Starter Motor solenoid

Check your battery first. If the battery is bad, it is not sending enough current to energize the starter motor, only the solenoid. So the solenoid clicks like it's supposed to, but the motor is not turning to turn the engine over.

Chris

I'm not sure about that. Maybe one of the other guys in this newgroup will know the answer. I would think that you'd have to do this for quite awhile before you damage the starter solenoid. If your battery is really dead, even jump starting w/ a good battery and cables may not deliver enough cranking amps to turn the starter over. Try temporarily swapping out a battery from another car and see what happens.

Chris

Give the starter a good whack with a piece of 2x4 or tire-iron, then try to start the car. I'm serious (just in case you were wondering).

Cheers, Nirav

It could be that the starter motor brushes are worn out, so that even when the solenoid fires to complete the starter circuit, the brushes are not contacting the commutator and the starter motor does not operate. Solution pull the starter motor and check the brushes. If totally fubar replace the starter motor.

-bob

Over the years my 95 had both a dead starter and faulty ignition switch.

Evidence of the starter problem was that it cranked with a regular lope instead of smoothly. Then one day it apparently stopped on the dead spot and would not crank.

When the ignition switch was bad, it still sounded like a relay in the dash would click once when key was turned, but no crank. I could usually get it to start by jiggling the key while turning it. I finally got the ignition switch replaced, which does NOT require a key change.