won't start,just clicks one time

Asked by suburbanguy Mar 29, 2007 at 09:57 AM about the 1997 GMC Suburban K1500 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I go to start it and it doesn't turn over at all it just makes a single click noise. sounds like it is coming from the starter area

35 Answers

Hi Suburbanguy! Here's a no-start troubleshooting guide to help you run down your problems. Hope it helps ... Good Luck! http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4

233 people found this helpful.
7,385

get your starter replaced, and also check the starter cable to see if it's corroded. If it is, you will go through alot of starters really fast.

30 people found this helpful.
4,880

don't go replacing anything unless you check it out first...start by checking the battery...things won't work properly with a crappy battery...pull it out and take it to a reputable place to be tested...if ok move on..if crap replace with a good one...after all it's a GM.(deserves the best) the move on to checking all the grounds....dig around a bit,there are a few...clean them up good or replace if corroded...then move on to checking for power to the starter with a good quality meter...then replace the starter if needed....also peel open the harness at the neutral safety switch...this si a problem area on that gm model....switch might need to be replaced along with a section of harness....hope this helps....

97 people found this helpful.
1,090

i know this is an old thread, maybe it'll help someone out. About a few weeks ago I had a bad battery in my 99 Yukon. I replaced it and everything appeared to be working just fine. a few days ago the Yukon didn't want to start. As soon as I turned the key I heard a single click - no start. I had the starter and solenoid checked - the starter wasn't engaging when energized. So i got a new unit. I got it installed and checked the battery connections and noticed that my positive post wasn't screwed in all the way. After a few minutes of trying I found that the terminal screw was stripped. I replaced and the Yukon started like a champ. In short- there wasn't a solid battery connection so there wasn't enough power supplied to the starter (solenoid) Hope this helps someone.

109 people found this helpful.
450

I agree with ShadeTree.... I've had this happen TWICE to me... The 2nd time I thought the terminals were tight... NOT!!!! It is best to take them out then screw them back in and make sure they are not STRIPPED! It's got to be it... start here first, Do Not replace anything. Jersey Joe

45 people found this helpful.
1,425

The click ,click sound I hear you have.Could be the starter,battery,bad connection as a bad ground.Or ignition switch.Simply,switchout the battery with a good one and jump the solinode.The old school way of thinking!If you don't know what your doing then have it towed or pulled into a shop.I've seen starter fires happen from a bad starter.

30 people found this helpful.
290

If the battery is good, and the starter clicks once, your starter is either bad or not getting enough power. so check your connections. It might just be as easy as tightening your positive and negative terminals on the starter soleniod.

29 people found this helpful.
1,425

Hello,people.Here's a update as of 3/21/2012.I pushed it in the back yard for a month or so.Gave up on it.Last week,I changed the battery.Fired right up.Drove,ran all week.2 days ago it did the same darn thing.Will not start.Tried jumping it nothing.Batteries up/charged still nothing.Has a brand new starter/silnode, new battery post & Battery.Getting to things is hard to tight no room to do anything.Can't get to the silinode no room to tight.Starter wont drop down to tight no room.Was told starter drops down from straight up then down.Easier said then,done.hit's the frame no room to drop down.My next step is to change the starter switch.When you turn the egnition key you can here a relay click.Could it be a simple relay?This truck is one big joke!I'll never own another Sinoma S10 again.I know the standard things to do.I need to hear from someone that's been there and done it?I get so called experts here telling me to Ooo,change the battery.No beep!I don't need answers like that.Sounds like non of you ever worked on a Sinoma.I think I know more about this subject then any of you.I've asked one simple question.(How to drop the starter down?)This site isn't worth a crap!I give up on this site.None of you know you beep from a hole in the ground.None of you are experts just lonely people with too much time on your hands sounds sad!Get a lfe and move on.I asked this question 4-6 months ago.Todate no real answers.All I hear is Silinode.Well people?The silinode is on the starter.When you buy a new starter it comes with a new silnode.Here's another hint for you all,If your Gen check engine light in the dash board burns out.Will make it not start as well as many others as fusable links blow.Neutral safty switches go out. and I can go on.

36 people found this helpful.
160

Hi everyone my name in John, i have 94 gmc sub i have replace six starters added ground wires and it last for about two are three months tops, please contact me at 3213038186 with any suggestions, i thank you in advance

16 people found this helpful.
200

Thank you whoever said to check the starter cable. Hubby put a new starter on it and that didn't work. I checked this forum and told him to check that and it worked! Thanks so much.

