KA doesn't start/turn over/ nothing

SON240sx Automotive
1

alright, drove it last sunday no problems and park it for a week. doesn’t turn over AT ALL. not the battery since i tried jump starting it and lights, radio, alarm all work the same.

i try to start it, nothing at all. its like basically starting the car without the clutch being depressed. no clicking except the first initial click when you try to start the car. doesn’t even turn over. nothing.

i have replaced the starter 1.5years ago and also have a TOB on its way out (making a super charger sound). not sure if this TOB would cause the car not to start.

i tried tapping the starter and i hear it trying to turn over (i hear it trying to turn over once, then compelete silence) but not even a significant attempt. it sounds like trying to start the car with a competely dead battery ). very feint sound. the noise only occurs once and then disappears. you basically only hear it 1 time every 24hrs kinda deal.

engine is stock, had overheating problems before from having the rpms pinned in redline for 10min straight but no sign of fatigue. always starts up right on time and no hesitation.

asked a few ppl, said it could be the clutch has shattered, starter COMPLETELY dead, engine piston seized from overheating.

any other areas i have overlooked and i can check? it would be greatly appreciated. thanks

2

starter completely dead
battery very very drained

you only need these two things to crank the motor

without one or the other, nothing will happen

my 180 did this a long time ago, and i jumped the battery, still tiurned out to be the battery

my buddies talon did the same thing last month, needed to be juiced for a while before it had enough charge to turn the starter

3

check your grounds…I’m having the same problem… every weekend the damn car decides to stop working…

starter could be dead…
batter could be dead…or really low

4

but the radio, alarm and my HIDS all work

even the inside lights work. i should play my cds, have my HIDS on and my fan blowing at the same time to really see if its the battery.

which grounds would i be checking for?

5

try bum starting it.

6

I know exactly what it is. It’s one of the main fuses by the positive battery terminal cable. Check that fuse, i believe its a 75amp fuse.

Also, in your engine bay fuse box, check the fuse “EGI”. It could be that too.

You can call me to thank me after.

7

ok im having the same problem, went out in the raind doing some… well yeah and then parked it in the geradge, got bored about 15 minutes later dicide to go out and do some more and the car is doing this on me. BRAND new battery like 2 weeks old, tryed putting my booster on it and nothing tryed hitting the starter and nothing… gay.

8

Try push starting it.

9

not the fuses

and no, i won’t thank you Mark

jks

10

This is exactly what happen to my KA engine as well, Exactly the Same, all the areas that might have caused it have been eliminated, but there one thing you got to remember that power runs thru your distributor, thats what I did one of our member here in son240 from Nova Scotia sold me his distributor and fuel injectors, but I haven’t got a chance to change the injectors yet but after I changed the whole distributor setup, the car works fine. Till now.

11

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it always surprises me how many people know everything about turbos, how to make 500 hp, but don’t have a clue how to diagnose the simplest electrical systems on the car. The starting/charging circuit is the least complicated system on the car.

Buy a voltmeter.

Test your battery.

There’s two things you NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT ELECTRICITY.

Voltage and amperage are two completely different things. Your dash lights and stereo, everything else works because it is a low amperage draw.

What’s happening is your system is not able to handle the amperage needed to kick the starter over.

If your wiring is garbage, you could boost the car with a nuclear reactor and it wouldn’t make a difference.

Are the terminals crap on your battery cables? All corroded and busted?

How is your main ground?

Check the voltage at the battery. It should be at least near 12v. Now while checking it, have somoene try and start the car. Does the voltage drop massively? Or stay constant?

If it drops massively, your battery is crap or your grounds are crap. If it stays constant, something else is up.

Check the main power lead to the starter. That would be the fat red wire from the battery.

Check it where it connects to the starter. Is the voltage the same there as the battery?

If not, your battery cable is shit.

Make sure everything is plugged in.

If it is, take a flathead screwdriver. Make sure the car is out of gear, handbrake up. Again, make sure the car is out of gear, as in it is in neutral.
If you’re known to do dumb things, chock the wheels so the car can’t move.

Ground out the starter. As in take the flathead screwdriver and touch it across all 3 terminals on the starter. Don’t be scared of the sparks. They won’t hurt you.

If the starter comes to life and turns over the motor (don’t worry if it doesn’t start) you know the starter is good, it’s something wrong with the signal wire.

If it’s still not doing anything, but you have 12v+ at the starter and you’re sure you’re jumping it properly, the starter is pooched somewhere. There’s two things a starter has to do to start a car. One, the bendix has to pop out into the flywheel. Second, the starter spins the bendix.

Pull the starter out. It’s only two bolts and some wiring. Double check it on the bench. Test the bendix, then test the motor.

If you have overheated the motor badly, you may have ruined a new starter. They don’t like heat.

12

^^ thanks for the good info. i’ll test the voltage this weekend.

i’ll try knocking the starter some more, never had a starting problem and all wires seem good that connect to the battery. never touched them in a long time. not corroded, all tight.

i just have to find out what type of starter i have, i recall there are 2 different kinds of starters even for the same vehicle.

i do remember the last time it was running (sunday night) i turned the ignition when the car was on (i thought the car was off for some reason), i wonder if that fucked up the starter. that whole night it was running, never turned it off.

13

update: volt meter to the battery = 12.45V

trying to crank it = 12.01 or something

battery is alive

question now is, is there a way to test the starter when its outta the car? if not, ill go to part source and get a used one.

ill post a pic of the starter tomorrow, so i can figure out which model it is and see if anyone has an extra laying around. s13/s14 same or no?

14

I had this problem as well, lights/stereo worked no problem but turn the key and nothing happened, I put the car in 1st, rolled down my driveway popped the clutch, slammed the gas and sure enough it started up. From there I knew it was the starter, replaced it and haven’t had any problems starting since. Now I just have to get rid of my timing chain rattle.

15

clean your terminals and make sure they are tight

16

Take the starter to partsource or canadian tire and tell them you want it tested.

It’s Free. Also the same for alternators

17

hmm, it could also be the contacts that can end up corroding over time which are part of the starter, they are the ones that produce enough charge to start up the engine.

I had something similar happen to my dad’s Toyota Avalon, just my two cents but there’s lots of possibilities, this could be one of them.

Wish you luck.

18

(that night were you sliding at all?)
this may be it if so and even if you werent
-Take the battery terminals off the battery.

  • Get some rough sand paper
  • sand down the battery terminals
  • sand down the inside of the connectors (inner part where it touches the battery.)
  • put it back on and make sure its fucking tight.
  • try then i had the same problem before i tightened the battery terminals and still nothing until i did this ( i wire brushed mine though)
19

thanks guys for all your help.

it was the starter…

i thought the starter would be a bitch to take out, but it only took 10min max, first time.

i guess don’t listen to what ppl tell you until you try it yourself. lesson learned!

but i swear it seemed like a battery problem, i guess the starter was just completely dead and gave no helpful symptoms.

20

did the people know it was a 240, or own a 240, after fussing with other cars, 240’s are a beautiful thing to work on…