need help car wont start.

[Icemn999]

i tried to start my car today and nothing happened except for the fuel pump dumping fuel into the motor. there was also somewhat of a clicking sound coming from the transister. the starter never kicked on either. anyone have an idea what this could be?

[Muggus]

Well you just put this car completely together right? You might have just missed a plug somewhere. When i changed all the wiring in my car the first time i remember missing that small little box thats mounted right next to the ecu on that metal frame. Car didnt do shit when i turned the key. Not saying its that but sometimes the smallest thing will so that. Check all your connections and grounds.

[Icemn999]

ill try that but i also want to know why the transistor is making a clicking noise when i try to start it.

[rsk_wannabe]

Are you sure your battery has sufficient charge?

[atc250r]

What "transistor" are you talking about? Transistors are solid state devices that don't make noise. Maybe you mean the MPI relay?

John

[TurboMike]

I just went through this same nightmare. My MPI relay was clicking so fast it was buzzing. Assuming your battery is not almost dead here are some common reasons:

The MPI relay gets ground from the ECU to "turn on" everything under the hood. One reason it would click is its not getting a good ground. This can happen when the ECU caps melt and drip acid down the board in the ECU, you get a bad ground to the MPI relay.

Internally shorted battery: sometimes if a battery has been crossed (+ and - mixed up during a jump) or recharged too fast it can still show 12v like its fully charged yet it wont put out any amperage. As soon as the starter tries to turn and has a big amp draw, the battery doesnt put out any power and everything electrical dies. Then when you release the key everything comes back on normal. This can fool you with DSMs since the headlight relay turns off when you start the car. Also Optima (dry cell) batteries seem to do this more than normal ones.

Bad battery connection: one of your terminals is attached but loose. It will put through normal voltage until there is a large draw (like the starter) then the connection is broken. Let go of the key and everything seems normal again, just like above problem

Bad voltage or ground to ECU: Did you just attach something to the power or ground wires to the ECU like an AFC or anything for an ignition source? If you have a 1G is the 10mm bolt that grounds the ECU under the MPI relay tight?

Shorted or dead starter: Your starter is almost dead and has a shorted dead spot on it. When the starter relay clicks the starter coil to take power from the battery, its putting a short through the whole car (and makes your relay click or buzz).

Bad starter ground: Theres a big cable with an O ring on the end thats supposed to get grounded on one of the tranny bolts. If you forgot to hook it up or that bolt is loose so you're not getting a good ground, the starter will try and get ground from the MPI relay with is a tiny 16gauge wire and it cant do it and might make the relay click and buzz.

[BigT]

i had that same buzing problem where the car would actually hick-up while driving. Was a long drive home from work until i got a new battery. :( Anyway, dsmlink controlled boost gauge showed me normal voltage but obviously the batter was shot. Swapped it out and the car became golden again.

[Icemn999]

thanks for the help guys. turned out to be a bad starter