car won't crank over video
 

Battery was tested as ok , put a new starter in it , and it runs fine for long periods of time. But randomly the car just won't crank over can hear the fuel pump priming i believe but no cranking or clicking , but then i can just barly roll the car and put it into gear and often times it will fire up :confused: here is a video of the whole procedure , but tonight I couldnt get it to start period didnt have a good place to roll it at all and but tried and failed and had to tow it home so annoying here is the video please check it out also the battery terminals are tight and cleaned I used a wire brush to them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n5I9FZjUYA

Looks like it could be some sort of a "jiggle" effect, where there is a bad ground, or some sort of wire that is causing the ignition to crap out. I had a similar problem with my old pickup. Basically I had my old starter replaced and when they replaced the starter they forgot to replace the heat shield. This in turn caused the wires running to the starter to actually melt down completely and short out whenever I tried to turn the ignition. But if I opened the hood and "jiggled" the wires a little bit it would work no problem.
I eventually replaced the heat shield and siliconed the wires up(ghetto fix I know) and I never had any other issues with it.
My suggestion is to put the car on a lift. Let the engine cool down. Then find the starter and start tracing wires all the way back. Make sure that you don't have any frayed, stripped, or exposed wires of any sort. Then again it could be something more serious who knows.
But my philosophy is, start with the simplest things first and work your way up to the bigger things.
Hope this helps.

So it was having the same issue before you installed a new starter?

ya was having the same issue before the new starter , and its really random because many times it wont do it so I could never replicate it to show someone. So must be somewhere inbetween the starter and the battery going to check the wiring i guess altho I had a seperate issue a while back and had a electric shop test over all my grounds and such and they said there is no electrical problem so this should be fun appriciate all the help I bet its a wire or something that is just almost fully worn or out or such.

Can you hear the starter click to engage at all when you turn the key?

um nope no clicking just all i get is a fuel pump priming or injector priming sound like a small whine sound , but no clicking or anything , I was also thinking it might be the clutch switch but.... i tried starting with no clutch and i dont get any whine sound so I ruled that out the clutch switch seems to be ok.

No, I had to have the starter replaced anyways. However, when they installed it they forgot to install the heat shield which blocks the heat from the engine from damaging the solenoid in the starter and protects the wires running to the starter. It, was only AFTER the install that I began having problems.

BUT, what I was saying is that there may have been a lot of heat build-up in the engine bay and could possibly have melted/destroyed some wires running to the starter, your mechanic may not have noticed these wires when they replaced you starter. And that could be the cause of you being able to move your car just a little bit and then the starter functioning properly.

It could also just be a bad ground somewhere as well.

ya that would make sense I guess I will have to trace it , not sure if i even have the heat shield I hate electrical stuff lol appriciate all the input tho probly wont be able to get it on a lift till next week thanks for the help

Kk, well if you can take pictures I may be able to help guide you through the wiring and so. It really shouldn't be that difficult, like I said. Just start at the starter and work your way back.

As far as heat shields, I'm pretty sure every vehicle has them. A lot of heat builds up in engine bays and if your not carefull, it can cause aLOT of damage.

I would check the ground on the starter. I know people have been saying ground but being you did change the starter I would look there first. Hope you figure it out I know its a pita but it is there somewhere

! more thing jsut for safe measure and another troubleshooting idea.

I'm not sure if the starter is ground to the frame or where. But if you trace the ground wire to where it's actually grounded to(It may be the battery but could be the frame as well) If it is grounded to the frame, try disconnecting or removing the ground, get some sandpaper and clear out the spot where it's grounded to.

If it IS grounded through the battery, you can always drill a hole in the frame close to the starter and ground it there. Sorry if I am confusing you a bit here. But the idea behind this is that you want the ground wire to be as short as possible so that you don't get any interference.


ALWAYS REMEMBER, SAFTEY FIRST, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY BEFORE DOING ANY ELECTRICAL WORK. PLEASE!!!!

found out the clutch switch bracket was bent i so my mechanic adjusted it and it works fine now guess it was the switch after all : )

not sure if this is why but a long while ago my car had the no lift shift mod done , and it would not always work right for me , my tuner thought i was pushing on the clutch at the wrong time and such so he removed that mod...... i wonder if this is why i had problems with that lol maybe i should get that mod again . Ne ways I'm not 100% sure if the braket was bent or how or what my mechanic is from asia and doesnt speak the best english lol but he knows jap cars and has always solved my problems and often times and in this case for free so i always go to him unless its a tuning issue . Well I hope others can get some help from this if u have these problems check that clutch switch

I don't get it if you unplug the clutch petal assy and the car will start with no clutch but if the bracket is bent it wont?