In the past week my tC has given me issues with starting. First off, my car has no alarm or aftermarket audio system, and it's stock under the hood. The issue that I'm having is that occasionally when I go to start the car the lights and all interior accessories come on, but I get no start. There isn't a click or any other reaction from the starter, and I have to go on and off a few times until it finally starts. The light on the battery says it's good and when it does start it doesn't have a weak crank. Any ideas?
Thanks, Carlos

 

the starter may be acting up. try and start it with the hood up and have a friend tap on it with the wooden part of the hammer. if it starts then the starter is going bad.

 

Yea what he said starter is starting to go bad it's only going to get worse. If you drive a manual just remember to park on a hill so you can just roll start it, I did that for 4 months in my old truck. If you drive an automatic tho you might want to change the starter in a hurry before it leaves you stranded one day.

 

Give the solenoid on the start a whack..if that still doesn't work then the starter itself is dead. If the plunger in the solenoid is stuck though there is usually still a rapid clicking sound when you try to start the engine though.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Is there some way for me to test the starter to confirm the diagnosis? I do have a multi-meter.

 

A lot of auto places test them for free. You have to pull it out, but they will test it...

 

3 possibilities. First, the contact in your ignition cylinder could be going bad/corroded, Second, your starter relay for some reason is starting to die, or Third, starter motor issue as others have stated. Try the woodblock method first, and if thats not the issue then let me know and ill get you some info on how to test if the starter relay is getting its signal (from the ignition cylinder).

Oh, also, is it manual or auto? cuz if its manual it could also be the clutch position switch (make sure your foot is all the way to the floor on the clutch, the switches can also fail from time to time), and if its auto it could be the park selector switch going out)

 

i think tapping the starter voids the warranty, if im not mistaken, on the starter itself it says not to strike it with anything. if you tap it and it starts, its the starter, but do not mention tapping the starter when you talk to the service writer(if ou car is still under warranty)

 

your not going to beat the ____ out of it with a BFH, just love tap it with the wooden part of a hammer and if it starts because you tapped it, then you know its the starter.