car not starting

[prc]

Last week my car wouldnt start so i took it to a local mechanic and he said that the battery was fine and that the alternator was probably the cause. The alternator has been replaced and it was working fine but today the car did not start. Do you guys know of any other reason why this would happen?

[indiglosolara]

Starter might be going bad....

or the Bateries CCA is dead even tho it might read 12 volts...doesnt mean that a load can be put ont he battery to start the car. Try replacing the battery first..

[StockSolara]

Last week my car wouldnt start so i took it to a local mechanic and he said that the battery was fine and that the alternator was probably the cause. The alternator has been replaced and it was working fine but today the car did not start. Do you guys know of any other reason why this would happen?

Did it make any sound?

[prc]

Did it make any sound?

It makes a ticking noise

[Mole]

seems like the battery is being drained somewhere.

check your aftermarket electrics you installed on the car.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

Do you have an autozone, they can check your battery and your alternator for FREE! Give em' a check and see what they got to say (when you do get it started..)

[townboy2]

i remember back to few years ago when i have my mazda mx6. i went to auto zone check for free and they said or the thing they have saying that my alternator was bad and thats why is not charging but after i change the new battery it run fine for few years till a month ago it die on auto tran. and i donated it... i think u should change the battery first is that not the problem go do a return

[Alex(AUS)]

Battery is my pick.

Alex

[SPF 0]

How old is your battery?

If has been replaced, double check the fluid levels. Some batteries <i>look</i> sealed but still require top-offs with distilled water.

[xavier]

Did it make any sound?

It makes a ticking noise

If it is making a click then 12 volts are going from your battery to your ignition switch then to your starter. That click is the starter solenoid tryign to kick the throw out bearing to engage the fly wheel. Whats happening is you starter throw out bearing is either stuck or your starter is bad. Take a rubber mallet and locate your starter. Beat it a couple of times with the rubber mallet (not on the pos or neg leads) to try to un seize the throw out bearing. It might work. SOme starters are too close to the exhaust system which makes the casing get hot and then the bearing will expand seizing itself against the internal housing.
Thanks

[SPF 0]

Does it start with a jump? Or does the ticking noise continue?

[SC V6]

if the starter isn't ingageing then it wouldn't work with a jump.. only way it would start w\o the starter would be to roll it down hill w\ a manual and throw it into gear

[P Funky]

^^^^

Haha, the good old days. My mom used to have to do that, back in the day.

On a side note, I didn't know Autozone did battery checks free too. That's pretty cool.

[Sentinel]

All of you DIY peeps need to get a multi-meter and learn how to use it. Or have a car that has a voltmeter in the dash. (Major SolaraSuck: no gauges) If you read your battery before starting, it should read around 12.5 volts. After the car starts you should see about 14 volts, and that's with all the stereos, PS2's and other crap turned on. If you have a LOT of stuff, you might have to come off idle to see the 14 volts. If this is the case, then the alternator is fine. This is why a voltmeter in the dash is cool, you can look at it to make sure you have 14 volts all the time, and no intermittent (read: hellish to T/S) problems.
BTW: you have 14 volts with a 12 volt system because the system has to have some potential to charge the battery.

One thing that has happened on many of my cars, once they've reached... maturity, is there would be a small leak in the electrical system. Causing the battery to drain overnight. This is where the amp-meter comes in. Turn EVERYTHING off, close all the doors, make sure the dome light is off, and b/c the Solara has a lightbulb under the hood, you'll have to take the bulb out. (Basically you want to have NO electrical drain on the battery, otherwise you'll blow the fuse in the multi-meter) With everything off, disconnect a lead from the battery and read the current flow through it (from the lead to the battery) It SHOULD be zero, or very, very close to zero. If not zero, you have something that is draining your battery while yer car is parked.
If you have a drain, pull fuses untill you stop the drain, then T/S from there.

2000 SLEv6: Eibach, Tokico, TRD RSB, & Shaved emblems = 15 hp

[Hefty]

I'd say battery, considering I just had to replace mine about a month ago and it was doing the same thing.