A little backstory on the issue....

So I took the car to a repair shop to get the knock sensor replaced. The old sensor had rusted and needed to be drilled out and they said they had to drop the starter ect ect to get at it. I said ok and they replace the sensor everything seems fine(car starts right up when leaving mechanics). Then I get the car home and try to start it back up about 20 minutes later and... an audible *pop* and then car won't crank at all. The lights and everything else work, but now I can't even get it back to the mechanic because it won't start!

Any ideas what happened? and how do I jump the starter to see if its wiring?

Heres a picture of my starter wiring as of right now...(from under car)
IMAGE_17411-1.jpg?t=1244592460

Thanks!

 

They probably left a cable loose or let the stud turn when they were tightening the big starter wire and it damaged the inside of the solenoid. To jump it make sure the car is in park and everything is clear of the fan belts, then stick a screwdriver from the purple connector to the big red one on the stater If it still doesnt engage and spin the engine then its either the starter, battery or cables. Im betting the solenoid is damaged.

 

Thanks for the advice! I'll give this a try today to see if jumping the starter does anything and report back.

 

So I tried jumping the purple and red cables with a screwdriver and... nothing. Didn't see any spark and not a single noise from the starter. I had the battery tested and it checked out ok. Are there any fuses that could have blown(idk where they would be)?

Also when turning the key to ignition the E-brake light turns on and the temp gauge immediately goes from cold to hot, even when the engine is cold. Don't know if thats important or not...

 

Ok so I replaced the starter with a new one, the old starter was totally dead. This solved part of my issue, Thanks bubbatwo! Now I can hear the starter trying to turn the engine but the engine wont turn over. Going to try recharging the battery even though I gave it a full charge last night. If theres anything I should be looking out for please let me know I'm really new at all this?

 

Check your coolant level.

 

Turns out it was the negative battery cable, the cable was making a poor connection to the battery, replaced the cable and it fires right up! I also think the cable was the cause of my original starter going bad.

Thanks for the help!