Car wont start.....sometimes....???

does any one else have this problem: sometimes my car will not start , it just clicks ,the starter motor doesnt engage. after a few attemps it usually turns over and starts just fine but last night it took about half an hour to get started. any ideas ? thanks for any help.

Mine does that too!

I made sure the battery connections were tight but it still does it.

If I turn the light off I have a better chance of it starting.

Mine might click a few times and then turn over - it's a real pain.

any ideas what it might be?

[Uncamitzi]

One;

The battery Ground Strap to the chassis is corroded. (it happened to mine and is quite common)

Two;

Ignition switch is worn


Three; Starter Solenoid is getting weak




My .02 Good luck

[ensteele]

One of mine does that too. I have checked out all of the connections, and they are good. The one thing that you mentioned that it could be is the switch. I can take my key out with the car running and then put it back in again. I have thought about having the switch checked out by a lock smith, but have not done it yet. I will do that now and let you know what happens.

[nordique14]

The Subaru dealership told me it was the battery cables. I put in new ones. Made no difference. I've been living with the problem for the past year, but it gets a little worse every month. I would love to know what the cause is. It seems to happen to me only when the car gets warmed up. It starts fine when it's cold.

Matt

my mechanic thinks it is the starter motor. so we ordered a new one. that goes in in a few days. i guess the contacts that engage the starter motor get worn out and dont make electrical contact every time. i will post the results of this remedy....

[Mr. Pockets]

My guess is that the cause is the neutral safety switch.

This has happened to many cars I've known - domestic and foreign. Sometimes, the thing just clicks. Other times, it just starts on the first try. The next time you can't get it to start, change the gear selector to neutral (put the parking brake on first, if you don't already have it engaged) and see what happens.

On some cars you can 'adjust' the switch a little bit to help it, but I would recommend just replacing the stupid thing.

[benebob]

My XT6 does the same thing. I tried replacing the starte contacts thinking that was it. That was not it. The guy I got it from had a spare starter. It does the same thing with that one in. You should be able to rule out the starter if you can bridge the wires in the back of the starter and the starter works.

[kuoh]

Some of you might want to check this thread before buying a new starter or messing with the battery cables. It takes a few minutes to take off the steering column covers, but it might be worth it if you only have to spend $2 in parts to fix the problem.

KuoH