2007 w/6 speed. Car was in FL for five years but rarely driven. Shipped it to MI and drove it for a month last fall after having mechanic go through it. It started and ran fine.


Stored it this winter but due to issues at the storage unit, the battery tender was not on all winter and the battery died. I pulled the battery a month ago and placed it on battery tender and it shows a full charge. Car has not been started since Dec 2017.


Installed the battery today and cranked it. I could hear the starter (Bendix?) making a loud snapping noise but the engine did not spin. I put it in gear and pushed it a few feet, so I am sure the engine is not frozen. I also connected a battery booster on top of the charged battery but that did not help.


Does it sound like a failed starter or could the starter just be rusted or otherwise "frozen"?? Years ago I would have tried whacking it with a hammer but I cannot get at it. Any suggestions before I have it towed to my mechanic next week??

 

I personally would try a new battery first. If the battery is bad the booster might not help. A wet cell battery that sits for a long period of time with no charge is usually toast.

 

Disconnect the battery, then connect the booster directly to the cables, bypassing the battery. That would eliminate any doubt about the battery in the car.

James

 

Personally, I would disconnect the negative cable on the boosting car ( not running ) just to be safe.
I don't like the idea of 2 alternators feeding a common battery.

 

I am not talking a booster car, a booster pack is what I took it as...

 

I would say the starter motor has a problem and does not turn, it just gets engaged with the starter ring gear.
Sticky brush or bad contact in the motor.

 

After re-reading the post, I agree with you.
Been doing that a lot lately, read just part of something.
Must be old age I rekon.

 

You too? It must be catching.
Hell, we know the answer before we have even finished reading the question, we are smart.

 

Yep, the answers are always ( in this order ) :
Battery
CPS
RCM
valve cover vents
adjustable rear camber arms
adjustable front camber bolts
H7 bulb tab
seat relay

 

Thanks for the answers. I have AGM (not wet cell) in all three Crossies, all about the same age. Two of them work fine in my summer drivers (the roadster and the SRT6). I will disconnect the battery and go only with the booster pack (the pack is a month old and I bought it to jump start my wife's Lincoln which had a completely dead battery - it worked great). I may also switch the battery with the SRT6 which started right up yesterday.

I'm doubting the RCM module (guilty of so many problems) because the engine is not even spinning. All I hear is very loud clicks of the starter trying to engage the flywheel. Similar to what you hear with a very weak battery, so I will try that approach one more time before I have it towed.

I also looked up replacement Bosch starters and new are $280 and remanufactured are $180. Unless anyone has had horrible experience with reman, that is the direction I will go. Over the years, in many cars, I have used reman starters and alternators and never had a problem with them.

 

I guess which starter to go with kind of depends on the labor cost to replace it again if it fails.

 

Within the last decade I have found the quality of remanufactured parts has gone down to a 5 year life spann; Most especially at the national chain store auto parts. A local guy still may give you good reliable service with a longer life span on alternators or starters.
On our cars I will generally go with the OEM part as they are of the highest quality. Our starters and alternators are 12 years old now and few have been replaced. ZERACER said the time and labor put into changing out the problem part is important to consider, and I do most all the work on my cars it is often the most important consideration when looking at $100 difference in price.

 

Ding ding, we have a winner. Battery. I swapped in one that had been on a tender in my basement for the winter, and it started right up. I'm now down to two batteries for three Crossies, but only two are on the road simultaneously so I can manage. Thanks for the advice.