I'll start by mentioning that my 95 FD has always been a little weird when starting. When I turn the key, it clicks once but doesn't crank. It generally does this twice and then starts on the third try. A shop owner once said "Lots of FDs do that, its annoying."

That may or may not be related to the current issue. So I drove the car yesterday and it was running great. I know for a fact that the battery has 90-100% juice and that the connections to the battery are good.

But today when I tried to start her I didn't even hear the single "click" that I'm used to. It is just silent. I checked the battery and it is good. All the power stuff is working just fine.

What is the first thing you would check (after the battery) if your car made no noise when you turned the key???

Thanks,
Ian

 

Is your car an Automatic or a Manual?

I know that there was a TSB for Automatic FD's having issues starting when the car is hot (Heatsoak starter relay).

It's also possible that the starter was/is dying. I would check that stuff first.

 

5 speed.

I haven't worked on the FD much yet. Is there a process for diagnosing the starter?

 

It sounds like the starter solenoid is sticking. Assuming you know where the starter is, get a friend to tap gently on it with a wrench while you turn the key. Try that a few times. If it works, then thats your problem.

 

Three things to check...

Clutch switch
Starter Solenoid
Ignition

I would check your ignition first --- the best way to check this is to bypass it completely and see if it eliminates the "click"

I had this issue with my first FD a few years back --- I would turn the key and all power would come on, but once I turned it to engage ignition I would get a click.

The problem is that the ignition connectors get worn down after so many times of the key being turned and they begin to exhibit the signs that your describing.

What I ended up doing was bypassing the ignition so the car had to be started like an S2000. Key is used to turn the power on and then I had a start switch to turn the starter on (to turn the engine over)

If it is not your ignition, it is probably your clutch switch that can be replaced with a pen spring.