Guys,
I’m at a loss.
I can’t get my Integra to start 250k miles on it. I’ve tried the following:
Tested battery and starter at Pep Boys, PASSED
1.1) Checked all fuses, none blown out, each tested with Voltometer and PASSED.
Ensure contacts and wires connected to starter are clean (cleaned, tightend down), clicking sound made at startup attempt.
Removed starter, cleaned, and reinstalled (tested with voltometer, PASSED, tested battery, PASSED, both tested by PepBoys PASSED). Still could not start. (Clicking sound made),
replaced distributor cap and spark plug wires (were worn out, new parts used from pep boys). Attempted to start again, clicking sound made again, still clicking sound
LAST: Car will not start even with jumpstart by Toyota Avalon
If it’s not turning over: (1) How old is the battery? Sometimes bad batteries pass the parts store test. (2) Since it won’t jump it seems the problem is juice to the starter. Check the starter relay (if it has one) and the solenoid. Try jumping the starter via by-passing the solenoid. If it will turn the engine then you know it’s the solenoid. Don’t trust the Pep Boys bench test 100% because it’s done with the starter out of the engine when it’s not under a load, and solenoid problems are notoriously sporadic. If you’re certain that the battery is good and the starter system is good (jump it!) then you may have to look at the ignition switch (dirty contacts).
Use a booster cable’s NEGATIVE BLACK (-) lead and put one end on the NEGATIVE battery terminal. Do not use the POSITIVE RED (+) cable. Let it dangle. Put the other side of this BLACK cable on a large bare metal piece on the engine. This procedure basically bridges a ground connection that should be there so, if it now wants to start, you have a bad ground somewhere.
Put a voltmeter on the thinner lead going to the starter. You should see a constant 12V there while starting.
Then switch the voltmeter to read the fat lead going to the starter. You should see 12V there at all times. Start the car and see if that fat lead stays near 12V - it should.
If both those connections do what’s described and your ground is found to be good (see above), your starter is very likely bad.
If the thin lead does not see a voltage or that voltage varies for whatever reason, trace it back to the ignition switch and transmission interlock. See if it wants to start in neutral, if this is an automatic. This is probably not your problem because you say the car is clicking. This clicking is from the solenoid on top of the starter, I take it?
If the fat lead does not see a voltage or it collapses when starting, you have a bad connection to the starter on either ground or that fat lead. Trace it back to the battery. If those connections are good, that starter is drawing way too much current. Replace it.
"What made you think it turns over based on my original post?"
The reason one might have thought it turned over is because you replaced the distributor cap and wires. This would lead one to the “cranks but does not start” scenereo, instead of “does not crank, good battery power”. So if the starter and battery have been tested and are good, then you are back to the wires, connections, relay, ignition switch, etc. as mentioned. However if you hear a click from the starter, that strongly suggests the starter solenoid, not the motor. Did they check the solenoid or bendix?
I assume the clicking sound you are hearing is coming from the starter solenoid and it is mounted on the starter motor so they are basically one part. If that is the case then the trouble is most likely with the main battery cable going to the solenoid. It may have internal wire corrosion at the battery post end due to battery acid leaching into the wire. You could use a jumper cable to bypass the wire and see if that helps. Checking the voltage at the solenoid end while in the START mode will tell the story also. The voltage will be near zero volts if the wire is bad.
The starter solenoid could make that sound (the plunger moves as far as it can toward the two contacts it is supposed to bridge) but it cannot quite complete the circuit. This could be because one or both of the copper contacts are eroded. The quick fix is to remove the starter, open the solenoid, clean and inspect the plunger, its disc, and the two contacts. Bend the more eroded contact a bit toward the end of the plunger. (Better yet, replace the contacts - but cleaning up and bending has done the trick for me. This is for the Aisin starter which I have found on Toyotas and Chryslers, and may be used more generally; other brands are probably similar.)
