hey all.

 

i've had this car for a year and the ignition has been a little funny the whole time. when i would turn the key to start the engine, there would be a delay of a few seconds before the starter would turn the engine. then the engine would start up fine.

 

lately, the delays have been getting longer and now the engine won't turn at all. i turn the key and there's a clicking noise and a slight humming but no turn of the engine.

 

i'm pretty sure my battery is good. i'm thinking of trying to replace the starter motor. any other ideas that i should check first? anything i might wanna check if replacing the starter doesn't work?

 

thanks alot for any help.

just went back outside and tried again and it started right up. i would still like to figure out what the deal is though. i don't want this thing to not start when i'm far from home... also, i realized that i had replaced the battery in my old car. this battery seems ok but might be the problem. what do you all think?

Not to be a smarta$$ but when was the last time you cleaned your battery terminals?

Hey, sometimes you get off with a cheap and easy repair.

starters will click usually when theres not enough voltage to get them spinning or it is going bad.

like stated above check your terminals for buildup, that will slow the flow of electricity. if you havent replaced the battery in the year that you've had it, chances are good its on its way out.

 

rllywgn

yep. i took advantage of my car starting and drove to get a new battery. there was a serious amount of corrosion on the pos terminal. i thought about just cleaning it up and keeping my fingers crossed but figured i was best off just getting a new battery. the car seemed to be starting fine since i replaced the battery but it usually started fine if it's been running for a while anyway.... so i guess i'll try again tomorrow and see if there's any improvement.

very common problem

if cleaning all battery connections do not solve the problem then

 

 

the starter solenoid contacts get somewhat worn

 

the ignition switch starter contacts can't pass enough current to pull them tight enough

to cause cranking

 

so you can

 

R&R the starter solenoid contacts

 

or

 

take the EZ way out like a lots of us have done and add a starter relay

 

the wiring is shown below, I have had to do this to about 5 L-series I have owned

 

Hope this helps