Car wont start

So i just got my car back from being repaired from a minor fender bender. Now the car wont start, When i press the clutch in and turn the key, i can hear a relay clicking, but my starter will not engage. I went out and picked up a new starter, and still the same thing. Anyone have any suggestions? We were able to successfully push start the car, it ran great and started easily with a second gear push start. I have checked all the fuses under the hood, and inside the car and all of them are fine. What do i start to look at next?

fyi 98 Impreza 2.2l

 

Sounds like a dead battery.

 

forgot to mention i tried jumping it and nothing. I will try and swap batteries tomorrow and go from there.

 

A common mistake when jumping cars is not giving enough time for your dead battery to accept the charge. You gotta think, the electricity goes from the running car, to your battery, to your starter. If your battery is totally dead, it'll act like a sponge and not let any electricity to your starter.

 

tried a new battery today and still nothing. All i hear is the relay/solenoid under the dash click and thats it.

 

Ground?

 

Probably ignition related. Pretty common on the gc chassis. Easy way to test is to jump the starter straight off the battery ( get a heavy gauge wire and connect it between the battery positive terminal and the small spade terminal for the starter trigger wire on the starter). If that engages the starter you know its either the starter trigger wire itself or the wiring upstream (starter relay, clutch switch, etc).

 

Check if you have voltage to the starter then check if you have it when the key is turned on. Just what Nuke said the ground is another thing to check. The voltage might be at the starter but has no where to ground to.

 

the starter trigger spade looks pretty fried, the plastic is kind of melted.

 

UPDATE. I was able to bypass the ignition and jump the starter directly and the car starts just fine. I know its not the sensor thats directly on the clutch. What other sensor/relay could it be?

 

I'd say double check your grounds and clean them, or replace them

 

If you were getting the clicking noise then its not the clutch switch

 

grounds have been checked, and yes it clicks? anything else?

 

Not sure, If the starter was changed and you had the same results...

 

Yes so far, i have replaced the starter (both starters work) made sure the relay on the clutch pedal was working. I have temporily wired up a push button to start the car, but i would like to have the normal ignition working again.

 

I have a weird quirk on my 2.2 swap motor; I have to pull the fuse that let's the alternator charge the battery and it starts just fine. I let it run for a minute, then kill the motor, slip the fuse back in and then the car starts right up with normal ignition.

Totally weird problem that is in a totally different car with the same motor and ECU as yours.

Point is that your problem sounds just like mine and I tried all the stuff you tried only to realize there was a funny contact point somewhere causing the wiring to arc/ground out through that fuse...take the fuse out and mine started just fine.

Not sure if that will help you; but find the fuse in your car that controls the alternator/battery charging relay and see if pulling that out will that remove the problematic contact point and allow the car to start...

Sorry for not being technical on wiring stuff...not my forte, but I was able to figure out that was why my car wasn't starting...or charging the battery... The fuse in my car is called "engine meter" (but it is a wicked wiring swap that may be completely unlike your fuse tray).

 

always park your car on a down hill and roll start = problem solved!

haha jk. I really can't help much with wiring issues, but please post what the outcome is, as I am curious to find out!