I have a 2002 firebird that I had the battery replaced on yesterday also had positive terminal and wires changed because of corosion. Ran fine when I left shop. When I went to go out last night car would not start
Only clicks when try to start. Dome light works, headlight works, and dash lights work. Any help appreciated.
Either battery voltage isn’t getting to the starter motor or the starter itself has problems . Could also be a problem with the negative battery terminal or cable .
The first thing I would do is make sure your new battery is fully charged , if it is make sure both battery terminals are clean & tight & the battery cable on the starter is clean & tight . Also make sure the negative battery cable end not on the battery is clean & tight .
For someone with the know-how , reading battery voltage at the starter itself is a simple thing to do .
Good post by @Sloepoke above. OP, this is called a “no-crank”, suggest to use that term when speaking to your mechanic. While there’s a half dozen or so likely causes, my guess, the prior dead-ish battery caused an overcurrent condition in the starter motor solenoid during cranking, which damaged the contacts. So now even with a good battery, the burned contacts are causing an intermittent crank problem. It’s usually less expensive to secure a proper diagnosis, but if OP feels lucky, they could replace the solenoid contacts, which on most vehicles of that vintage means replacing the starter motor. Might work.
If you are hearing multiple clicks then that is most likely coming from the starter solenoid due to low charge on the battery or connection to it. Hopefully the connections are good now. If that is the case then you very well may have a problem with the charging system. I assume you changed the old battery out since it wasn’t working correctly. Hopefully not just due to a charging problem.