20 people found this helpful.
500

Dan the man, I have a 98 GMC Sonoma 4x4 and it takes me about 4 minutes to drop my starter out. I think you might be doing it wrong.

33 people found this helpful.
250

I have a 99 Yukon. Having same problem. I can jump across the two starter nodes while in on position and it starts up. I'll be checking working on it tomorrow to troubleshoot. Anyone got advice

25 people found this helpful.
500

Update: mine turned out to be the ignition switch. I swapped it out about a week or two after my initial post and have not had any trouble since. If your wires are good and the solenoid is popping, this is a likely culprit. Best of luck.

17 people found this helpful.
220

I 've been messing with my 97 Yukon for months now. been having the same problems as everybody else. finally figured it out today took the wire harness off the neutral safety switch on the transmission and a couple of the wires were crowded. clean them up And and it starts every time now. Hope this helps some people.

22 people found this helpful.

We have a 2002 Yukon SLT. My husband put in a new starter and it would not turn over. So he replace the sensor, and it would start, but not turn over. Battery is new. HELP!

12 people found this helpful.
180

First off check to see if the positive battery cable has any corrosion on it. Then follow the positive cable to see if it splices off to the wiring harness. If it does splice off the cable should be about 12 inches long and that cable is only 10 bucks at your local parts store bit b4 you buy a new oNE cUT a small slit inot positive wire and look for any type of corrosion. If ita not copper colored its bad...if so Replace that first. Second check any and all grounds to the motor and frame. I had the same problem but mine was the positive cable that goes from the battety to the solenoid on the back of the starter was loose causing it to just click once and not turn over. I was able to tighten mine without dropping the starter and it fired right up. but it would be easier to check for corrosion on the post and always check cables for corrosion as well. It sounds like exactly what I went through. Brand new battery checked all cables and checked for corrosion newer 1yo starter and alternator and I still would get a click with no start. Any positive or ground wire needs to have a clean (shiny) tight connection in order to get all the voltage needed for the starter. Hope this helps.

18 people found this helpful.
140

There is a heat shield on the starter. In order for the starter to drop down, you have to remove the heat shield, then push the starter up and angle it down. Come right out..

14 people found this helpful.
100

i have a 2004 gmc sierra. one click then does not start it has happened before but i just turned it off after a good drive and now one click then nothing. at first there was no click at all. ive checked fuses wires and starter and all seem to be fine. i can get the truck turned over from having a wire from the ign fuse on the 87 side and the wire tester will turn it over. but it will not fire.

10 people found this helpful.
110

1998 Chevy Express 3500 Extended Bus Same 1 Click, no start...everyone said starter or solonoid. The Tow Truck driver even was tapping on the starter, said that some times works...It didn't. All kinds of devices used to try and start it with no results... I dug out mu little post wrench and loosened the Positive termina and retightened and it started right up first attempt. It's not always the battery or the starter, Sometimes it's the connection in the middle.

7 people found this helpful.
165

This solved our problem --- If the car is parked on an incline, put it in Reverse and let it roll a bit. Put it back in park and start normally This happened to my husband. Said that if parked on an incline and it rolls back a bit it causes the ignition switch to lock because car thinks it is in gear. Hope this helps someone else.

16 people found this helpful.
100

One click no start on 05 Chevy burb battery fine wont jump crawled under car gave starter a nice banging with wrench car started right up no problem since guy at auto zone suggested it said it’s a bad spot in starter easy test and fix

10 people found this helpful.
40

Tighten or replace your battery terminals! throwing away hard earned cash on parts SUCKS! Start here folks! your battery terminals need to be tight!

3 people found this helpful.
60

I have a 2004 Chevrolet silverado and it wont start I got the battery, starter, alternator check all are good but still wont start what can I do???

6 people found this helpful.
110

Hmmm one click and nothing? Had it rained or been moist recently? I had a Chevy Express 3500 that would do that occasionally. Turned out the dear folks that designed it had the water draining right onto the computer and connectors. When it rained it wouldn’t start. There is a fix. A mod online that tells you how to fix it. It should be a factory repair though. As much as Chevy owners put down Fords I never had a problem with them running. But I like Dodge best. Just a thought. I ended up cutting a gallon plastic milk jug into a funnel to catch the water and direct it away from the computer and it’s connectors. My Van decided it didn’t want to run any more after my kid drove it while low or out of oil. It’s resting in a wrecking yard now. I hope you can get it going. I got tired of having to get mine towed.

