This morning I go out to start my car and it won't start. It clicks like the starter is getting juice but while this is happening all of the dash lights, stereo, door locks, everything electrical starts flickering on and off randomly. A few times after this happened I pulled the key out and the electrical flickering kept happening for 15 seconds afterwards??? This seems really strange but I am hoping it is something simple. Anyone have any ideas? I thought about having the starter checked as a place to start diagnosing.

 

The car is a 97 LX with f22 automatic.

 

No one has any ideas??

 

Check all your battery & ground cables, both ends, for looseness & corrosion. Also could be battery or starter, but check cables first; then tell us if you have a multi-meter & know how to use it.

 

I checked the battery cables at the battery but not at the other end. Dont the cables break out to several diferent places?

I don't have a multimeter but can borrow one. I have seen a multimeter used but don't now the settings on the dial.

 

For your troubles you want to check both ends of the BIG cables. Including where the cable itself is crimped into the end-lug. Disconnect the ground cable at the battery before messing with the big (+) cable. (unless you like fireworks...)

Don't forget the big ground cable from the engine to the body. On my '98 it's at the left-side engine mount.

If you doesn't find anything useful, hook it all back up & get the meter.
Set the meter for DC volts, autorange or something just bigger than 13v.
Put the probes on the battery posts themselves, not the wire or clamps.
Have someone try to start it, hopefully it'll do the flickering stuff.
What does the meter do while this is happening?

If it drops low (below about 8?) look for a new battery. This is kinda/sorta like how parts stores test your battery.

Then there's more, but do this & come back...

 

When the car is set to accessory the lights and stereo are powered great so I am doubting it is the battery itself. It acts more like a wiring or connection problem. I am at work now so I can't try anything for a few hours. I am also going to check the ecu fuse. With the electrical flickering it might have blown that fuse and that would keep it from starting.

 

The starter takes WAY more current than everything else put together. So if your battery is marginal, it'll be ok for everything else. Then when you try the starter it tries to pull so much current from the battery that the voltage drops a lot.

Sorta the same thing for cable connections. The contact across a not-very-tight cable clamp is ok for all your lights & stereo pulling 20 amps. Then when your starter tries to pull 200 amps it gets all kinds of flaky problems.

You're right, it could be other things. But first you want to rule out this stuff. BTW, the ECU fuse has nothing to do with the starter circuit. If the check-engine light comes on when you first turn the key on (not start) then your ECU fuse is OK.

 

Hi sounds like you have a bad earth problem, check all engine to chassis earths, pull off any grounds and WD40 anywhere you can, persevere.

 

I found the problem and the car is now running fine. I am reluctant to admit what the problem was, but here goes. It was the battery. I took off the starter and the battery and took them to the parts store. First they tested the starter and it was fine, then the battery was tested and it showed to be dead. The reason I did not immediatly suspect the battery was because of the electrical devices flickering on and off. I have never seen a battery cause this. Thanks to everyone for the advice and I am glad something that seemed so major turned out to be so simple.