02 SL1 won't crank....
 

Installed a new battery a little over a week ago. Everything was fine until Friday when the car suddenly won't start. When I turn the key I don't hear any clicking from the solenoid or anything. Just letting the car sit for a while and then trying again it will usually fire right up. Of course I have to find and fix the problem here. I assume that this is the solenoid itself? Is there a good way to confirm/test this before I go and rip all of that out and replace?

Thx!

you could try jumping the selenoid(bad speller.lol) its a old shade tree mechanic trick,But make sure all the fuses are good to.make sure the wires are all tight as wel.If you can get to a obd2 tester do it check the codes if any. Keep me informed to i want to know what it is.

Could be something as simple as a loose or dirty battery cable. Did you clean both the posts and clamps before installing the new battery? If not, give that a try and also make sure your ground cable has a clean and tight connection on the block.

I did clean the cables of corrosion and they are all good and tight. The ground going to the block is tight and looks clean.

I decided to pick up a new starter/solenoid today. But, before I actually install it I will try the jumper trick on the solenoid to see what it does. IT would really suck to go through the expense and effort to replace the starter etc. if it's not even bad...

The fact there wasn't even a clicking sound makes me wonder if its not the park/neutral safety switch (automatic transmission) or the clutch safety switch (manual transmission).

If you have an automatic transmission and this happens again, try putting the shifter in neutral and see if it starts then.

Or get mad and slam it into park and and low back and forth 100 times,hit it with a hammer,kick it.lol Im joking all ,just thought id be funny:D:D:D

I'd take a razor knife and open the battery end of the positive cable and see if battery acid has seeped inside. Common problem.

Open, meaning cut away a 1/2 inch of the covering.

If it is a shifter car you can jump the css to see if it starts. Be sure the car is not in gear with the clutch the pedal is pushed to the floor.

OK, I tried the quick neutral safety switch test (put in neutral to try and start) when it failed to turn over. That did not make a difference. So, I decided to take the plunge and replace the starter assembly. It was not as tough as I expected from other posts. I had it out of the car within (15) minutes and had the car all buttoned up and running withing about an hour. So far I cannot get it to fail again...fingers crossed that this was the right solution! :D

congrats glad it worked out.

Thanks for posting back and letting us know you got it going. Congratulations.