Car clicks when turning key but will not start

furinax · 17 November 2016

My car has since started but I do not know what the original problem was. I am wondering if anyone here can figure out the symptoms. Also, posting it here may help others who search through the forums as I didn't see anything when I was sitting in my car troubleshooting (other than loose battery cables and a clutch switch).

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Car is driven on weekends. It has as quick disconnect for the battery but I have not used it much. When I move the key to ON position, the lights and everything turn on as normal, and the battery is just above the 12V signal on the dash. When I turn the key to IGNITION it clicks and the lights go down, but no sound of cranking. The clutch is pressed in and I know the switch is okay since turning the key first then pressing the clutch makes the car click.

I disconnected my dashcam and turned off the lights, still no difference. I unscrewed and screwed the battery disconnect, no change. I even put on a small power bank/jump starter on and it didn't work. I left the power bank on and 10 minutes later IT STARTED no problem. Was this a battery weakness issue or a connection issue? Are these symptoms indicative of bad ignition parts? When I have the car running the dash shows the battery at 15-16V.

I may need to get a better jump starter in the back in case this happens again. I brought it to a friend's place where he placed it on a pulse charger and it has since then started with no issues.

anesthesia · 17 November 2016

I believed it's your ignition switch, either take it apart and clean contact or just replace it

chungeez · 22 November 2016

i think i had a similar issue - turned out it was the solders on my main relay giving out. when it happened to me, i reached around behind the seat and gave the main relay a few hard punches, and it knocked something back into alignment. car started fine after that.

replaced the main relay (~$100, did it myself with little/no wrenching expertise) and haven't had the problem since. my old one was disgusting and corroded though.

BamaFan · 22 November 2016

Check out the EPS thread I just updated last night. I (with help) replaced both the main relay and the ignition switch. It turned out to be the ignition switch. However, both parts are cheap and can be expected to wear out after 20+ years, so I had no issues with replacing them.

Old Guy · 22 November 2016

Don't confuse the failure of the starter motor to engage with failure of the engine to start.

I am going to make an educated guess that the click you hear is coming from the engine compartment and that it is the solenoid engaging on the starter motor. Assuming that is the case, that is an indication that the ignition switch is working in the 'start' position. If the starter solenoid engages, the starter motor should start cranking. The main FI relay can be totally dead and the starter will still crank; but, the engine will not start. It sounds like your starter solenoid is trying to engage. The fact that the 'lights go down' suggests that the supply voltage is dropping too much to completely engage the starter solenoid and / or turn the starter motor.

If the above is accurate, the most likely causes are:

1) Bad battery connections. Check the cables and make sure that you cannot twist the clamps on the battery posts. It is really common for the cable clamps to be stretched due to overtightening leading to flakey connections at the battery posts. Once the clamps get stretched due to overtightening you really need to consider replacing the cable clamps to ensure future reliable operation.
2) Your battery is approaching the end of its useful life. The only way to confirm this is to arrange for a battery load test.
3) The battery had lost its charge. A poorly charged battery will measure 12 v with no or little load on it; but, as soon as you apply a large load (starter motor) the voltage drops close to zero.
4) Your starter motor is approaching a premature end to its life. I have (on other cars) experienced the dreaded click - no crank. Sometimes this will resolve itself and sometimes you can do a temporary fix by tapping the starter with a hammer. Either way, the starter motor or the solenoid is on the way out and due for replacement of the solenoid contacts (most likely) or complete replacement.

I vote for #1 or #3 as the most likely causes.

If the click that you heard was not the starter solenoid, it might be the starter cut relay. The problems could still be 1, 2 or 3 above; but, the contacts on the starter cut relay could also be failing. That is possible; but, given the NSX failure history would seem to be low probability.

furinax · 28 November 2016

Thanks. I think I'll keep a battery jump start with me each time for #3 . The main relay is a big issue and I have a spare one- maybe it's time to just replace it to see if it fixes it. If the one that comes out looks good then I'll look to replacing the ignition switch too. How much would the ignition switch run me?

Sometimes the car stalls and it does not turn on again until I unscrew and rescrew the battery disconnect. The connections onto the terminals seem pretty tight, but who knows what condensation exists between them. This one is similar to mine: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-ID220S-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MTW8XFT9AXYPAXCPWD3K

It stalled once while I was cranking with the key and sometimes while I am driving about to approach a stop.

Larry Bastanza · 28 November 2016

Old Guy said:
Don't confuse the failure of the starter motor to engage with failure of the engine to start.

I am going to make an educated guess that the click you hear is coming from the engine compartment and that it is the solenoid engaging on the starter motor. Assuming that is the case, that is an indication that the ignition switch is working in the 'start' position. If the starter solenoid engages, the starter motor should start cranking. The main FI relay can be totally dead and the starter will still crank; but, the engine will not start. It sounds like your starter solenoid is trying to engage. The fact that the 'lights go down' suggests that the supply voltage is dropping too much to completely engage the starter solenoid and / or turn the starter motor.

If the above is accurate, the most likely causes are:

1) Bad battery connections. Check the cables and make sure that you cannot twist the clamps on the battery posts. It is really common for the cable clamps to be stretched due to overtightening leading to flakey connections at the battery posts. Once the clamps get stretched due to overtightening you really need to consider replacing the cable clamps to ensure future reliable operation.
2) Your battery is approaching the end of its useful life. The only way to confirm this is to arrange for a battery load test.
3) The battery had lost its charge. A poorly charged battery will measure 12 v with no or little load on it; but, as soon as you apply a large load (starter motor) the voltage drops close to zero.
4) Your starter motor is approaching a premature end to its life. I have (on other cars) experienced the dreaded click - no crank. Sometimes this will resolve itself and sometimes you can do a temporary fix by tapping the starter with a hammer. Either way, the starter motor or the solenoid is on the way out and due for replacement of the solenoid contacts (most likely) or complete replacement.

I vote for #1 or #3 as the most likely causes.

If the click that you heard was not the starter solenoid, it might be the starter cut relay. The problems could still be 1, 2 or 3 above; but, the contacts on the starter cut relay could also be failing. That is possible; but, given the NSX failure history would seem to be low probability.

100% agree. Also in regard to the battery terminals it is important that the terminal is completely bottomed out on the battery post. The battery post is tapered, so if the terminal is up even 10% of the height of the post it will not fully tighten.

HTH,
LarryB

Old Guy · 28 November 2016

furinax said:
Thanks. I think I'll keep a battery jump start with me each time for #3 . The main relay is a big issue and I have a spare one- maybe it's time to just replace it to see if it fixes it. If the one that comes out looks good then I'll look to replacing the ignition switch too. How much would the ignition switch run me?

Sometimes the car stalls and it does not turn on again until I unscrew and rescrew the battery disconnect. The connections onto the terminals seem pretty tight, but who knows what condensation exists between them. This one is similar to mine: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-ID220S-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MTW8XFT9AXYPAXCPWD3K

It stalled once while I was cranking with the key and sometimes while I am driving about to approach a stop.

Maybe its time to have a really good look at that quick disconnect switch on the battery post. The contacts in the switch mechanism may be corroded or otherwise in poor condition.

I think the ignition switch is less than $100. Based upon your description of symptoms, I don't think its the problem; but, replacing it should not hurt anything - unless you snap a tab off of one of the plastic panels that you have to remove to get access to the switch. Replacing it also involves groveling around under the driver's side dash which manages to send my neck into spasm just thinking about it.

Car clicks when turning key but will not start

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