Not Starting! Options

[n47pt]

Sigh.

I got back in the car after lunch yesterday, turned the ignition key, and heard a single click. My first thought was the battery but a jump left me with a single click. Must be the starter then... Nope. Three starters later I'm still getting a single click.

Battery voltage is 12.53 and drops to 11.5 when I try to start the car.

If I'm hearing the solenoid from the starter and can feel the click, is the issue down to the 4 gauge wire?

I've read: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...&hl=starter but I'm still scratching my head.

[n47pt]

I bypassed everything this morning to see if the starter would work. With the starter in place and everything connected but the solenoid wire, I used a wire to go from the solenoid to the 12v wire. It was really awkward to get to, and I couldn't really what I was doing, but I heard it try to engage a few times but no turning. My guess is that it's a bad connection on my part. It's an improvement over the one click I'm currently getting.

I then the wire and tried swapping the relays; no change: on click.

did you try hitting the starter at all with a mallet?

I've had new rebuilt starters be sticky the first few starts, give it a few gentle taps while someone holds it in crank. Be sure to check the terminals and cables for corrosion and good clean metal to metal contact.

While the starter in the car seems to be functioning, it got a couple of taps nonetheless; I don't want to leave any stone unturned. No change.

i know this sounds dumb but put it in neutral, try pushing it about 2 to 3 feet and start it. i had a 94 gt automatic and sometimes it wouldnt start i would have to push it (guess for the neutral safety switch to kick in) and it would start.

Done and no change.

Not to make a bad experience worse but try to put a socket on the crank pulley in neutral I worked on a jetta last week doing the same thing ended up being that the engine was seized.

Done; I didn't think it would have been possible for me not to know that the engine seized but as I've said, leave no stone unturned.