My 1995 Q45t suddenly wont start

[gitcash2009]

I just purchased my Q about one month ago and everything ran just fine. One day about 3 weeks into ownership I gave a friend a ride and turned off the car to conserve gas. About 10 mins later she comes out and I turn the key over and......nothing!!....The starter makes no noise at all,doesnt attempt to turn over period....the information screen says "ok", you can hear the normal sounds of a start( fuel pump whine or hum and the alternator or under hood whirring sounds that all cars make but no starter turning over. I noticed a blue flash of light coming from the passenger wheel well up under the hood near the starter realy and a ground wire going to a dc power unit near the abs and starter relay everytime you try to sart the car. The next day I got a ride back to where car was sitting and got in and started it right up. So I drove it home and left it running, then went on a job interview about 20 miles away and left car runing the entire time....drove back home then turned off car...when I tried to restart car turned over VERY slowly but started up...then I turned it off again and tried to sart and ....nothing just like the night b4....so I lifted the hood and had a friend look at the starter relay/abs relay area while I attempted to start and he heard this click click sound coming from that area...so he jiggled this black ground wire that I referred to earlier for bout half a second and the car started right however this was the best start the car had since I purchased it( as fas as how fast the engine turned over). Over the next few days however the engine turning over got slower and slower each time you started the car until eventually no start at all. So I jiggled that ground wire again and nothing....replaced the ground wire and....nothing...bought a new starte realy and....nothing....put it in neutral while trying to start (shift lock inhibitor I believe) and nothing...I tried hitting the starter but I am unsure If I was hitting the right thing and of course nothing...I scrbbed the battery cables and posts clean using baking soda,pine sol and hot water and nothing....all the lights inside and out are bright and normal..the radio works just fine...nothing indicates a battery/alternator problem...I just know when the ground wire near the starter relay was moved the car started but now nothing.....HELP!! New Q45 owner

[goody90q45]

You mentioned everything except the battery. Is it more than 3 years old? Are the battery cable clamps in good shape? Are they tightening properly on the battery posts?

[Q451990]

I noticed a blue flash of light coming from the passenger wheel well up under the hood near the starter realy and a ground wire going to a dc power unit near the abs and starter relay everytime you try to sart the car.

It sounds like you have a wire arcing in that area. All of the wiring in this area needs to be inspected. It sounds like the stress of the electrical problmem has drained your battery (the click click click that you heard trying to start later).

Check your battery voltage at rest (should be about 12V), during starting (a little below 12V, but not much.. maybe 11 or higher), and during idle (about 14V). This isn't a substitute for a good load test, but it'll usually tell you if your alternator and battery are OK.

Heath

[gitcash2009]

Yes the battery cables are tight ( you cant swivel them around the posts a all...they had some corrosion which I scrubbed off the cable connectors and the posts but still nothing.....after the cars final non start, I would sit outside drinking beer wondering what could be wrong with it while blasting my the Bose stereo for hours...it took the battery about 3 or 4 days to finally go dead after listening to the radio for about 4 hours every day..so I dont think its the battery. There is also this red box with two wires coming out of it on the positive battery cable...so I took those two wires out and cleaned their connectors as well and still....nothing..I am baffled.

[gitcash2009]

The click click sound that I hear isnt coming from the starter or battery( you know when your battery dies and you try to start the car there is that loud click click click click sound..its not that type of click...the click only happens twice and when you put your hand on top of the starter relay or the ground wire right next to it..you can literally feel the clicking going through the wire or starter relay......And a friend says the blue arcing light of electricity was coming from the blue box(starter relay) so I replaced the starter relay and now there issnt anymore blue arcing going on when you try to start but still not an inkling from the starter and the two light clicks coming from starter relay area under hood are still present.

[goody90q45]

...I just know when the ground wire near the starter relay was moved the car started but now nothing.....

The starter relay next to the ABS unit is blue with 2 connectors. Is this the one you replaced. Does the soleniod mounted on the starter make any noise (click, click, click, click) when you turn the key? You haven't convinced us about the battery yet until you measure voltages.

[maxnix]

I am with Heath. Any after market "mods" to the electronics.

You must investigate the flash first before proceeding.

[gitcash2009]

Yes I replaced the blue box next to the ABS relay(which is the taller black box) and no the solenoid does not make any clicking sounds when trying to start...the starter or the solenoid makes absolutely no noise at all when turning the key over....only the normal whirring or humming noises that all cars make when you turn key to last position b4 final turn to start the vehicle.

[gitcash2009]

The electric flash is now gone ever since I replaced the starter relay a couple days ago....when a friend and I took turns trying to start car while the other watched the starter relay area of car we noticed that the flash was coming from the blue starer relay itself...once i replaced that issue went away..but starter still wont crank or anything

[gitcash2009]

And as far as I can tell all the electronics are stock...the Bose radios and its speakers are all bose stock speakers...is there anything else that could have been modded as far as electronics. There isnt any turbo or supercharger under the hood just an k&N air filter.

[maxnix]

There is... just an k&N air filter.

While this may not be the source of your problem, this is not good.

Oiled media filters upstream from hot wire sensors is never a good combination and along with air filter change interval abuse, has spawned the over used (because it is sooo easy!) reliance on MAF cleaning.

[gitcash2009]

I noticed this on another post but.....someone mentioned a buzzing sound which turned out to be the ABS relay......if you have your car in the acc only position to listen to your radio while parked should you hear a mechanical/whirring/buzzing sound inside the car but you can tell it comes from the engine compartment? This sound also exists when car is running you just cant hear it as well......The sound isn't all that loud....I only noticed around 1 am sitting in the car listening to the radio and during the 10secs or so it takes to change a CD is when I heard the mechanical/whirring sound or buzzing as the other guy put it. Could the ABS Relay cause your starter to not turn over at all when you try to start.

[Infinitiguy19]

If you think the relay might be bad, it will draw power from the battery and then the battery won't have enough power to turn the engine over.

Doesn't hurt to replace the battery.

[gitcash2009]

I have tested the battery and it was ok. The voltometer? test showed 12.5 Volts from battery and it held its charge. I had a friend who is an mechanic or technician...whatever you want to call him) and he thinks it is the starter only b.c my starter relay has been replaced, battery is fine...battery connections are clean and non corroded, starting car in neutral doesn't work, replaced the ground wire that when jiggled used to get the car to start and still the starter doesn't turn over. Finally found the starter with his help and tried hitting it but that didnt work either, however the way the starter is positioned you cant really get good leverage to really whack it.(when you jack up the car, you have to hit the starter with a upward motion and it is squeezed in between two other parts or pieces of iron.) So I am now going to get starter replaced however it may take a while( I was laid off 3 weeks ago and am waiting on unemployment.)

[elwesso]

Id go ahead and take the starter relay off and jump it and see if you get the starter to go... Youll be going across pins 3 and 5, the schematic is on the top of the relay and pin numbers are on the under side of the relay...

If the car starts with jumping the relay, then you know your problem is the relay or something before the relay. Hold the relay while turning the key and see if it clicks.

If it still doesnt start and the relay clicks (and you replaced your relay), then its probably a starter. If you want, i have a starter that came off my Q and its in known perfect shape.

[gitcash2009]

How much would you like for the starter?