Last week, my Mazda 6 wagon would not start … Jumped by auto club, and told the right battery cable was not tightly connected to battery. Car was ok for 2 days… Then same thing, it would not start, jumped again, battery was ok per auto club. Car ran for one day, then jumped again and brought to mechanic. Mechanic has had 24 hours, replaced new battery and cable connection… still not starting consistently with cold weather???
I’m assuming the problem is that the engine isn’t cranking; i.e. when it cranks properly, it starts ok. Not at all unusal for cold weather and is usually the battery giving out. If the battery is 5 years old or more, that’s the typical reason, and a replacement battery usually fixes the problem. That’s why most big auto repair places will test the battery and charging system for free, they make their profit on the battery they often sell you after they determine yours is nearing the end of its useful life.
The question is: what now is the remaining problem? Let’s assume the battery and cabling is ok, and the connections are clean. If it makes a sort of clicking noise when you turn the key to “start” , but doesn’t crank, or cranks very slowly, the first guess would be the starter selenoid, which usually means a new starter is needed. A mechanic would test the voltages at the two starter terminals during cranking, and if they are ok but the starter isn’t turning, then a replacement starter would be installed. Otherwise, it could be the ignition switch, or a safety start switch or relay depending upon your xmission type.
thanks… will check on ignition switch with mechanic