Intermittent no start condition, single click
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 213
Likes: 7
From: North Texas
Intermittent no start condition, single click
Background: 01, c5z, 49K. I just replaced the differential and transmission, the car started up fine and drove fine no issues. After my test drive I parked the car in my driveway and came out 3 hours later, the first attempt to start was a failure, I only got a single click and that was it. Then I tried again and the car fired up. The battery volts were showing 11.9
Pulled the car in the garage and let it set on the charger (whenever the car is parked in my garage it is on the charger, and the car is in my garage 99% of the time, CTEK charger) went out the next morning and the car started up on the first try and we drove it to church. After church the car would not start, took about 10 attempts. I ended up releasing the parking brake and let the car roll back an inch then it started. Coincidence? Drove the car home and parked in the garage. Tried starting it right after I turned it off, the first time it started, the subsequent times no start, just a single click.
Battery is less than a year old, wires look good, no security light. I'm pretty sure its the starter, but I wanted to make sure that's what it was before I buy one. Also, its kinda weird that this problem started after I dropped the diff and trans. Usually, it can be argued that it was something I missed on the reinstall but there is nothing back there that is really related to starting.
Pulled the car in the garage and let it set on the charger (whenever the car is parked in my garage it is on the charger, and the car is in my garage 99% of the time, CTEK charger) went out the next morning and the car started up on the first try and we drove it to church. After church the car would not start, took about 10 attempts. I ended up releasing the parking brake and let the car roll back an inch then it started. Coincidence? Drove the car home and parked in the garage. Tried starting it right after I turned it off, the first time it started, the subsequent times no start, just a single click.
Battery is less than a year old, wires look good, no security light. I'm pretty sure its the starter, but I wanted to make sure that's what it was before I buy one. Also, its kinda weird that this problem started after I dropped the diff and trans. Usually, it can be argued that it was something I missed on the reinstall but there is nothing back there that is really related to starting.
Last edited by mctwist77; Mar 19, 2017 at 12:08 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 213
Likes: 7
From: North Texas
Funny thing happened, I tried to hit it with the broomstick and somehow the broomstick slipped and cracked the plastic part of the starter. Guess I need a new starter now. Haha. I have long tubes headers, does it make the job harder or easier?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,491
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22
Most likely the starter solenoid. They are a well known C5 weak point.
You can test to see if the starter or solenoid is actually the problem when the no crank symptoms occur. Having someone hold the key in the START position while you place one end of a broom handle on the starter body (NOT the solenoid) and hit the other end with a 3 lb hammer. No love taps. SOLID blows to the broom handle. If the car immediately starts the starter solenoid is the culprit.
You can test to see if the starter or solenoid is actually the problem when the no crank symptoms occur. Having someone hold the key in the START position while you place one end of a broom handle on the starter body (NOT the solenoid) and hit the other end with a 3 lb hammer. No love taps. SOLID blows to the broom handle. If the car immediately starts the starter solenoid is the culprit.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
not sure what you mean. I still have a starter. Have not REPLACED the starter. But had to do R&R it to install headers, including a couple of extra times to repair damaged wires we found during header install.
Last edited by Sam Handwich; Mar 27, 2017 at 09:54 PM.
