Car won't start (Won't even crank)...

[Tokic_o]

guys i have a big problem...

so my car suddenly WONT start...

I drove it home from school 2 hours ago and just as I am about to go buy food the car won't start at all. The battery is fine (I just checked and the battery is pretty new)

The car won't even crank when I turn the key to ignite it...like there is no sound of cranking at all (I think something is wrong with the starter because this happened 2 months ago but i replaced my starter with a brand new one at Mazda)

My mechanic is in Markham but I am in Waterloo and I don't know what to do, my car is jsut parked on the side of the street outside my place right now...

any help or advice?

[Booter22]

is it auto?

[The Wolf]

Check kw local thread. Starter ground wire most likely.

[Booter22]

so i looked through your ride photos. it is auto.

does it start in neutral?

[applepeel]

i had this problem last winter, and reputable mech also from markham said it was starter. looked into it more myself and called jimmy to find out it wasnt the starter....

i have an 04 but you have to take out this little clip to your starter and sand it down because it oxidizes and thus when its super cold (ie this winter) there's not enough charge delivered.

I'm assuming you try to turn it on and it just clicks, correct?

takes maybe 30 minutes and some sand paper...saved me a new starter and more headaches, but I did freeze my ass off doing it outside

[Booter22]

if that starter sanding trick doesnt work and it starts in neutral im thinking its the range position sensor that might have some build up on it as well.

[Tokic_o]

so i got it to start and this is how:

my friend insdie the car turns the key to krank the engine/ignite it

I use a metal rod and tap the starter

BAM the car starts perfectly fine...but as of right now I have to do that each time to start it

I will be driving back to Markham tomorrow to get it checked out.

edit: it doesn't start with just key kranked in neutral

[Tokic_o]

i had this problem last winter, and reputable mech also from markham said it was starter. looked into it more myself and called jimmy to find out it wasnt the starter....

i have an 04 but you have to take out this little clip to your starter and sand it down because it oxidizes and thus when its super cold (ie this winter) there's not enough charge delivered.

I'm assuming you try to turn it on and it just clicks, correct?

takes maybe 30 minutes and some sand paper...saved me a new starter and more headaches, but I did freeze my ass off doing it outside


When I turn the key all the way there is no sounds at all. No clicking, no cranking of the engine, nothing.

But when I tried to start it "manually" like how i described in my post above it starts just fine...do you guys think it is still the issue of the clip?

[peterm15]

Either bad starter or loose connection.

Usually the tapping trick works when the starter is bad.

FYI. 99.9% of the time, if you give the starter a good solid bang you can just hop in and start it.

[Johns 08 3 GT]

Either bad starter or loose connection.

This. Your starter might have a flat spot on the armature or the trigger wire is corroded.

[CH0SiiN1]

I'm having the same issue, can you give a summary of what was needed (starter etc.) to repair the problem and the cost of the parts and labour?

Thanks in advance,

Cory

[TheAnswer_03]

edit: nvm

[Mmmm Mazda 3]

This sounds like the issue I'm having. Can you please tell me where the flying f@ck is the starter motor on this thing? 2006 Manual. So what was your issue?

[brucewayne]

my car is just sitting in a parking lot right now... where is the starter? how hard to i have to hit it?

[brucewayne]

i have an 05 2.0 auto with 144k and its not starting. i put in a new agm battery about 3 weeks ago that is reading 12.6 and has worked fine so far. when i try to turn it over, i hear one click and thats it. the same thing happend about 10 days ago and i just popped the hood and said wtf and it worked. tonight i cleaned the battery terminals again, tried both keys, tried starting in park and neutral (both have green boxes around them) and nothing... dash and lights seem strong though.

i tried knocking what i think is the starter, or at least the smaller part of it and nothing. its hard to work in there.

should i try to make space by taking the intake/airbox off and banging it better? where is this clip thingie that might be corroded?

any help would be appreciated. i don't want to have to tow my car to a shop today

[TheMAN]

your starter solenoid wire is not making good contact with the starter... it's a common issue, there's a repair kit from mazda that fixes this

[brucewayne]

your starter solenoid wire is not making good contact with the starter... it's a common issue, there's a repair kit from mazda that fixes this

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtYXpkYTNzZXJ2aWNlYnVsbGV0 aW5zfGd4OjUwMTQxNmU4OGFlYjE1Mjc

are you referring to this?

can i just temporarily sand the contact points to get the car to start like it seems others have done? i really can't see much from the top, and since the car is at a mall i don't think im gonna be able to jack it up... can i feel around for the wires and disconnect them without breaking anything?

[Booter22]

did you try to start it in neutral?

[brucewayne]

did you try to start it in neutral?

yeah i did. i sanded down that terminal on the starter and the connector pretty good and still nothing. all 20-40 fuses are good. i guess ill get it towed tonight since i can't have it sitting in a mall 2 nights in a row.

[IcedTeaMazda3]

this happened to me aswell!! but everytime i used to like tap on the wire it would start. got it fixed

[Lmmorden]

Same issue with my tribute... You can try the brute force approach of rapid clicking if yer stuck but it will melt your solenoid; as did mine.