this started about a month ago. if i go on a short drive (i.e. gas station), turn my car off, and then try to start my car again, it wont crank. i can hear the starter clicking every time i try to start the car, but it doesn't crank. it takes a few tries before it finally cranks and starts. it doesn't happen all the time though. i'm running a one year old Optima Red Top btw.

 

Could be the battery. Some last forever, some don't. Take your battery to Autozone or something and get it tested.

Had the same issue, I ended up replacing my 3 year old PC680 and bam... Car started up instantly all the time.

 

sounds good. i'll use the battery tester at my shop.

 

make sure the connections on the battery are tight

 

Check the connections to the starter and check any grounds, as well. If the battery and grounds are good, try using a remote starter. Like this, not an alarm

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...22-151548894-2

That will give you an idea if it's your wiring or the starter/solenoid.

Also, you say it only occurs after short drives... Does it matter how long the car sits?

 

well i'm not sure if it matters if it's a short drive, but if the car sits for a couple of minutes and then i try to start it, it wont crank. it doesn't happen all the time though. once it happened when i tried to start my car in the morning. i'll check the connections on my battery and starter. maybe i'll get my starter tested because i'm gonna be taking it out anyway when i swap my transmission.

 

This is why I asked. I assumed it wasn't the length of driving that has caused it. Check the resistance of the following wires:

Starter to battery
Alternator to battery
engine ground
battery ground

A friend of mine was having a very similar problem in his Nissan Altima. He replaced the wires I listed. It sounds like a lot of work but it took him like an hour and cost less than $50. His car not only started 100% of the time after that, but also his lights stopped dimming when his subwoofer hit. The reason the car was having trouble starting was because of high resistance in the wires.

Car audio guys do this upgrade all the time, but without replacing the starter wire. It's called "The big 3".