replaced the coil, cap, and rotor. I have an MSD 6al also. I have switched starters, switched cpu's, switched ignition from stock to msd. It was an intermitted prob, where it click once or twice and then turn over, but now it just gives me a single click from the starter. HELP

 

hope this helps, my girlfriend's El Camino was doing the same thing a while back after we replaced the battery. You may want to replace the spark plugs and let them dry out overnight if possible. we did this and got the engine to crank over and start.
Idk if being a 50 year old engine with the only electronics being lights would make a difference.

 

Mines fixed,It was a 20 year old factory alarms system that was giving me troubles...unistalled and its fine

 

I have this same problem with my LT1 thirdgen. Have replaced the solenoid and the ignition switch, same problem. I'm absolutely stumped and have no idea. If any of ya'll fix it please enlighten us as it seems there's lots of people who have no clue how to fix it.

 

did you try checking the spark plugs like i mentioned in my post? It may seem silly, but it worked for me.