Yesterday my car would not start again after filling up at the gas station.
All it does when cranked is make a single click.
The car doesn’t start when jumped.
The battery tested fine.
The starter tested fine.
The wiring tested fine.
The auto parts store employee suggested the crankshaft positioning sensor.
Is this accurate?
What else could I try?
What wiring tested fine? I would first check the connections of the battery cables to the battery by removing and cleaning them and the other ends ow the cables as well.
The posts are clean and I tested the wires from the battery to the solenoid with a voltage tester
THe battery cables may be corroded under the insulation and so far gone on an 04 that you may need new cables.
Yosemite
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Short answer no, it is not accurate. Your starter motor is not turning the engine over. That’s the problem. A crank sensor has nothing to do with the starter not working. I think you’ve got a stuck solenoid on the starter unless you have taken it out to test it on the bench. The click though says power it getting to the starter but nothing is happening from there. Or again the battery, or connections to the starter from the battery cannot make good contact.
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This may be a dumb question but…
When I got the starter tested, does that only test the starter or the solenoid as well??
check coolant temperature sensor.crazy has it may sound. i had a 1998 ford taurus that would not crank. my buddy a backyard mechanic change coolant sensor and the car crank up.
depends on the shop. They should test both, but did they???
The check you need to make is to test the small wire on the starter, commonly called the S wire. This is the wire that the starter relay is sending power into, to activate the solenoid and crank the starter. This small wire should only have power while the key is in the Start position, so you’ll need a helper to turn the key while you test the post on the starter. Make sure you test the post and not the wire end, this will confirm connection into the solenoid.
I’m not a mechanic but have changed a coolant sensor. I have to disagree that it could have anything at all to do with a car not cranking. Maybe the pros here can respond because I think its important not to send someone down the primrose path. To me it would have the same impact as changing a bulb.
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I had a Taurus SHO that would kill batteries the death of the darned. When the battery quit, it started just fine one second and after a short trip wouldn’t even turn on the dome light and could’t even be jumped. Internal short in the battery. Deader than a block of cement. New battery and all was well. Try that.