I can't get my car to turn over when trying to start it. I pushed started it and it started fine. I touched a screw driver on the starter and it started just fine. But when trying to start it with the key, it's like the starter won't turn over. I don't understand why. Maybe there's a clutch sensor or something. Can anyone help me?
My car has 200000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
This may be an issue of a faulty starter relay or potentially a bad ground connection to the starter. The starter relay directs power from the battery to the starter solenoid which then engages the starter when you turn the key. When this is not working properly, you may notice intermittent starting problems as you describe. Generally, when this does fail, it does so very randomly and usually without warning other than intermittent starting. The power from the battery will still power other accessories such as radio, horn, etc., but you may not have any power to the starter. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and replace your starter relay.
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