hello c-suckers. my daily (97 ls sedan b16) has an intermitten start problem. oftentimes, the starter will click once, no start. just replaced the battery. could it be...
a ground?
main relay?
brent not smart enough to turn key clockwise?
help a brotha out. it hasnt stranded me yet, but it is pissing me off.

 

Are the battery cables hooked up tightly? I had those same symptoms on my old Mazda, and it turned out the negative cable was loose. It seemed fine to the touch, but if you pulled it a little in one direction or another, it would come right off.

My solution, I mean, "one that I've read," was to fold up a small piece of aluminum foil, put it over the terminal to take up the slack (but still conduct electricity), and tighten down the cable. Albeit a shoddy fix, it worked fine ever since.

 

will def give it a shot. the no start is hit and miss. after adjusting the cables, it fires. dont know if it is a coincidence tho. if i flick the key a few times, it always starts. who knows. guess im gonna spend tomorrow troubleshooting....

 

Yep, definitely the same symptoms as the old car.

Just curious, do you have a (literal) ton of stuff on your keychain? Some ignition switches (Miatas and Proteges, in particular) don't like years of heavy keychains, and will present no-start issues. I think it messes up the tumblers in the ignition cylinder, but can't remember the details at the moment.

Anyway, might be something else to consider.

 

Rule out bad connections at the battery by turning on the headlights while you try to start. If the headlights stay on then the car is getting adequate power from the battery.

A Mitsubishi starter that (sometimes) clicks but does not turn is a classic worn out starter. Technically it's the contact points in the solenoid-- but the whole starter with solenoid is sold as a unit-- so unless you like tinkering, replace the whole thing. It will get worse and worse until it never starts at all. That is especially serious with an automatic since you can't roll-start it.

 

Fortunately, she's a five speed (si trans ftw!!) So I can bump it if necessary. Don't wanna replace the starter. Grr... thx for the headlight tip tho. What a great way to rule out a possibility.