I read the FAQ, and did a little homework into my problem through your forums, and I gotta say that this is the most comprehensive Isuzu Tech forum I've ever seen. I think I have a good idea of what's wrong with my vehicle now just by flipping through your posts, but I wanted to run it by you guys and see what you think:

I have a 1999 Isuzu Amigo, 58000 miles, 3.2L V6 engine, automatic transmission. About two months ago my battery died, so I got a jump and got it replaced. I noticed a massive amount of corrosion on my battery terminal, so when I put the new battery in I cleaned it up and put a felt/gunk protector kit on my posts.

Ever since it's had an intermittant starting problem where all I hear is a single click and the car will not start - no cranking, nothing. This is not a metal-scraping "you're still turning the starter when the car's already started" type click - just a single, hollow click with every turn of the key. I do this several more times and eventually it starts up like nothing was wrong, without sputtering or complaint.

I was driving it a lot last moth, and at one point started it up after another fight, and found that it was changing gears hard. There would be a low clunk everytime I changed gears, both speeding up and slowing down. I shut off the car when I got to a safe place, let it sit, and when I got back in and restarted the Amigo it was fine - this happened a few more times, and I noticed that it only seems to do this when I get a "sloppy" start - that is, a start that sort of fizzles out in the middle somewhere, but manages to start the vehicle anyways. Also, I've noticed that this only happens between first and second, but I always shut it off before getting it fast enough to see what happens between second and third...

The starting problem is getting worse too - it used to only happen first thing in the morning, and now it happens everytime you start the car after it's been off for more than an hour.

From reading your posts, I believe my problem is that at some point when the battery was failing, something shorted that damaged either my ignition switch or my starter solenoid or my starter motor. Whatever it is, I think that when I get a really weak start, my transmission is only coming up in "limp" mode. Otherwise, this has absolutely nothing to do with the battery I changed (although I find it highly suspicious that since putting the new battery in, i've had nothing but problems), and maybe totally seperate starter/transmission problems.

What do you guys think?

If you drove it over here to me I'd pull them battery cables and give them a good cleaning or even replace em.. Then if that wasn't the problem, and it sounds like it is, I would go for a starter solenoid.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Do you really think it might be just the cables? I took it by Autozone today and the tech said he definitely thought it was the starter, but I have the nagging suspicion that the salesman would try and sell me a starter no matter what he problem is ($205.00!).

If you were in my place, would you try changing the cables first? I noticed just today that even after the last cleaning, there's STILL corrosion building up again. However, I thought that the cable issue was an all-or-nothing thing - that is, either I have power or I don't. Could a bad connection just be interfering with the power getting to my starter?

We must remember volts is NOT amps! It takes more amps to run the starter than anything else.
The test is simple turn on the headlites and then when they are on hit the starter If they dim greatly the battery or the cables are bad.
If the cables are growing a beard after cleaning them the chances are the battery is going soon..
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

I had a similar problem with one of my work vans that did the same thing. It is the solenoid. I would recommend replacing that, you don't want it cracking or melting your cables. Now I don't know about the gears. A bad solenoid should not be effecting that.

No idea on your gear shifting, but I had a similar problem with battery cable that had snapped the conductor inside. This has greatest likelyhood of happening when chaging the battery and flexing old, stiff cable. It would still make end-end contact and start when warm, then wouldn't for no good reason. I was using jumper cables to tag on the starter motor direct from the battery for three days before I figured that out. Just a new cable. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />

Cables ARE growing a beard, but I replaced the battery last time I cleaned the terminals - even put on the protective felt and gunk kit. The corrosion still came back, leading me to believe the stupid thing is corroded all the way down.

I think I'm going to change the cables before I do anything else. At $20.00 in parts and a couple of hours in labor, it wouldn't kill me to do so. Even if it's not the problem right now, I think it will be a problem sooner or later if I don't get them fixed.

I'll keep you guys updated and let you know if that does the trick.

While you are at it pull the battery and hose down the tray and all abouts just to get all the acid out of there.
BTW I always purchase the best battery Walmart has and change it every 36 months.. My battery cables NEVER get that crap on them.. It is a sign of battery going downhill. OR a sign of running the radio day after day while the engine ain't running.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Ps.. Do you know what the slowest thing on the highway is?
It's a Mexican funeral with only ONE SET of jumper cables..

I thought the single click like you describe means the solenoid IS working, but the contacts to power the starter itself are worn. I've seen it on my old Trooper and on my father's old Toyota PU (which both had the exact same starter motor).
That starter motor had a copper contact on each side of a copper ring that was attached to the solenoid shaft. When the solenoid activates and pushes the gear into the flywheel it pulls that ring into contact with the two copper contacts and juice flows to the starter motor. The copper contacts were worn down in both starters, and replacing them fixed it. I got replacements at a local alternator/starter rebuild shop. In both cases the symptoms were identical to what you're describing... the starter symptoms that is... I don't know about the battery and transmission problems.

The Final Verdict:

I did end up changing out my cable (did it in an Autozone parking lot too) and found, alas, that it did not solve my problem. So I went back and bought a rebuilt Duralast starter (cheap, I know, but I'm working in a budget ^_^) and that eventually did get me started. I've been running on the new starter since Friday with no more problems.

The shifting problem went away too, which further leads me to believe my poor starts were pulling my transmission into "limp mode."

Thank you guys so much for all your help. If I ever need to know anything else, I'm glad I know where to go.