car will not start. help me out please!!

[mikh338]

ok guys so my car will not start. it has a brand new battery, brand new starter alternator is good (even though that doesnt matter if the battery is charged) and everything is hooked up right all fuses are good. when i try to start the car it clicks one time and then nothing at all. i even replaced the starter relay had the brand new starter checked just to make sure its good and not faulty. I thought it mite be an ecu issue so i put a diff working ecu in and it still just clicks one time then nothing at all. I am going crazy I cannot figure it out guys please help!!!!!!

 

[boostnhard]

wow ive never heard of anything like that.
Does your motor turn by hand? I dont want to be a negative but there is a possibility the motor sized up on you.
Other things that come to my mind:
If automatic maybe parking is not completely engaged.
Starter motor jammed in flywheel.
Bad starter selenoid.
Ignition switch faulty


Let me know how it goes man!

 

[mikh338]

wow ive never heard of anything like that.
Does your motor turn by hand? I dont want to be a negative but there is a possibility the motor sized up on you.
Other things that come to my mind:
If automatic maybe parking is not completely engaged.
Starter motor jammed in flywheel.
Bad starter selenoid.
Ignition switch faulty


Let me know how it goes man!

motor is not siezed up and turns by hand. its not automatic. starter is brand new it was tested to be good. i forgot to mention when i try to start it, it just clicks once then it looses power.

 

[92spoolin']

I believe you should have a plug that wires under your battery or in that general area look for it and see if its unplugged. I believe its for the ignition switch I kinda had a similar problem had to manually jump the starter for awhile then plugged it back in and everything was fine. It would be a good thing to check before you start replacing parts.

 

[HookedOnFonix05]

Do you have an OE alarm? there is a relay for that as well. Check all fuses and relays and fusible links

here is a diagram of the starter circuit

 

[mikh338]

car still does the same thing can someone please help me out or give other suggestions!!

 

[mikh338]

ok latest update. new battery terminals put in, replaced the coil pack with a c.o.p system, cleaned up all my ground connections but still nothing. when i turn the key it still clicks once and thats it. could i have a bad ecu relay? i heard people say something about an ignition switch? im stumped guys I have done so much to this car and to have it not start or try to start is killing me please help me!!

 

[Secksthemex]

It could be that your firing order is off as well, or that you have a bad ECU... or things are not grounded i.E your starter, or your alternator....

 

[mikh338]

It could be that your firing order is off as well, or that you have a bad ECU... or things are not grounded i.E your starter, or your alternator....

ecu is not bad i have 2 that are good and used both. as for grounding i have the black ground hooked to the starter but i have this wire in the picture below just hanging off my alternator harness and have no clue where it goes does anyone know where it goes?

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[redline2k6]

that looks like what plugs into the power steering pump that cuts it off for WOT throttle operation, as far as your starting problem, mind did the same thing and it turns out i had a wire grounding out my ignition system, the other time was a loose battery cable hope this helps! good luck

 

[mikh338]

that looks like what plugs into the power steering pump that cuts it off for WOT throttle operation, as far as your starting problem, mind did the same thing and it turns out i had a wire grounding out my ignition system, the other time was a loose battery cable hope this helps! good luck

o ok as far as that wire goes i removed my power steering so i will just tuck it away. as for you what wire was it that was grounding out the ignition system? one thing i noticed is that the plug that goes onto the tranny for the reverse lights, the plug no longer reaches to the tranny making me think i may have something wired wrong. does anyone have an image of how they have the connections on their starter? mine should b hooked up right but having other opinions would help.

 

[mikh338]

latest update is i thought it may be my cas so i went thru my haynes manual and tested the plug that plugs into the cas. now in the manual it says if im getting full power thru the harness i could have a bad cas? i read some posts where ppl have had a similar problem to me and it was their cas. i may just have to take the car to the local mitsu dealership and have them figure it out but i hope you guys can help me find out before i have to do that. waiting to here back from you guys thanks again

 

[dsmjunkie97]

If it clicks and then you lose all power and your battery is good and if your alternator is good, check all fuses obviously and you more than likely have a very bad short to ground on one of your main positive wires going to your battery or you have very poor connections on your battery. I've experienced this problem many times. Something is shorting very bad is what it sounds like to me. If you have your positive terminal connected and when you put your negative terminal to the battery if thatnegative terminal sparks real bad thats an easy indication of a short.

 

[mikh338]

If it clicks and then you lose all power and your battery is good and if your alternator is good, check all fuses obviously and you more than likely have a very bad short to ground on one of your main positive wires going to your battery or you have very poor connections on your battery. I've experienced this problem many times. Something is shorting very bad is what it sounds like to me. If you have your positive terminal connected and when you put your negative terminal to the battery if thatnegative terminal sparks real bad thats an easy indication of a short.

yes it does spark when i do that. im gonna go thru and redo connections today. thanks for more help its very appreciated!!

