i got into my car yesterday to move it, when i started to move it stalled and then wouldent turn over, i can hear a click when i push in the clutch and turn the key so i thougt maybe the battery died but when i tried to jump it and i got the same results. maybe the starter? but it happened right after it stalled. any advice would be great! thanks guys. by the way its a 90 na if that helps

 

sounds like the starter, or starter relay is bad, try jumping from the starter to the battery.

 

should be able to try that tomarrow, it was just the stalling that made me wonder what it may be. thanks

 

Are you getting fuel and/or spark? couple of things to check for also

 

Mine did that on a hill. Turns out after messing with some wires the battery wire was loose just enough to do what you say, drop that clutch and all you hear is a click. I wiggled the battery cable and it turned on.

 

If the car won't crank, that's completely irrelevant. The engine needs to turn to make use of fuel and spark. His starter clicks once and does nothing else (I have the same exact problem right now, must be the alignment of the planets or something.)

That'd be my suggestion (and is what I'm going to try this afternoon - rewiring my battery). It could also be a bad cell in the battery (it would read 12V normally, but when you put a heavy load on it - such as starting the car - the bad cell(s) will drop out leaving only the voltage of the good cells, which won't be enough to start the car); AutoZone could test that for you for free.

When I get my problem solved, I'll post back and let you know what it was. I already replaced my starter (AutoZone's test said it was bad, so I replaced it, but I still have this problem), and swapped out the relay to no avail, so it has to be a wiring or battery issue.

 

Clean your battery terminals, replace your battery terminal connections ($2 each at AutoZone) and then coat the connections in Battery Terminal Protectant spray (also about $2 at AutoZone). Solved my problem entirely. My terminals were corroded to the point where, while it was making enough contact to power the accessories, it wasn't flowing enough juice to start the car.

 

ill do all this sat for sure, ive been having batt connection problems, usually works after i wiggle the conection around so hopefully i have the same issue as you. i just got an optima so ill do all this along with the new battery and hope it works! thanks a ton for the replys

 

check your ground as well the 300zx is pretty bad about that single ground point off the batter terminal.

 

new termanel connectors, new battery, protective spray, still wouldent start! about 5 min later i was showing a buddy the problem and on the third turn of the key it started so its not the starter, im thinkin its the ignition switch. oh well the other things needed replaced anyway.

 

When it doesn't start do you have power in the car? Do your lights dim or anything when trying to start? More details would help us diagnose a bit more.

 

it seems to have plenty of juice, all my interior lights and such come on bright. i turn the key and all the dummy lights come as usual then turn it all the way and nothing happens, i can hear a click coming from the left front that only happens when the clutch is in. i tried pushing the clutch switch in by hand and turning the key and got no results. as of right now its still starting but im afraid to drive anywhere till ive figured this out for sure

 

That happend to a friend. Disconnect the battery for 10 min and try again. If you put cheap gas (you should use premium) the knock sensor may act.