ok so i know theres a million starting problem questions on here but they all include the motor rotating. heres the issue my car has been overheating on the regular twice a day going and coming from work. i get to work or home and it cools down then i add more water b4 i leave and off i go on another tortureing drive in my 97 gs(automatic). well last nite i went to start it at my gf's house and it only clicked, no turn over, nothing. i did however have all my power everything was brite and on and working. i even tried jumping it just for shyts and it still wouldnt start. her dad tried tapping on the starter but it didnt work either. then this morning i tried to start it cuz i kno how sketchy my car can randomly be but thys time it had no power, like now the battery is dead. i dont get it, has anyone else had this problem b4?

The first thing I suggest is cleaning your battery terminals and checking for damage or corrosion. Often times accessories will appear to work but the poor connection will not support the necessary current draw for the starter.

Check your cable connections at the starter as well for corrosion or loose connections.

thanks man but where would you suggest looking if that doesnt work? the reason im asking is im an hour and a half from the car right now by train so i cant try anything yet till late tonite. so im trying to get all the things i could possibly try.

A 'click' usually consists of like Dave said, a bad connection at the battery/starter or a faulty starter itself.

However, you should probably fix your overheating issue as well before you end up replacing a motor.

sweet you guys are awesome ill be sure to post an update on it maybe later tonite. hopefully its just a connection thing. thanks again!

Its probably a bad starter solenoid or starter itself. If you have a long flat head screwdriver or ask someone. First, turn the key to the on don't crank it next pop the hood place the flat head kinda on a angle it'll spark to kick the starter on. I had this same problem once in middle of winter sux lol. The problem was bad starter and corroded starter cable its the negative cable and the terminal. I replaced both switched to a 4ga battery cable from advance price won't break the wallet.

Your overing heating issue is a bad thermostat, its stuck open. Buy new one and the housing gasket. Problem solved. Spray the thermostat housing bolts with pb blaster let it soak for ten minutes respray it let set overnight. Only if the bolts are pita to remove due to rust. If have you access to an 3/8 drive impact, take this to the bolts and they'll crack loose, pray it won't snap the heads but probably not.

Advance or autozone can test your starter/alternator free, have it tested, after you fix your overheating issue.

Originally posted by dalesmitsu
Your overing heating issue is a bad thermostat, its stuck open. Buy new one and the housing gasket. Problem solved. Spray the thermostat housing bolts with pb blaster let it soak for ten minutes respray it let set overnight. Only if the bolts are pita to remove due to rust. If have you access to an 3/8 drive impact, take this to the bolts and they'll crack loose, pray it won't snap the heads but probably not. Advance or autozone can test your starter/alternator free, have it tested, after you fix your overheating issue.

this will end up being my 4th thermostat tho... i wiki'd this issue and someone had said to replace theyre sensors cuz they werent turning on the fan anymore, this would make sense too cuz i have removed my power steering and a/c belts and units and i have to leave the a/c switch on to run that fan or i wont make it 5 miles with out heating up too much(after its warmed up). but i also think i need to do my head gasket cuz the water goes away but i see no leaks so i cant figure out where its going without coming back to that gasket everytime....what do you guys think?

Does your primary fan come on at all? Let it warm up and check, if not, unplug it and see if you have power (may be a bad fan). If no power, probably a bad switch at the tstat. If the fans work, you may have a clogged radiator causing overheating - also check to see if your rad. cap is sealing. One and/or both of those will make you boil out water when you're driving. Hope you don't have a bad gasket/head from the overheating!

As for the starting issue, it is the starter making the click, right? It is most likely a bad starter. Otherwise I was thinkin neutral safety switch.

Originally posted by justins71
As for the starting issue, it is the starter making the click, right? It is most likely a bad starter. Otherwise I was thinkin neutral safety switch.

would it still be a nuetral safety switch in an automatic? i've always been a little unknowledgable when it comes to transmissions.

they have one, manuals have a clutch engage switch.

Originally posted by dalesmitsu
Its probably a bad starter solenoid or starter itself. If you have a long flat head screwdriver or ask someone. First, turn the key to the on don't crank it next pop the hood place the flat head kinda on a angle it'll spark to kick the starter on. I had this same problem once in middle of winter sux lol. The problem was bad starter and corroded starter cable its the negative cable and the terminal. I replaced both switched to a 4ga battery cable from advance price won't break the wallet. Your overing heating issue is a bad thermostat, its stuck open. Buy new one and the housing gasket. Problem solved. Spray the thermostat housing bolts with pb blaster let it soak for ten minutes respray it let set overnight. Only if the bolts are pita to remove due to rust. If have you access to an 3/8 drive impact, take this to the bolts and they'll crack loose, pray it won't snap the heads but probably not. Advance or autozone can test your starter/alternator free, have it tested, after you fix your overheating issue.

Dont come and tell the guy WHAT his overheating problem is when you know nothing about what symptoms he is having, besides overheating.

Did you look over his car and pull his tstat and you found it was sticking? No.

ah crap, wrote something in the wrong spot, then tried to delete post... not smart enough! so yeah, meaningless post.

Aside from the obvious "If the thermostat was sticking open... he probably wouldn't have overheated".