starting

i need help...i left work today, car started fine, went to the store, car started fine, came home ...20 minutes later went to leave car wont start, wont turn over at all, wont jump, just does nothing....any idea why?

is your starter trying to engage or is it just clicking?

it does nothing...it makes the whining noise when you try to start it then after you stop turning the key it clicks

Check to make sure that both cables are firmly attached to the battery. If that is ok, then I'm guessing a problem with the starter.

just checked the cables, cleaned the terminals and reattached the cables firmly...still nothing, it looks like ill be buying a starter today. Whcih brings me to my next question, are starters hard or easy to put on our cars?

Very simple on our cars, simplest i've seen. It's right up front, all you'd have to do is jack up the front end...unless you're really skinny...and remove 2 mounting bolts, the bolt that holds on the wire from the battery, unclip the little wire, and thats it. They're 14mm bolts that hold it to the engine. Make sure the connection at the starter is good too, both wires...but if it's whining it sounds like the starter motor itself is working but the "kick-out" coil isn't engaging (it connects the starter gear to the flywheel gear which starts the engine, you don't need to worry about that though).

what about your battery...you can ask the autoparts place to check the starter for you...i had a problem not too long ago...it would whine and then tick..clickclick...repeatedly...battery was dead, although it had enough power to keep my lights on and even move the window up and down...

it would have started when we tried to jump it though wouldnt it?

i tried that too and wouldn't...unless you keep it connected for more than..umm...2 min minimum...& see if starts to turn over...if it does, bad battery, if it doesn't good battery...but take the starter with you and ask them to check it...

i put my starter in at 2 am last night after i got home from work...that was the problem and it was suprisingly easy...thanks for the help