 

[steve]

As for grounding i have the black ground hooked to the starter but i have this wire in the picture below just hanging off my alternator harness and have no clue where it goes does anyone know where it goes?

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Thats the PS switch input to the ECU. Did you plug in the other loose connector into the alternator like it should be?

I assume the problem is the engine doesn't crank? I only ask since you are off check stuff that has nothing to do with the starter. If it does crank but not file please make that clear.

Which black wire to the starter? The black ground runs to the bell housing to block bolt. The Black/Red runs to the stud on the starter solenoid and the Black/Yellow runs to the solenoid.

The Black/Yellow is where you should see battery voltage when the key is in the START position. If you don't then you have a problem between the ignition switch and the solenoid. That includes the Clutch Safety Switch and the Starter Relay. If you do see battery voltage on that wire then you either don't have power on the Black/Red wire or the starter is bad.

 

[livedsm4g63]

i had this problem on my 91 tsi and i thought it was the starter relay as well, but come to find out, i put in a new one and it didnt work. but whenever i bypassed the relay with a piece of wire it started up just fine. so i just left in the wire. no problems for over a couple months now. i think what the real problem is, is the theft alarm relay. but thats just on my car.

 

[mikh338]

Thats the PS switch input to the ECU. Did you plug in the other loose connector into the alternator like it should be?

I assume the problem is the engine doesn't crank? I only ask since you are off check stuff that has nothing to do with the starter. If it does crank but not file please make that clear.

Which black wire to the starter? The black ground runs to the bell housing to block bolt. The Black/Red runs to the stud on the starter solenoid and the Black/Yellow runs to the solenoid.

The Black/Yellow is where you should see battery voltage when the key is in the START position. If you don't then you have a problem between the ignition switch and the solenoid. That includes the Clutch Safety Switch and the Starter Relay. If you do see battery voltage on that wire then you either don't have power on the Black/Red wire or the starter is bad.

yes i plugged the loose connector back into the alternator. the engine does nothing at all, it does not crank or even try it just clicks a bunch of times now. I am positive now i have the starter hooked up wrong can you provide a picture of exactly how the starter is supposed to be hooked up and where that black ground goes. I used my volt meter and i am getting full power to the battery, so something on the starter is wrong after many trips to advance auto to figure it out it must still be wrong. The starter is brand new but had it tested anyways and it is good. someone please show me the correct place to ground the black wire to the block and bell housing and how the starter should be, thanks so much hopefully this will fix my baby and she will run today!!

 

[DIS1KRAZY]

The start ground wire connects to the bottom bolt of where you put the starter back in. on the outside of the bell housing. If all these things dont work after you put the starter back in right, I would check the power transitor and then the crank sensor.

 

[mikh338]

The start ground wire connects to the bottom bolt of where you put the starter back in. on the outside of the bell housing. If all these things dont work after you put the starter back in right, I would check the power transitor and then the crank sensor.

o crap i have that ground wire going right to the starter that should be my problem!!

 

[steve]

I used my volt meter and i am getting full power to the battery, so something on the starter is wrong after many trips to advance auto to figure it out it must still be wrong.

The starter is brand new but had it tested anyways and it is good.

Someone please show me the correct place to ground the black wire to the block and bell housing and how the starter should be, thanks so much hopefully this will fix my baby and she will run today!!

I don't have any pictures.

The black wire runs from the negative terminal of the battery to the upper bolt mounting the starter to the bell housing.

 

[->PrOjEcTGS<-]

Got a couple pictures taken for you!! As Steve said the black/red wire goes where the red capped one is in the picture and the solenoid one (yellow/black) just plugs in on the top. Now for the ground one should go from the battery down to the starter bolt like seen in the picture.

Enjoy!!

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[mikh338]

alright guys thanks so much i got that all figured out. now the car turns over but will not start. i have spark, fuel pressure and my timing marks are right on. now i heard some people talk about the CAS, so i tested the harness with the key on and i am getting the correct volts. could i have a bad cas? what else do you guys think? thanks

 

[->PrOjEcTGS<-]

Yep it could be your CAS. Check everything in your injector circuit. Also swap out ecu's again since now you have a different problem than before.

 

[mikh338]

Yep it could be your CAS. Check everything in your injector circuit. Also swap out ecu's again since now you have a different problem than before.

my buddy said there is a way to test the injectors with a volt meter? he said something about testing the 2 wires on top of the injectors with my volt meter? the injectors are brand new f.i.c 650cc injecotrs.

 

[->PrOjEcTGS<-]

I'm more thinking of things besides your actual injectors as the problem. Swap the CAS, injector resistor pack, and the ECU, and see if it fires. I know you said all the fuses are good. I'm wondering if you popped the MPI fuse when you had the starter wired backwards. Check all of the fusible links in the power block on the battery. Finding the problem in these cases is just the process of elimination.