4 people found this helpful.
110

02 Tahoe, same I click but won't turn over even with a jump. Brand new battery, starter, and alternator. When I replaced the starter it work fine for a day but now it back to 1 click and nothing. Any suggestions

11 people found this helpful.
60

01 Tahoe same problem new alternator first ran for a day then wouldn't start so replaced the starter and nothing then the battery and nothing relays are fine key turn lights work gauges do not here the click under the hood for starter always did though

6 people found this helpful.
10

A small quick tip that worked for me. Lights good, gauges good, everything seemed perfect, but only a click when trying to start. All I needed to do was tighten the bolts at each battery + and - and she fired right up.

1 people found this helpful.
20

Yeah definitely check the battery. I should've first, ended up replacing a starter and a starter relay before I decided to take the positive terminal off. It was a little corroded, took a wire brush and cleaned all the terminals, made sure to put bolts on nice and tight. Started right up since.

2 people found this helpful.
40

Go underneath the vehicle and try to turn the crankshaft by hand till it clicks. Just fixed mine thought the engine was seized in some way but nope. Just off a tooth..

4 people found this helpful.
30

Does any one use a multi-meter?? My 2007 GMC sierra 1500 will start with jumper cables but otherwise only clicks. Testing voltage at the battery, engine off, 12.7 volts, at idle 14.8 volts. is this normal?? I think the battery is bad. Seems like the alternator is working. The battery is only 2 years old, should last longer?? Just a suggestion,voltage checks are simple and can be a lot of help with these no start situations.

3 people found this helpful.
10

I have a GMC S 10 the starter will click click click and we turn the key off click on the lights will go out but it will not turn over but I mean if the battery is dead or the starter is bad

1 people found this helpful.

I've been having the same problem off and on with my '88 Chevy G30 van. It first started 3 years ago when a turn of the produced a click after driving the van a good distance. Then I discovered the starter worked again after waiting 45 minutes and did nothing afterwards for several months because it didn't reoccur. The battery was good, cables secure and the alternator was charging at 14v at idle so I figured it was the contacts on the column switch. It did act up again several times but a short wait or a jump got the starter to work. That signaled that the starter had problems caused by worn bushings (mine was still original with 260K of use). The rotor will get set cockeyed to the windings instead of being evenly spaced so requires more current to get spinning and heat absorbed from the engine block will swell all of metal inside so the bushing bores get wider so the rotor can set closer to the windings. Had to replace the 6 year old battery first because the increased draw ruined one cell then replaced the starter when a new battery with jumping did nothing. All was swell for a short time until it started the one click again. So I did some online research and read where one guy fixed it by replacing the fuel pump relay! So I tried that and the abused beast started to my surprise. Been driving the van without experiencing that problem again until early this year when attempting cold starts at home. Found that if I turned the key on/off several times that the starter would eventually work and keep working for the rest of the day. Had a few times where I had to use the jump feature on my battery charger to jump the starter into action with it functioning normally for the rest of the day and a day or two later when cold. The battery was showing over 12.5v when the starter would and wouldn't spin so figured it was the stupid switch. Yesterday I drove 34 miles non-stop to town and had the click when keyed occur again after being parked outside a drug store. My battery tester showed that the battery just had 12v so got it going with a jump to drive across the street to Wally World to get a new battery along with my groceries and cheap beer. Used the new battery to jump off the starter to get home. Tried restarting the motor once back only to get a click. Installed the new battery today to hear a click then the starter turning that got the engine running. The new battery showed 12.5V when installed so left the engine running for 30 minutes to bring up the charge. I turned off the engine and tried to restart it five seconds later only to get the click. It was dark by then so decided to charge the old battery overnight for jumping and will check the starter wiring connections and battery ground to the engine block tomorrow. I bought a better remanufactured starter from AZ with a lifetime warranty so probably will return it and get two more fuel pump relays since there's one just like it for the TH400 kickdown solenoid that stopped working 15 years ago. I'll also be disconnecting the AM/FM radio since it acts strange when on or off so may be sending a weird signal to the computer that affects the starting. My older brother, who had 35 years experience in GM parts departments, said GM products were bad for having minor wiring issues such as bad grounds for small door lights, that would send back too much current thru the circuits to the computer that would result in the CEL coming on and causing drivability issues.

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