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Check it out, I'm having a huge problem on my neon and NO ONE seems to have any good ideas.. at all. I've posted on several forums and everyone just replies with stupid stuff, like, "DID YOU TRY A JUMP START YO?" I don't know how many times I've heard that in the last few days.

Anyway.. my car refuses to start. When I turn the key to "start" it just makes a click noise. Some people told me that when a starter is bad it will make a lot of clicks, but mine only clicks 1 time and then nothing. The dash lights do NOT dim or go out when I turn the key. The battery is not the problem..

Here are my best assumptions.. 1)Starter is dead
2) Major power wire or ground wire somewhere is having a problem
3) ...motor is seized? hope not..

I tried to jump the starter solenoid but I can't get my hand in there, the space is way too tight, its impossible.. Any ideas guys?? Thanks.
-Dean

well you could always get a socket and ratchet on the crank pulley and if that moves freely then its not seized.

if the starter goes bad, it usually does as you describe. take a tire iron or a heavy wrench and beat on the starter solenoid. then try to start it. sounds ghetto, but that's how i started my car a few times when the starter was slowly dying on me. best of luck.

its most likely your ignition switch if not starter. one of two above.

okay so this may be WAY off but I thought it might help someone one day...
It MAY be that the timing has "jumped"...I know someone with a 3000GT who's timing jumped and for the longest time we had no clue what was wrong (lights worked, car turned over, etc..it just kept clicking or ticking)Thought it may help...

When in doubt get professional help.

That and you never said if you atually tried to jump start it


Either way i would check for corriosion, that is all i can add that hasnt been said

you've prolly heard this like 20 times but.. all i can think of is that it's you ignition gone bad, or starter solenoid... it happened to my girls neon

umm maybe this wont help you at all or maybe it will but this same problem happened with my mx-3 when my timing belt went..sounds like smae thing so it could be very possible that your timing is off. Hope it helps you

I had the same problem with my truck, every time i turn the key, just one click, i kept trying to turn the engine and i noticed that the belt was coming lose, try to turn the engine with socket and wrench on the front bottom pully, would not budge. my problem was that the moter had seized up., i hope this isn't it in your case. but i hope this helps.

<small>[ April 10, 2004, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: tazman ]</small>

oh damn, hadnt noticed that this post was brought back from the dead.

Anyway I fixed it a while ago and it turned out to be the battery cable, it was corroded and couldnt get a good enough connection (wasnt putting out enough amps) to start the car..

And if youre wondering, my timing belt was changed by the Mazda dealership, I didn't do it.