No crank/No start

[TorqueEffect]

First off, I did accidently leave the hood open on the car overnight once by mistake, and it rained all over the engine bay. I've given it a few weeks to dry, and now it won't even crank.

All I get is a click, or multiple clicks of the starter relay like if I had a dead battery. Even tried jumping it to eliminate a battery problem, and I still just get a click of a relay, without even a single crank.

Tried cleaning the fuse block with some alcohol and q-tips, and scraping the terminal with a screw driver, still only get a click.
But I even tried temporarily swapping over a 30 amp fuse and got absolutely nothing. So thinking it may still be a connection issue here.

[Shin Hayata]

The clicking is the starter solenoid. In this instance, failure to start usually means insufficient voltage is being received at the starter motor to crank the engine. The low voltage could be caused by a bad battery or a bad connection.

Load test the battery. Check the condition of the battery posts, clamps and cables. Examine all accessible electrical connections, paying particular attention to grounds.

It's also possible that the starter has failed, perhaps due to corrosion caused by leaving the engine compartment exposed to the rain. Check the voltage at the starter.

Jump start the car. If it won't start on it's own after running for a period of time, it's likely the battery. If the engine dies whilst running, the alternator may require replacement.

Best of luck here.

[ryanprins13]

My bet is the solenoid in the starter is sticking. Is it a manual trans? Pull start it. See if it runs. While someone else holds the key in the start position gently tap the starter with a hammer.
Also sometimes the starter doesnt like the position the flywheel is in and wont engage. Almost never happens though. Roll the car a foot in gear to test that theory.

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[TorqueEffect]

Yeah, it's a 5-speed.

Probably will go get some new terminals for the battery cables tomorrow. Long story short, I have a cavalier side post battery in there with standard battery post terminals attached to side terminal charging posts.

[Shin Hayata]

Is it a manual trans? Pull start it.

Just an FYI: The Owner's Manual for my car warns against push and pull starts in manual transaxle cars "due to possible catalytic converter damage." I probably wouldn't worry about such things, but there it is.

[ryanprins13]

Just an FYI: The Owner's Manual for my car warns against push and pull starts in manual transaxle cars "due to possible catalytic converter damage." I probably wouldn't worry about such things, but there it is.

Maybe from a carberater flooding it? Im not sure why else. Quite a few years ago i used an almost dead battery for some time because i was dumb and push started it by myself with regularity. No noticable damage, but you probably wouldnt be able to tell i guess.

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[FestYboy]

Not sure how pop starting a manual car could possibly damage the cat...

Try this, feed power (with a large gauge wire) from the + battery terminal directly to the starter solenoid lead. Tap the lead a few times to see if you can get the internal contact to blow through the corrosion. You can also take a screwdriver and short the 2 large lugs on the solenoid to make the motor spin without engaging flywheel. Also in either test, you can tap on the starter body with a hammer to help knock it loose.