Single click then nothing

[jamesliberty]

Hi,

I am trying to figure out why my Jeep Liberty clicks once time (key turn ) per cycle when trying to start. I have been looking at say 5 different things.

The first thing is make sure the battery cables are clean and tight. I just cleaned the terminals and tightened them down. I am still getting a single click. then no sound. The lights all come on and brand new battery. The one thing I want to try next is to use one side of jumper cables ( the neg. side ) and somehow bypass the wiring. This is what I am not sure of how to do. Is it where you clamp one side of the jumper to the battery and the other side to the engine block after disconnecting the negative terminal from the battery post? Is this how it is done?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[renegade 04]

I believe you may have a bad ASD relay. The long name for it is a auto shutdown relay. If it is bad the jeep will not start. Another thing to try is a ignition switch because they are known to go bad, I replaced the one on my libby twice.

 

[jamesliberty]

Hi Renegade,

Thanks for the reply. For more than a year I have been driving the Jeep with a p0442 check engine light on. Other than the single click and no start the Jeep has been good. I am wondering now if the ASD is triggering the P0442 ( small evap leak ) INSTEAD of a tear in a hose for example?

Thanks,
Jim

Update: The Jeep just started so I drove it a few miles. Came back home parked in the driveway and turned the engine off. I restarted it right away. I then tried to restart it a 3rd time and I am back to a single click and nothing.

 

[04Liberty]

Did you try cleaning the contact point where the hot wire goes to the starter itself? I had a similar problem on my Ram, once I cleaned it I haven't had a problem since, about 6-7 years and 50,000 later.

 

[jamesliberty]

04Liberty,

I have not done that. I don't have jacks either. If I can get under there somehow I can take a look at the starter. Also I was thinking of running a wire from the hot wire up to the + on the battery ( from what I have read ).

Jim

 

[jamesliberty]

I believe you may have a bad ASD relay. The long name for it is a auto shutdown relay. If it is bad the jeep will not start. Another thing to try is a ignition switch because they are known to go bad, I replaced the one on my libby twice.

If the ASD relay was bad it wouldn't start at all,or wouldn't shut down at all.It's good or bad and can't be in-between. ( I was just reading this )

 

[jamesliberty]

The only other info I can provide is I just started the Jeep about 8 times, each time no problem at all. So if I have a bad connection wouldn't it prevent 8 straight starts in a row?

 

[jamesliberty]

Hello,

I was hoping some folks with far more experience with autos than myself could answer. I can add one more bit of detail here. If I park uphill and try to start the car sometimes I get the single click. If I roll backwards a few feet, place the Auto transmission back into park it always starts right up. I am not sure if this confirms the starter as being the issue or this test means it is something else. If this test is reliable then it could provide an answer to many others.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[JasonJ]

This sounds more like a faulty starter solenoid. Could be landing on a bad spot in the brushes... when it does, the click would be the starter.

Can you determine WHERE the click is coming from? Inside the cabin, engine bay, lower engine bay, upper, etc?

 

[renegade 04]

I would also have to say that the starter may be bad!

 

[nohitter64]

I recently tightened the clamps on the battery posts only to find out that the wires we loose going into the clamps. It's a simple check worth doing.

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