car wont start

i have been having trouble starting my car. this happens amost everytime i get into it. i have to turn the key several times and i get only a clicking sound. i play around w/ the clutch a little too. eventually it starts. i was wondering if anyone has an idea of what this could be. it is a 96 vtec.

Either starter or battery most likely.

Have the battery & starter tested. Sounds like the starter to me.

if its clicking then its not the starter. it means that the starter doesnt have enough voltage to turn...click click click click...is a low battery.

if u have a voltage tester here is what you do. connect to the batery terminals on the tester. notice the voltage..should be above 12. get someone to start the car and watch the drop. if it drops below 10 i think or even 11 or a super drop then you have no voltage in your battery (well not enough to start the car).

i just worked on a nissan maxima that had the same problem you are having. it was his battery. same symptoms..but after we found that it was his alternator that was draining his battery so i replaced that as well.

my accord did the same thing when i had the weak ass battery..it just clicked.

so get that checked if u like....kregan, or most auto parts stores have free electrical checking.

Clicking can be either a low battery or a starter taking a shit.

this happens amost everytime i get into it. i have to turn the key several times and i get only a clicking sound. i play around w/ the clutch a little too. eventually it starts

If that was the case dont you think the battery would be dead by now?

maybe when he starts the car, eventually..and drives it around the alternator charges the battery. but since the battery is old it cannot hold a charge as well as before, thats why he is saying that almost everytime his car does that.

if his battery was dead u wont really hear anything..maybe see a dome light.


but yea get it checked by a free place...it can be one or the other..

if ur in a jam..push ur car and start it haha that always works for a manual.

maybe when he starts the car, eventually..and drives it around the alternator charges the battery. but since the battery is old it cannot hold a charge as well as before, thats why he is saying that almost everytime his car does that.

I agree

Next time it does that turn on your int. lights or if night time high-beams & watch for voltage drop. If lights dim completely - battery // if they only dim when try to start - starter or even 1 of the thousand parts in the starting/charging system.

Battery should be common sense, I would think.


Corrosion slowly drains the battery

the batery is fairly new so i dont think that that is it but maybe it is. it onl clicks once though. not a lo of times likeit would if you had left your lights on and the battery died. i accually just took my car on a 2 hr car trip and it's been about a day after the trip and it seems tobe starting fine. i will take it to a place soon though. thanks for the help so far every1!

Its gotta be the battery. To make sure, check your power door locks...if they aren't working, its the battery. Charge that sucker full or get a new 1.

the pwr locks work fine along w/ all the other pwr parts in my car.

hmm...if you already tried the alternator, im clueless. I'd just take it to a honda dealer and have them look at it. Most do it for free before they fix anything...

My guess is that it is the starter. It sounds like the contacts inside the starter are shot and the one click is the bendix sliding the gear into position on the flywheel. When this gear slides into position, the copper contacts are not engaging the power of the battery to the motor of the starter. Try and try and eventually it will make contact and starts the car. Problem gets worse as time goes by. A classic problem with Toyotas at about 100K+ miles. Check it out.

check out this site on replacing the starter contacts (http://4crawler.cruiserpages.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml)

hey guys thanks for all the help so far. i've looked at the web site on fixing the starter the only problem is that (and this probobly sounds stupid) i dont know where to find the starter and what does it look like. this way i can see if i feel like trying to fix it plus i can check the connections to the started. thanks.