ok. As if things couldnt get worse, they did. my 04 2.5 5 speed left me stranded...again, though i think it may be cheaper than the transfer case. first off about 3 months ago my car had a dead batt. when i went to jump it didnt do anything at first no starter click nothing. then after a few min. it just turned over after a few min. like nothing was wrong, drove the car for a while batt. charged up was fine for a week or so then one morn' it did the same thing. jumped the same way and everything(took a good 15-20min, before it would crank) so this time i hade some time so i unhooked the two grounds and cleaned them up even though they were spotless and topped off the batt. it was LOW....everthying fine for the past 2-3 months till sunday when I was leaving work car did the same thing good power to everthing windows,lights,radio, etc. nothing was dim and car would not do anything not even a 'click' from starter so I finally decided to get a new batt. hooked it up and still wont do anything. I wiggled the ground and starter wires tried again and finall heard a click from the starter tried to repeat but got nothing. took a buddy with me and had him hold the ignition on while I wiggled some wires and still cant get it to crank. everything looks good as far a wires go, smacked the starter a few times, nothin. I also got under the dash and cycled clutch while i held ignition on and im pretty sure the safety switch is working,I noticed theres 2. im pretty sure i hear a faint noise when cycling it. what should i do? ive had alot of little and big issues with this car but still enjoy driving it...my conquest TSi is put up for winter and I cant drive my truck daily anymore cause I cant use pum gas in it. forgot to ask...can I go old school with the solenoid and cross a screwdriver while someone presses the clutch

 

I would sure try it.

also is the car dyeing or it does this after you shut it off.

either way will it roll start?

 

Sure sounds like you have a loose connection someplace, the fact that you wiggle the wires and then you can hear the solonoid clicking shows that. I would change the main cables from the battery to ground and the starter.

 

omg you guys, stop with the guessing.

get a test light, or a meter, and check if there is proper voltage at the main suspect locations.

 

You have to learn two things. Firstly, to write in sentences and, secondly, to troubleshoot in an orderly fashion.

 

Depends, if he has intermitant power it's really not going to help putting a test light on it.

 

If the car is not starting, due to the starter not cranking, you most certainly will see something.

 

jason, I have to agree with Tony on this one, something more than simply wiggling wires needs to be done. With this being said, the first check would be to connect a multimeter across the battery to see what the battery voltage is. It should be up at 12.6 VDC. If it is anything less, you are not at full charge. If this is the case, then you have either an alternator issue or a wiring issue that is draining the battery when you leave it parked (would your dash fan be running periodically when you are gone, seen this on a few X-Types).

If you are getting 12.6 VDC on the battery, with the multimeter still connected across the battery, attempt to start the car. Does the voltage drop? Does it drop to less than 12.0 VDC or does it drop to around 11.0 VDC? If the voltage does not drop (ie, remains at 12.6 VDC), then the signal is not making it to the starting solenoid or you have a bad starting solenoid. Let me know and we will take it from there. If you are only seeing the voltage drop to around 12.0 VDC, then you most likely have either a bad ground wire or bad power wire connected to the battery. Replace both. They are fairly cheap and it will make sure you get the problem the first time. If the voltage is dropping down near 11.0 VDC, then you most likely have a bad starter and it needs to be replaced. Sometimes starters can fail in odd ways.

If you need more help, let me know. We will get you fixed.