No Start!!!

[C man]

MY buick won't start at all now. It started about two weeks ago and only happened once. The first time I started the car all I heard is a "click" sound. I'm guessing this was the starter solenoid. The second time no problem. It was a concern but not a big one, the car has 100k+ miles. Fast forward to this week. Wednesday when It took 5 tries before my car would start. I was getting a little concern. No more problems that day. But I would get this condition at least once every day, maybe twice all the way until today. First time no start second time cranks right up. Today This happened on three occasions. Finally on the 4th occasion it has stopped completely. When I turn the key over I just hear a click. Is this a possible bad starter solenoid? Relay? CPS? No codes or check engine light.

[C man]

Here's a sound bite

[C man]

Since no one replied I did my own investigating and narrowed it down to the neutral safety switch. I has given me problems before but I think It has finally took its bow. I have gotten it to crank up a couple of times but it won't crank up again. If I pull the shifter thur the gears rapidly a couple times It will start. Has anyone had a problem with it before. Do you really ever have to adjust them? Help anyone.

[The00Dustin]

If running it through the gears makes it start, then it sounds an awful lot like the "neutral safety switch" (you can normally start the thing rolling in neutral or with your foot on the brake in park, right?). However, if the safety switch wasn't working, I wouldn't think you would get a click at all. Also, while I haven't had problems with my 93 or 99 PA starters, I did have some with a 66 El Camino starter. In my experience the same clicking sound could be a bad solenoid or a low battery (like one bad cell or an alternator that quit quite recently). It may be that the starter solenoid is going too if you get the clicking sound with a battery that is just slightly low, but I really don't know. In my experience with the elky (different times with different starters), shorting the terminals on the starter would work sometimes (probably much easier on a 66 El Camino than your Buick), other times banging the solenoid with a wrench would get it to work, and sometimes a jump start would do the trick (even when the battery wasn't low, like the thing just had too much draw I guess). I wouldn't really recommend the former two tricks, though...

[C man]

Update: To myself and Dustin. I realized last night that it probably was the starter and not the safety switch becuase as you mention it wouldn't even click. I went to the stealership and in fact I have a bad starter. The brushes are worn and the armuature is scorned. I feel like an idiot. I paid the $108 for what I should have already known. The New starter only cost $69 at NAPA so I've wasted 100 bucks.

[C man]

Replaced the starter. It was a fairly easy job, probably easier than changing the alternator. But the starter itself weights 15lbs that a pretty heavy starter. It seems like it the same design from the 80's or something.