Starting woes...clicking/buzzing under dash

[Chip]

My 98 O/B has failed to start a few time recently. I turn the key and nothing happens...no lights come on the dash...no radio..nothing.....even the doorlocks don't work. It's like the battery is disconnected.

If I keep trying, normally 10-15 minutes, it eventually starts....and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes, when trying to start it, I hear a clicking or buzzing sound coming from under the dash...above the pedals somewhere. I'm thinking there's a loose conection or something.

I know there's still power coming from the battery because each time it happens, I don't lose the radio presets.

 

Any ideas ?

[mwatt]

My 98 O/B has failed to start a few time recently. I turn the key and nothing happens...no lights come on the dash...no radio..nothing.....even the doorlocks don't work. It's like the battery is disconnected.

If I keep trying, normally 10-15 minutes, it eventually starts....and everything is fine.

 

Sometimes, when trying to start it, I hear a clicking or buzzing sound coming from under the dash...above the pedals somewhere. I'm thinking there's a loose conection or something.

I know there's still power coming from the battery because each time it happens, I don't lose the radio presets.

 

Any ideas ?

 

You have done all the "normal" stuff, like taking the battery cables off of the battery posts and thoroughly cleaning them, right? Have you followed the battery cables and checked for good connections where the positive cable connects to the starter solenoid and where the negative cable connects to the back of the engine as a ground connection, right near the starter? Look at the thinner-guage wire that comes off of the positive battery cable and follow it to the main fuse/relay box on the driver's side inner fender....is that connection good or is it corroded? Starter solenoid could be going bad, but symptom of that is usually "everything comes on but starter won't crank engine" I've seen posts where people have replaced only the contacts in the solenoid, without having to replace the whole starter. Anyone who has done this care to chime in?

[oooo]

I had that problem recently in my 95 legacy and it was my starter that went bad, when I tried starting it, I could turn the key and nothing in the dash lit up, no clicking sounds like the battery was even getting power to it, I could turn the key back to the off postion then try starting it again and it would either start up or the lights in the dash would atleast come on, then i could repeat it and it would start, but eventually it completly quit, they way I determined it was the starter was first checked to make sure my battery wasn't dead. when I was trying to start it and I couldnt get any power my dad took a rubber covered handled wrench held the rubber covered end and banged a couple times on the starter when I was turning the key, and it ended up starting, so give that a try and if it starts its the starter, I didnt have the clicking under the dash though so yours might be a little different, I talked to a sub mechanic and he said if you don't have the starter tightend just right sometimes it doesn't work, he didn't believe it when somebody told him that but when he tried it on two subs that were having trouble starting and damned if it didn't work, so now he checks that first thing

 

Hope this helps some

[hohieu]

The noise is probably coming from your starter, which is in the rear left (driver's) side of the engine bay. (just behind the dash and above the pedals as you indicated). A rapid clicking sound usually indicates a bad battery or poor connections to the battery.

 

If the problem persists after cleaning all the connections as suggested by mwatt, I would have the battery checked. Internal corrosion in the starter lead cable that runs from the positive battery terminal directly to the starter solenoid can also cause these symptoms so also check the resistance there.

 

A single click usually indicates bad solenoid contacts. If you have a Nippon Denso starter, these are very easily replaced. On the Mitsubishi starters, it's more of chore.

[Rooster2]

My same thoughts..........if the battery is charged and good, and battery cables are clean, then it is a bad starter. I had the same problem on two Subies that turned out to be a bad starter. EZ job replacing a starter