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'09 C6 Base M6 - I get a heavy click in the engine bay, but the starter does not crank over.
Started with the car cranking very slowly over one night, Then after turning it off again, it would only CLICK once and not start. I had to clutch kick it to get back home. On the drive back, I started seeing the battery voltage drop to 11v and a SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM warning on the DIC. Checked the battery and that was dead gone so I replaced it with a new one(turns out the previous owner had a group size 35 and not the correct OEM recommended size...)
After replacing the battery, It still only clicks once. Tried to jump start with another car and a module and same thing. No cranking, electronics, lights, and radio work fine. Checked fuse box and things look fine. I checked the starter, but it doesn't seem very toasty... Here's a half decent photo I took.
I’d get down to the starter and check the solenoid wiring is clean and tight…since you had a charging issue prior to changing the battery the alternator and battery B+ cable come together there…you may have corrosion down there…remove and wire brush and reinstall…I’d also check the battery negative block ground…you can check if it is bad by connecting one pair of jumper leads between battery negative and a clean spot on the engine block and then try to start the car…if you have a 12 volt test light connect it to battery negative and probe a clean spot on the engine block while attempting to start the car…if the test light illuminates the block ground is bad…”LOOKING” at connections is not good enough !!
Hummmmm... You said that you got the car started and while it was running - you saw the "Service Charging System" message.
OK - I can buy that the battery was toast, but with the new battery installed, get it started and check the voltage while the running (use a decent DVM, not the voltage gauge in the instrument cluster).. If the voltage at the battery isn't at least 13.5 or so volts - your alternator is probably bad as well (depending on how the battery dies - it is possible that it can take out the alternator - if the battery has an internal short - the alternator may burn itself up trying to push current into the short).
Now - with a fully charged battery - the starter should crank the car over very nicely. If it isn't doing so - either the starter is bad - or the wiring to the starter is bad (or you have a grounding issue). It's never a bad idea to try to clean up the terminal on the battery and on the starter. If that doesn't work - I'd change the starter.
Check the connections at the battery. these cars are notorious for seeming as if the clamps are tight but because of "conical" connection, sometimes they're not.
Check the connections at the battery. these cars are notorious for seeming as if the clamps are tight but because of "conical" connection, sometimes they're not.
yes very true indeed
that had happened to me tightened just a little bit and it worked fine again
Seems like I was running mostly on my alternator as I was driving it back home - could be wrong? But even with a new battery + a jump pack + charging with my other car, it was not enough to crank anything so my theory is the single click I'm hearing is the solenoid opening, but the starter could be burnt out and dead. I have no way of tapping on the starter from underneath or through the engine bay to confirm...
Sanded down the ground batt terminals, wrenched on the clamps and same thing. I'll be ordering a new starter motor after Thanksgiving in hopes that could be the fix.
Update: Got underneath and had to tighten the cables as they were only hand tight and it fired up per usual. The plastic on the solenoid was very crusty and the threaded pole was wobbly when tightening so I'll probably change out the starter soon anyways. Don't want to risk getting stuck somewhere...
Update: Got underneath and had to tighten the cables as they were only hand tight and it fired up per usual. The plastic on the solenoid was very crusty and the threaded pole was wobbly when tightening so I'll probably change out the starter soon anyways. Don't want to risk getting stuck somewhere...
Well that was easy !!…while you’re down there I’d clean up the negative battery cable block ground with a wire brush and reinstall !!
I edited my post to tell you to take a wire brush to the starter connections and to the negative battery cable block ground…if it was hand tight I’d use maybe a lock washer or some blue Loc Tight on the threads when installing the nuts.
A bad battery or a bad connection of the battery positive & alternator cables at the starter solenoid have got to run neck-and-neck as the most common problems with a no-start/no-crank condition. My buddy on his 2007 Base, just went through this for the 2nd time. He was certain the connection was tight and only heard one-click at the starter when hitting the ignition. He picked up a replacement starter and when dropping the exhaust to gain access he noticed the solenoid terminal nut was loose. Sure enough, he found the lock washer on the ground that must have dropped from the last time he pulled the cables to clean them. Be sure to put a lock washer on this connection when tightening it. Don't over-torque, just compress the lock washer and call it a day.
Starter Clicks, but No Cranking?
