1990 Corolla won't start can anyone help?

[orphic]

The car has 80k on the odometer and it's been babied by an old lady I know who was selling it as she bought a Prius.

I checked the fuses, checked the starter, recharged the battery and made sure all the essentials ( oil and all ) were in the car.

When I go to start it.. it just clicks but won't make an attempt to turn over.

I also found oddly, a small button under the ignition and it had two wires going from it to the engine. It was coiled up though and I'm lost as to what it does.

The lady moved a few weeks ago and I can't contact her.

Anyone wanna take a bite at this? I'd appreciate it.

[foodaa]

If its just clicking, its probably the starter or battery. Try to jump start it. If it starts, you might have a weak battery.

[orphic]

Would the starter if checked out at Autozone still show up as good and not turn it over?

I had the battery charged as well at the auto store

[karazy]

If they're both good, you'll have to check the wiring/connections. It sounds like your getting some power, which usually indicates good fuses, but not enough to turn it over.

[orphic]

A wire on the starter looked like it had been rigged.. could something there be the problem? Maybe trace those wires back and replace them?

[foodaa]

Originally Posted by orphic

Would the starter if checked out at Autozone still show up as good and not turn it over?

I had the battery charged as well at the auto store

Did they bench test the starter at Autozone? Did they do a battery load test or did they just re-charge it? Some of the guys at Autozone don't know what they are doing.

A wire on the starter looked like it had been rigged.. could something there be the problem? Maybe trace those wires back and replace them?

A starter has 3 wires. One big fat cable going directly to battery (+), two small wires to the solenoid (Ign +/Bat and Ground). How are the wires rigged?

[orphic]

They put the starter on the tester and they just charged the battery.

The solenoid wires, the wire end on one came off pretty easily.. you could literally shake it off so I replaced it. Maybe the entire wire needs replacing?

[orphic]

Someone else also recommended checking the ground

[Parke10]

starter solenoid could be bad/going bad