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

[hannibal]

Sounds like youve located the cause of the problem. Something around that relay. It seems like the relay is shorting or simply has a bad connection. But you said the starter is acting sluggish and finally quit. So maybe the bad relay or ground killed the starter.

I'd use a multimeter to check continuity before and after the relay. Try to figure out if the relay or socket is the issue before trying a new starter.