Car wont start please help ASAP/need to go to work
 

My car wont start ( this same thing happened last year!) I turn the key and I hear 1 click then go to crank it and nothing. Then I have no interior lights or any power at all. Yesterday this happened, I popped the hood. closed the doors and looked under neath the hood (basically did nothing). Went back inside and it started up fine. Come home and turn the car off. I went to start it up again, and nothing again. Sometimes I get interior lights with full power, but not enought to crank it over. other times very faint power, and others none at all. It can be jump started, however (temporary fix) the problem may pop up later on. I know the battery is still good and has water in the cells. The alternator is good too. Im guessing the starter is good seeing as how it cranks over fine with jumping it. Two years ago I replaced something under the driver side seat. Could this be the problem? the ignition? please help i need to go to work later today!! Thank you for any responses.

jim

Check the connection on your battery cables. This happened to me and I tried everything except the obvious. You may need to replace them. I have had the same problem and it was the neg cable. If everything is tight, try cleaning them.

sounds like a battery cable to me also. but whenever you get it started again i would definatley go test the batt and alt free and a parts house, just to be safe. good luck

Yep could be the battery, you should also check the ground.

i checked the cables both neg and pos. they were fine, no fraying or melting and screwed on tightly. i jumped it a moment ago and ran for a few seconds before i put the brake on- when i did, it stalled. I jumped it again and brought up the rpms while stepping on the brake and it still ran. when I put the head lights on, the battery needle drops low and jumps up and down. when their off it moves a little too at idle. The radio when turned up is fuzzy and the chime for the door being open is also distorted. This same thing happened last year and i bought a new battery and put it in, it was ok. (EVEN THOUGH they said it was tested as being ok). So thats why i dont think it is the battery 1 yr old too. Any other suggestions . this is FRUSTRATING!!!!!:confused:

sounds like a dead battery to me....

even though the cables are tight, they still corrode and loose conductivity.

remove the cables and clean them and the posts. also check the selenoid end and the ground end..

if thats not it, then the other options would be a new battery or maybe the alternator is shot...

SOLVED- IM STUPID!!
 

its fixed thanks to all of you who responded! I appreciate it. It actually was the obvious (I hate to admit it). I roughed up the negative cable with sand paper, tightened it up and then tightened it up where it led down under the motor somewhere( this was pretty loose). Thanks to all who helped, im an idiot!!;)

Lessons learned
 

Hey, we all have to live and learn. You have. No shame in that and at least your problem was easy to fix - and free.

Consider it a learning experience that didn't cost you anything but time. ;)

You know, it is a funny thing that you mentioned that this happend to you. I just purchased my car about a week ago, and this is my 3rd day driving it. I went into the gas station to get some gas. When I got done filling up the tank, I went in to start it. It clicked once, and nothing happened. Me neighbor happened to be getting gas, and he gave me a jump start. Absolutely nothing happened. I didn't even get gauges. My negative terminal cable had corossion on it and was loose. I moved it around a little but, got back into the car, and bam. It started. Guess we just need to check our cables every once in a while.

Anyways, if it's not a dead battery, I hope that you get your problem resolved soon.

I had the same exact problem
 

I had this problem last week. I didn't check the cables, but I know the negative cable was not tight. I'm glad this solved your problem, because it's probably the cause of mine. Thanks, Keith