When trying to start the car I only get one click from the starter and it does not start

Tiny
COREY DAVIS
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 NISSAN SENTRA
  • 1.6L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 163,000 MILES
I recently replaced my harmonic balancer and also decided to replace my alternator for good measure since all of the other drive belt components have been going out. Anyway, once I got everything replaced and buttoned up, I got one click from the starter and nothing else. I had the battery disconnected the whole time I was working on the alternator, checked all the grounds, cleaned and checked battery terminals, checked all the fuses that are related to the engine, and checked the voltage of the battery which read 12.6V. Any idea what could be going on?
Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 AT 8:42 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
If you are getting one click from the starter, that sounds like something is loose and not making good contact. You indicated you checked the battery terminals. Are they tight? Is the main ground to the engine block tight?

Let me know.

Joe
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 AT 9:07 PM
Tiny
COREY DAVIS
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Yes, I was able to locate 3 grounds, 2 located to the body and 1 located to the block and they were all tight. I also looked at the starter and the connections there seemed to be fine too.
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 AT 9:21 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Cory, if there is power to it and good connections, then we have to check the starter itself. On the starter, there are two wires. The first is the heavy gauge one from the battery. It has 12v all the time. There is a smaller wire to the S terminal which only gets power when the key is in the start position. We need to confirm that is getting power.

Here is a link explaining how to check it:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

Additionally, I attached the starting system schematic below. I thought it my help you. It shows fuses and relays related to the starting system. I had to break it into two so it is readable for you. I did overlap them so you can follow it.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 AT 9:41 PM
Tiny
COREY DAVIS
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Thanks, I will give it a look in the morning.
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 AT 10:05 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Sounds good. Let me know what you find.

Joe
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Wednesday, May 20th, 2020 AT 7:32 PM
Tiny
COREY DAVIS
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Got the car back up and running. So before I checked the starter, it was suggested by a family member that I take my battery to AutoZone for a load test, I did and it was confirmed that I had a bad battery. Put it in and the car fired right up. I decided to take out the starter and get it checked too because, why not? I have been hearing grinding noises on cold starts the past few months anyway. The starter was still usable, but the clerk said it looked a little weak during testing. After seeing what I could of the flywheel from the starter gap (looked in decent shape, no cracks), I decided to buy a new one. The grinding noise isn't as noticeable during cold starts anymore and the car starts fine.
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Friday, May 22nd, 2020 AT 9:42 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Hi,

I think that was a good call with the starter. Glad to hear you got it running again.

Let us know if you have questions or need help in the future.

Take care,
Joe
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Friday, May 22nd, 2020 AT 7:48 PM

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