Please help with no start

[Kenny D]

He might have "jumped" the starter. In the old days, people would take a screwdriver and "jump" across the terminals on the solenoid to get the starter to engage.

 

[iamdub]

First- verify that the ground cable from the battery to the frame is clean and solid. I don't mean pinch it with your index and thumb and wiggle it. I mean remove it from the battery terminal and make sure the metal on the battery and the metal inside the black rubber insulator are clean and free of corrosion. Follow that same wire and check the connection where it bolts to the frame. Do the same check for the positive side, except the end of that wire doesn't go to the frame- it goes to a main lug on the driver's side (under the red plastic cap) and it has another wire going to the starter. I assume the mechanic checked the connection at the starter.

Did you pay this "mechanic"? Maybe this guy actually found and fixed the problem (poor connection at the starter?), but had to throw in some fancy terminology to BS you- either because he didn't know of any layman's terms for "the wire connection was loose and/or corroded" or he had to spice it up to make it seem like he did something worth a nice dollar amount. I'm prompted to recommend you or a trusted mechanic double-check this alleged "cross-wiring". If a terminal end has been cleaned, it would be obvious.

Do you have a big pair of jumper cables? Those cute little shoestring ones are only good for slow charging a battery and not jumping it off. If the main power cable going from the battery to the starter (the ONLY big cable) has a weak connection, then jumping it off will make no difference and using tiny "jumper cables" won't make a lick of difference, either. Get some good cables with at least 6 gauge wire and keep them with you. If it happens again, clamp one end of the jumper cable to the main lug on the starter. It doesn't matter which color for this test, just use the same color on the opposite end. Clamp the other end of the jumper cable to the positive post of the battery. MAKE SURE the clamps aren't touching anything metal other than the battery and starter terminals. Turn the key and see if there's any difference.

 

[Michigan]

He might have "jumped" the starter. In the old days, people would take a screwdriver and "jump" across the terminals on the solenoid to get the starter to engage.

This is exactly what he did from watching him

 

[Michigan]

First- verify that the ground cable from the battery to the frame is clean and solid. I don't mean pinch it with your index and thumb and wiggle it. I mean remove it from the battery terminal and make sure the metal on the battery and the metal inside the black rubber insulator are clean and free of corrosion. Follow that same wire and check the connection where it bolts to the frame. Do the same check for the positive side, except the end of that wire doesn't go to the frame- it goes to a main lug on the driver's side (under the red plastic cap) and it has another wire going to the starter. I assume the mechanic checked the connection at the starter.

Did you pay this "mechanic"? Maybe this guy actually found and fixed the problem (poor connection at the starter?), but had to throw in some fancy terminology to BS you- either because he didn't know of any layman's terms for "the wire connection was loose and/or corroded" or he had to spice it up to make it seem like he did something worth a nice dollar amount. I'm prompted to recommend you or a trusted mechanic double-check this alleged "cross-wiring". If a terminal end has been cleaned, it would be obvious.

Do you have a big pair of jumper cables? Those cute little shoestring ones are only good for slow charging a battery and not jumping it off. If the main power cable going from the battery to the starter (the ONLY big cable) has a weak connection, then jumping it off will make no difference and using tiny "jumper cables" won't make a lick of difference, either. Get some good cables with at least 6 gauge wire and keep them with you. If it happens again, clamp one end of the jumper cable to the main lug on the starter. It doesn't matter which color for this test, just use the same color on the opposite end. Clamp the other end of the jumper cable to the positive post of the battery. MAKE SURE the clamps aren't touching anything metal other than the battery and starter terminals. Turn the key and see if there's any difference.

After he got it started and told me he wasn't sure how it got started besides maybe sending the jolt of electricity back to the battery or system maybe did it was his explanation, I then asked him to check for loose ground and he said everything looked and seemed fine.

He did charge $50.00.

 

[afpj]

he said everything looked and seemed fine

If you're still chasing this, then you'll need to do as iamdub suggested. visual inspection and wiggling are NOT adequate. You need to remove the connections and check that mating surfaces are not corroded, then reassemble (wouldn't hurt to put some battery terminal grease - or those treated felt pads on the terminals for preventative maintenance). It's the ONLY way to know for sure the status of the connections.

 

[PG01]

I suggested moving them to see if anything was loose as a starting point.
I agree with you that removing, cleaning and reattaching is the correct way, IF, anything felt loose.
What i should have stated that if after you check and 'if' something feels loose, to remove clean and reattach, but sometimes I forget that not everyone on this forum thinks like i do and would pull it apart and clean it anyway then continue trouble shooting until i found the problem, even if they 'weren't loose'. I also suggested to move the key around in the ignition switch to see if it was going bad, intermittent connection, as ive had that happen before.
I just reread the posts and I don't think I would suggest to run a jumper cable from the starter to the battery considering they are asking an internet forum about a so called mechanic cross wiring a starter. You and i both know he took a screwdriver to it but if someone asks if that makes sense means they aren't familiar with how the staring system works.
This is why i would be a terrible teacher and did not choose that path in life. Im not very good at explaining things to others and i need to take that into consideration when i do answer a post.
By no means am i a mechanic but i have worked on a 'few' cars in my life and would just like to help someone come up with a solution. My bad.
In not knocking anyone, its more explaining my post, and i know there are people here that know more than me, especially in this post, and i have no problem with that, at all.

 

[afpj]

Galante, your advice is sound. No explanation necessary. We appreciate your input.