OK, so I have a 2002 Civic EX. Won't start, turnover, etc. Thought it was the battery, so I replaced it. Put the key in, turn on the ignition, everything lights up, turn to start and it clicks once and nothing. Turn the key to off and pull it out, and all of the gauges "chatter". Any ideas anyone?
I'm at work of course, so limited tools etc...

 

Starter could be bad, or you may have a bad ground.

 

Did you ever accidently turn the key when the engine was already running? That sometimes can wear the teeth off of the starter motor which can cause that kind of problem.

 

Try tapping the starter with something solid that has a bit of weight to it, while someone tries to start the car. If that works, its your starter.

 

if the gauges flutter it means you have a bad connection and upon starting it arcs and you temporarily loose power... I would start by cleaning and tightening battery posts and continue to check wiring and grounds!

 

THIS!! exact same thing happened to my civic. Turned out that the cables that hook up to the positive side of the battery had a lot of corrosion , like green and rusty. clean that very good and maybe a new connector . should be good to go. good luck

 

That is exactly what the cause was, thanks. The negative cable was arcing, so trimmed the end and put a new terminal on it. Works perfectly now.