HOW TO DIAGNOSE ,,,No Start Just Clicks
 

i have seen a few posts with this question so i figured it is about time that i write something on the subject

tools needed : voltmeter,, big screwdriver

First thing you need to do if when trying to start the car and it JUST clicks ,,is to

make sure the battery is fully charged ,,even if dash lites come on or head lites, it might not be adequate charge enough to engage the starter

chk all the battery cables for tightness and corrosion ,, if battery is ok,, cables tight and clean,

A quick test is to have someone try to start the car while you get the big screwdriver or a pipe and bang on the starter , if while banging car will start , you got an internal starter problem ,, in some cases it is just the starter contact , in some cars you can just replace those for around 15-20 dollars ..in others you got to replace the starter .

Another quick test that you can do is to apply battery power to the starter solenoid, if starter still clicks you got a bad starter .

If still nothing happens while you bang on the starter,,

There are 2 wires going to the starter solenoid , a thicker wire coming from the battery and bolted to the 12 mm nut and a thinner wire( most of the time it is a black/white wire ,), Now get the voltmeter and chk the voltage at the bigger wire at solenoid where the 12 mm nut is ,, should have voltage at around 12 v,,
if you DO NOT have voltage there,or low voltage ,, chk the wiring from battery to starter for loosness

If there is voltage there....( 12 v) .

Disconnect the black/white wire from the solenoid, hook the voltmeter pos side to it and the volt neg side to a good known ground, have someone crank the engine as if to start it ,, you should have around 12 v at the black/white wire ,,,,,,if you DO you got a bad starter .

if you do not ,, than it could be a bad ignition switch,, a fuse, starter relay, wiring, neutral position switch ( A/T ) clutch switch ( 5sp ) .. at this point it would need to be properly diagnosed .

If you need to replace a starter : if you are looking for reliability use a Honda starter ,, by the way even Honda starters that you get from the dealer are REMAN starters , they are not new ....but they last a lot longer than any non-honda starters out there ,, if it is a question of money , selling car soon, do not care if you have to redo the job within a year or so ,, than my next choise would be a BOSCH starter , they are cheaper and out of the many other non-honda starter that i have used, to be 1 of the most reliable ..

you also might want to chk with the local part stores to see if they sell a lifetime warranty starter ,, then all you got to do is just the labor ,, assuming you do it yourself ,, if you have to pay a shop to replace the starter then definately go with a Honda starter, unless you plan on selling the car within a few months

Hope this helps some of you ..

Any question feel free to ask ..:)