I have three brothers that know cars. And a father that knew cars. I made it as far as learning how to change the oil. So opening a car hood is not an action that “sparks joy.”
Luke turned the key and there was a click, but nothing else. No crank in the engine, and no sound from the starter that would normally precede said crank. Just a single click and then nothing. I text the situation on the brothers thread while I start exploring the engine. I’m looking for any loose wires … any loose anything. Brother Jim responds: “The solenoid on the starter has likely gone bad. If you’re feeling ambitious, crawl under the car with a hammer or heavy wrench and rap the hell out of the starter motor case 3 or 4 times and see if you get any starter action.”
Hammer? Shit, I speak that language!
Now I just to locate the starter. Again, Jim to the rescue: “Follow the positive battery cable. It runs right to the starter.” Sure enough, there it was. A tight but makeable space for a hammer with just enough room to get a bit of a hit on it. Certainly not any contact that would be deemed “rapping the hell out of it.” Well, let’s assess my first attempt. “Luke, try it now.” Luke turns the key, the starter turns, and the engine cranks.
I text my appreciation to brother Jim.
Then I strut around the house for an hour with that hammer.