Expert: Roland Finston - 11/4/2009

Question
I have a Chrysler 2001 300 M; Bought new. Recently when I turn the ignition key- it goes "click"; turn the second time- "click" and the third time it fires right up. Drove 1000 mile trip to Florida worked fine all the time.Recent 800 mile trip to North Carolina- worked fine; it seems to act up with I leave the car in the garage for 2 or 3 days. Yesterday, left it for about 2 hours and it acted up again; always seems to start on the third click of the ignition switch. Could this be a solenoid switch problem?

Many thanks for answer. Carey

Answer
Hi Carey,
I assume that the click is fairly loud so it has to be the solenoid switch on the starter motor proper. While that could be the problem (its internal switch contacts oxidized) my opinion would be to consider the battery condition and its connections and also the possibility that you have some excessive draw down of the battery while the car is parked. The recent driving experience supports those possibilities.
How old is the battery compared to its warranty? If near the end then possibly it is not holding a charge well or it operating voltage is less than needed to fire the starter motor reliably.
Are the clamp/post interfaces clean and shiny and tight?
What is the off-draw current? Put an ammeter in series with either disconnected battery clamp/post interface and measure the amount of current being drawn, noting that it will be momentarily high when first connected but then should decline to 25 to 50 mA after about half an hour. If higher than that we'll have to look for some draw like a hidden light bulb that shouldn't be 'on'.
Finally if all that proves normal I would rather suspect the brush/armature interfaces of the starter motor are worn so that the connection is not good enough to be reliable.
Roland