hey fellas. please help me. my car wont start.



it worked yesterday morning but when i came back to start the car in the afternoon going to work, it never did anything. lights work inside the car but when i turn the key to start the car, no clicks from the starter or whatsoever. its like the car has a dead battery.



i checked the battery and the terminals and they are ok (my light works). i went under the car to check the starter but nothing is loose. ( from what it looks like, when i turn the key, its not getting any signal to start) what else do i need to check? its definitely an electrical problem. i just dont know where to start.



i need this car to run soon.. please help.



p.s. i checked fuses but all are ok, nothing broken

what year is it?

it can me many problems, i've actually narrowed one down to the ignition key itself

its an 88SE

wow really? Im gonna get on my car again tomorrow. bang on the starter...... then if that doesnt work. ill go take it out and get it tested... im thinking its the starter....



ill go ahead and check the ignition key itself... ar eyou talking about the ignition cylinder or the whole wiring for the ignition?

If there is no clicking sound either no power is going to the starter or you need new solenoids (rather than just getting a whole new starter). Also, try cleaning the contacts on the battery (just because you have lights on in the car doesn't mean there is enjough jucie to turn over the engine).

You can test your starter with either a remote switch or by crossing the positve terminal and the relay input with a screwdriver.

thanks for your replies josh and jefraney. ill go ahead and check on this tomorrow (sunday) havent had the time lately to do this because of full time internship and part time work.



Ill let you guys know how this all goes.



btw, im sure the contacts from the battery are all good. what im worried about is buying a $108 starter or it might be some other electrical problem that i dont know how to fix.....



thanks

also check your clutch safety switch/ clutch interlock switch, on your clutch pedal. no noise at all yet battery is fine with no juice *going* to the starter means there's a fault *before* the starter, clutch switch is easiest and fastest to check first, and a lot more common to go bad. Easy to check too.



just unplug it and jumper the two terminals together making it a "connected" wire, thereby bypassing the switch, then try it, if it doesnt start then investigate further.



also with your lights on try to start it, do the lights dim? if they dim a *lot* then id consider the starter, but since you said no juice is even getting to the starter im assuming the safety switch first.



kevin.

thanks for all your help/replies. i tested the starter, battery etc..... and when i messed around with the ignition cylinder/ ignition switch thing, it fired right up. all my dummy lights started working and it finally turned over. thanks again teknics!!! i couldnt have done it without you..



so next time when you guys turn the keys and nothing happens, clean the contacts on your ignition switch and play around with it a bit....i think my problem was that the contacts were dirty and also it might have something to do with the key sensor thing in the ignition cylinder.



thanks again nopistons. you guys are great!

glad to be of assistance, more importantly glad you got her fired back up, congrats!



kevin.

thanks again teknics. unfortunately im still having problems. today the car didnt start. so i had to take out the ignition cylinder and ignition switch again to play around with it. i think i have to clean the inside of the switch and "regrease" everything else. is this the real fix for this? i know its something to do with either the cylinder/switch itself. am i correct?



at least my car its not clicking anymore when i turn the key to start it. i think cleaning the starter's contacts near the transmission helped a lot.



i just have this feeling that the car wont start again tomorrow. :(