have a 95 neon

will not start, just get a click from the starter. i thought it was the battery because i left something plugged in the cig lighter for about an hour prior to it not starting, but no amount of jumping does anything. plenty of spark, lights and everything work fine.

cleaned cables to battery still nothing, worried i have to replace starter, but im almost completely broke and the car is stuck downtown so need to figure this out asap before i get tickets or worse, towed !!!!!!!!!!

After clicking the starter a few times i notices smoke coming from my starter. This is my one ray of hope actually, cant afford a new starter so im hoping its just a ground issue that i can fix with new cables or better yet, by cleaning and reattaching them????? need some feed back on this theory quick!!! and if you are in agreement, please tell me how to do this! i dont know much about cars, but im a neon owner so i figure stuff out as it (frequently) comes up, and have learned to ask for help to

oh yea just wanted to add, about 4 days ago i had to put a new clutch cable in. mayb wiring came loose when i was messing with the pedal? i have no diagram so i dont know what to look for, but i feel like this is relevant so if anybody knows anything about this please enlighten me

 

ok for anybody having this same problem ill walk u thru it as far as ive gotten so far. unfortunately the going is slow because i have to get a ride about 10 miles to where the car is whenever i want to work on it. anyway, these are the steps ive taken.

1. first i removed the battery cables and of course cleaned the endings, then i removed the battery and took it to advanced auto to have it tested, just in case. the battery was fine.

2. i looked around for any obvious ground issues, where wires might have been touching the motor block, or any frayed or damaged wiring. i didnt find any but didnt spend too long looking. i figure ill get the starter tested first instead of relentlessly searching for a ground issue that may or may not exist.

3. removing the starter. on a 95 neon this is actually extremely simple. i was told its not a job for a novice, but in my opinion a job for a novice is anything a novice cant afford to pay somebody else to do. make sure the car hasnt been started for a while before your start (in my case over a week )
-first i tried from under the car. didnt get far
-my battery was already out, but remove that if u havent
-then remove the battery shelving, its very easy about 6 bolts, not including the little one where a wire is grounded.
-next, disconnect the upper coolant tube from the radiator so the fan can be removed. i used a C-clamp to hold the fastened and carefully detached it so i wouldnt spill any coolant. i used a rubberband and a sandwich bag on the end so no bugs or anything else got in while i worked
- then remove he fan. very easy, remove 4 bolts along the top that connect it to the radiator and the clip wire that powers it, and it lifts right out.
- find the wires attatched to the solenoid (which is attached to the starter). one unclips, the red positive wire requires a wrench. dont forget where they connect.
-all you have to do now is remove the 2 bolts that hold the starter in place. use a 15mm to unscrew them. the lower one (faces left) also holds a negative wire. the top one (faces right) serves only to hold it in place.
- remove the starter, and take it to get tested
*unfortunately i have not yet removed my starter! i got to the very last piece, the upper bolt, and of course, the bolt snapped right in half. so now i get to perform an extraction . in case anybody else has my luck, ill post instructions after i figure this out. if anybody is following this, i hope it helped. if u do get to remove your starter and get it tested (free at advanced auto or auto zone) please post and let me know if that is the problem. good luck!

 

sounds like the brushes are gone

if you do eventually get the starter out the brushes can be changed for a couple of dollars

 

ok, i would be pissed off, but this is actually really funny!

im not going to go thru how to do an extraction, because im not the guy you want doing one on your car. i got impatient and destroyed the threads on the starter, so much for the core price

anyway, heres the funny part. remember in my first post i said "i recently repplaced the clutch cable dunno if its relevant"? well, it turned out to be very relevant.

my nut and washer snapped off of my clutch cable, hence the replacement. when i removed the starter i got a good look at the flywheel, and, wouldnt ya no, wrapped perfectly around the teeth between the starter and the flywheel, was the washer from my old cable!!! so, heres the math; this is what a small 30 cent piece of metal has costed me:

-new clutch cable: $130 (its a $30 part, if u can find anybody that actually has one )
-tickets for leaving the car where it did while searching for a new cable: $40
-new starter $130 (because i broke the damn thing taking it off; dont even get the core price )
-bolt $3
-ez out $15
-3 weeks of my time: priceless

grand total: $318 + 3 weeks of my life and possibly a few grey hairs (even though im only 20)

if anybody is following this, hope it helped. at least if it actually is your starter you now know how to replace it. good luck !