This has happened to me only twice so far since owning the car for 5+ years. Car is an 04 wrx with a simple stage 2. The first time it happened, I was going to the store and the car wouldn't turn over, no clicking or nothing. It would turn on with all the lights lighting up like how it's supposed to when you turn the key to start any car. After a minute or two it would start. Then just this past weekend going to WI to pick up my lil brother, it was a straight 3 hr drive before I stopped and came back to finish the drive. The car did the same thing, wouldn't start just like the first incident. Battery is secure and tight, it's only a 2 year old battery. Any ideas as to why it would all of a sudden do this? Thanks.
Sounds like the starter is going bad? Sounds similar to what was happening to my 98 Legacy this past winter. Turning the key to crank would yield nothing. If it is, you can rebuild it with kits on Amazon.
Are these "warm" start-ups? Meaning that the car was turned off, sat for 10-20 minutes, and then you tried to re-start? Would it crank for a while, but not turn over? Or not crank at all?
First time it happened it was a cold start up. Car probably sat for about 3 hrs or so before I went back to start it up. Second time I was driving straight for 3 hrs, made a 15 minute stop and came back and the car wouldn't crank. And yes, you are right, it didn't crank at all, not turn over.
I bet dirty/worn brushes in the starter. Brushes are hard to get by themselves anymore, most people just replace the whole unit. My celica was doing the same thing occasionally, and I just pulled it apart, cleaned with a wire brush and brake cleaner and reassembled with some dielectric grease, and it's been working flawlessly ever since.
But the thing is, the starter doesn't even click when I turn the key all the way. I don't get any sort of noise or sound. You turn the key and you get nothing.
A dead starter will do that. This may not be the best advice since I'm no expert by any means but, turn the key to on position, roll the car as fast as you can while in gear with clutch depressed, pop the clutch to turn over the engine and this will start it. I think this known as push starting your car. If it starts just fine take a look at your starter. On my Legacy when the starter was going out, when I turned the key, nothing happened. No sound, nothing. I tapped the starter a few times and sometimes it would crank over.
If there is a dead spot on the commutator in the starter then depending on where the motor stops you might not have any current flowing through the motor. Doesn't really explain why it spontaneously fixes itself.
Thanks for all the great help and info. If it happens again, I'll pop the hood up and see what is happening and what isn't. So far so good, lets keep it that way.
Give the starter a good whack when it happens. Dirty contacts means no electricity across the solenoid, and the starter won't do much. You'll probably also find, that just trying the starter several times consecutively, it'll start. The wait time probably wasn't necessary.
There is a place in the metro called schelene-gray automotive, they sell starter parts and also do good electrical component rebuilds...fyi.
Thanks. If it happens again, I'll know where to go for parts or a starter if it needs be. BTW, would it be smart to get this fixed sooner than later down the road when it dies on the road? Plus I'm not even sure it's the starter.
Probably won't die on the road if it's the starter, but if it is the starter it will continue to get worse. Did you check connectors at the starter?
