Hi,
I went out to start my car this morning around 8am. When I go to turn the key over to start, its a start-click start-click start-click type deal. My battery is practically brand new w/ good voltage on the gauge (even tried to boost it up w/ jumper cables). I tried several more times but no dice.

I tapped the starter w/ a wrench to try and free up the solenoid if thats what it was but no go. The starter is fairly new as well.

My friend says that it is probably an ignition switch problem... but they are outrageous @ Advanced and Autozone.

My question is, for a temp fix... could I use an S4 ignition switch in my S5? He said that there are 4 wires that I will have to re-work or something. So if its possible, does anyone know of this and have a diagram, pictures, or something I can use to go by?

I have been and still trying to cruise around searching to... but figured I would add this in the mean time. Thanks

-Allen

 

clicking is usually a sign of a dead battery, as if the switch is bad, you usually don't have any noise... it just doesn't work.

when you are attempting to start the car, what does the voltmeter read? What are you considering "good voltage"?


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when I turn the car to "on" the voltmeter reads 14. I really doubt that it would help at the time but I had my GF and her car as a donor to try and charge the battery w/ jumper cables.

same thing, start-click start-click.

 

have you checked the starter??? are the clamps to the terminals nice and tight??

 

pull the switch out and see if it's not the tumbler itself that's screwed up.then try to start the car w/ the switch itself w/ the help of a screwdriver or something,try to feel for the on position and see what happens.

 

This is a common problem. The clutch switch can be on the way out, or the antitheft thingie can be messed up. Or you just have old connections and you're having trouble getting enough voltage to the starter. A lot of people use a relay to run straight battery voltage to the starter and that cures the problem.

 

I say clean up all your battery terminals and add more grounding. I had this same problem many years ago. After spending money on the things that was not broken. I ended re-wiring, and guess what it fixed it.

 

Get a piece of wire. Say 18-22 gauge wire. Put a female terminal on one end. The female should be of the same size as the blade terminal on the starter solenoid.

Make the wire long enough to reach from the starter solenoid to the batterys positive terminal. No terminal needed on the end of the wire at the batt positive terminal. Just has to have some bare wire there.

Now. Key OFF. Transmission out of gear. Install the new wire on the blade of the starter solenoid. Now stand up and touch the other end of the new wire to the battery positive terminal.

The starter should spin the engine over each and every time you touch the wire to the positive terminal.

Does that happen to you? IF so, then the problem to ME, is NOT the starter nor the large positive and negative wires at the starter. The problem would lie in the circuit b/t the blade on the starter solenoid and the ignition switch. Including the ignition switch and the interlock switch.

I always assume the battery,starter and cable terminals are good and clean and tight before writing the above.

A piece of wire and a terminal can't cost more than three bucks and it takes maybe thirty minutes to assemble it and check it out. Cheaper than parts swapping. Parts swapping is for avionics technicans/cone heads.

 

No, I asked what voltage is it reading when you are trying to start the car.

Thought that was pretty clear.

If it is reading 14 volts when you turn the key on, you do not have a 12 volt battery or your voltmeter is not accurate.

an your bump was deleted. Bumps are forbidden here in the 2nd gen technical section

 

sorry. lol.

 

and the answer to the voltage question is???

 

I had a similar problem and I had to replace my lock cylinder. Well not the lock itself but the plastic thing (forgive my ignorance) inside the cylinder since it was broken. Took one from a junkyard S4 and everything works like a charm now.

 

sorry it would read 12v when i turn the ignition on... then turning it over it would drop slightly. when the car turns on it would read higher.

turns out the starter motor just froze up i guess. would that be the solenoid? i put it up on jack stands today and gave them all a little nice love tap w/ a tire iron and towel and sure enough... she spun and started right up.

thanks for the replies! i am really going to clean everything up like new terminals and clean up all of the contacts to prevent anything else tho. lol.