LS1 WONT START. battery/starter are good
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Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
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LS1 WONT START. battery/starter are good Ok I bought the car 3 weeks ago. It was driving great then I went to the store and went to leave and it wouldn't start. I checked the battery and starter they are both good and the starter selonoid is good. I have power going all the way to the starter. When I turn the key over and push the button ( push to start) I just hear a clicking at the selonoid and nothing else. I am stumped and I'm very worried my engine blew. The engine never gave me any problems and always ran great. I don't really know anything at all about cars and no one in my family wants to help I don't have money to take it to a mechanic to get my *** ripped. Please help me ls1 gods
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Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
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Teching In
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 27
Likes: 1
From: Joliet, IL
Don't dismiss the battery so quickly. Sometimes a bad batt will show 12+ volts, but as soon as you put a load on it (try to start the car) the voltage will drop to a point that's lower then whats needed. I would put a charger on it for 10 min and then see if she will crank. You might only get one or two rotations before it starts clicking again. If you don't have a charger, you can take the batt to a parts store and they will test it for free.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Don't dismiss the battery so quickly. Sometimes a bad batt will show 12+ volts, but as soon as you put a load on it (try to start the car) the voltage will drop to a point that's lower then whats needed. I would put a charger on it for 10 min and then see if she will crank. You might only get one or two rotations before it starts clicking again. If you don't have a charger, you can take the batt to a parts store and they will test it for free.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Don't dismiss the battery so quickly. Sometimes a bad batt will show 12+ volts, but as soon as you put a load on it (try to start the car) the voltage will drop to a point that's lower then whats needed. I would put a charger on it for 10 min and then see if she will crank. You might only get one or two rotations before it starts clicking again. If you don't have a charger, you can take the batt to a parts store and they will test it for free.
When you were checking the starter did you take a wrench and make sure the connections are tight? I had this issue and the nut holding the power wire to the starter was about 1/2 a turn loose. That was all it took to cause it not to start. Also, did you go through your fuses and relays? Start with the simple checks and work from there. As for that bolt, it looks like it is designed for a 12 point socket.
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Not knowing what vehicle you have, the easiest way to find it is to google your vehicle model and year along with "fuse panel location" or "ignition relay location". I'm sure you know how to check if a fuse is bad. To check if a relay is bad, I normally just swap it around in the fuse panel with another one that matches that you know is working.
Before you go too much further beyond checking fuses and connections though, verify that a 12 point socket will fit your bolt and try and turn the motor over like toby suggested. There's no sense in spinning your wheels diagnosing an electrical issue if the motor is locked up. Again, it is a quick check to eliminate another cause that doesn't cost you anything.
Before you go too much further beyond checking fuses and connections though, verify that a 12 point socket will fit your bolt and try and turn the motor over like toby suggested. There's no sense in spinning your wheels diagnosing an electrical issue if the motor is locked up. Again, it is a quick check to eliminate another cause that doesn't cost you anything.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
Not knowing what vehicle you have, the easiest way to find it is to google your vehicle model and year along with "fuse panel location" or "ignition relay location". I'm sure you know how to check if a fuse is bad. To check if a relay is bad, I normally just swap it around in the fuse panel with another one that matches that you know is working.
Before you go too much further beyond checking fuses and connections though, verify that a 12 point socket will fit your bolt and try and turn the motor over like toby suggested. There's no sense in spinning your wheels diagnosing an electrical issue if the motor is locked up. Again, it is a quick check to eliminate another cause that doesn't cost you anything.
Before you go too much further beyond checking fuses and connections though, verify that a 12 point socket will fit your bolt and try and turn the motor over like toby suggested. There's no sense in spinning your wheels diagnosing an electrical issue if the motor is locked up. Again, it is a quick check to eliminate another cause that doesn't cost you anything.
That sounds exactly like dirty battery posts.
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
That sounds exactly like dirty battery posts.
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
That sounds exactly like dirty battery posts.
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?
Wire brush the connectors even if they look clean. Then with the car in park/out of gear and the wheels blocked jumper a screw driver across the big lugs on the back of the solenoid. If that works try jumpering the screw driver from the big lug from the battery and the the small S terminal on the solenoid.
Sometimes there is excessive voltage drop through the key switch circuit allowing just enough juice to make the solenoid click but not enough to really drive it home. The screwdriver bypasses all of that.
Sometimes the solenoid needs to be taken apart and the copper disc inside of it needs to be cleaned up. It tends to get pitted by arcing. The solenoid shorts across the back of the two big lugs on the front of the solenoid to send power to the starter motor.
By the way if you don't know anything about cars how do you know the starter and solenoid are good?