I just got this car, had to fix the timing belt, now the car only starts if you jump the starter solenoid. It starts really fast so I dont think the starter is bad. The battery terminals are clean but they are the factory kind that are hard to tighten after 200k miles and they slide off and on pretty easily.

Would a loose battery terminal connection cause the starter not to start on its own? Or will I need to change the ignition switch?

Im about to take some new terminals over to change them, but if i need an ignition switch too i may stop at the parts store lol

 

Are you sure are your grounds are connected?

 

you mean battery ground? or starter ground? My starter has the red power wire and the small switched wire. Is their a ground wire that hooks to the starter also? I dont see it

The valvecover ground/tranny ground and battery ground are all intact


could it be a bad ignition switch?

 

Ok...Well, You can do a few tests to diagnose a starting system problem without any tools or measuring equipment. Turn on the headlights and start cranking. If lights go out, you probably have a poor battery cable connection that is impeeding the flow of current. Start checking battery posts and battery cables for tightness and corrosion. A very thin film of oxide between the terminal and cable clamp can choke off most of current. Clean battery posts and cable terminals. Make sure all connections are tight. Also check connections to the starter and solenoid and engine-to-chassis grounding cables. If headlights continue to shine brightly and nothing happens, voltage is probably not reaching the starter. Usual suspects here include a problem with the park/neutral or ignition circuit switches. If lights go dim and the cranking action is sluggish, first suspect a low battery. You can use a multimeter to check for starter problems. A starter current draw test should be performed to see if you have to replace the starter Measure the amperage on the battery-to-starter cable while cranking the engine. As a general rule of thumb, under normal load conditions, the starter should draw about one ampere per cubic inch of engine displacement, plus or minus about 25-percent. Check the service manual for the specifications for your particular vehicle. If the current draw is not too high, check for resistance in the starter circuit. Starter current can exceed 200A, even 300A on large displacement engines, so even low resistance can cause a significant voltage drop. Rather than measure resistance, which is usually off scale for most DMMs, measure the current drop instead. A drop of only 0.2 to 0.3 volts may be enough to reduce performance in automotive circuits. Set the DMM to the millivolt scale and connect the positive lead to the side of the component nearest the battery (+) and the negative lead to the Systematically, check drop between battery post and connecting cable, the solenoid posts and wires that attach to them and across the solenoid itself. Also check connections to the starter, alternator and ground strap link the engine block and body. If the battery cables are damaged or have worn insulation, replace them. Spend a few extra bucks and get the best quality ones. Cheap one may look okay from the outside, but may be made with small gauge wire covered by thick insulation. These undersized cables cannot carry the peak current when needed. A "click" with no cranking probably means the solenoid is being energized but there is not enough current to turn the starter over. You can check for a faulty solenoid by bypassing it. If the starter now spins, the solenoid is probably bad. If the starter spins, but it will not crank the engine, check for an engagement problem. The latter could be caused by a weak solenoid, defective starter drive or broken teeth on the flywheel. A starter on the verge of failure may engage, but slip. Incidently, if the starter locks ups while engaged with the flywheel, it can over rev the starter destroying it. Then there is the matter of noises emitted by the starter system. A high pitch whine could be caused by misalignment of the starter. Check also for nuts and bolts that might have vibrated loose.

-Hope that helps. Good Luck.

 

ok, if you had read my question instead of typing all of that youd have known i start the car by jumping the solenoid at the starter with a pair of pliers.

If you have to jump the solenoid does that mean is a bad starter? or does it mean the starter isnt getting energized correctly? and my grounds are good and battery terminals are fixed. Battery voltage is 12.5. Im thinking bad starter

edit: when i try starting with the key, there is no click from the solenoid. Dashlights do come on and fuel pump does engage

 

Fixed: Was wire off of ignition switch, I installed a button start to fix the problem. thx