1990 sedan deville
4.5 yadda yadda

car has been fine, and shown no signs of weakness. i get in to go to the video store, turn the key...click, click, click from over behind the glove box. needless to say i took my moms 96 windstar (I HATE THAT THING, and my dad was too worried to let me take his 99 caddy).

so heres my prognosis. a year ago the same thing had happened, except it would only happen off and on then car started. this time it was VERY sudden. last year i found that wires involved with the transponder/ignition had snapped cuz after so many years of twisting and turning that tends to happen on such thin wiring. instead of rewiring everything to fix the security, i installed a resistor to bypass the transponder security system. i think this is the cause.

im running codes E49 and 52, AIR system fault and memory shut off...i dont believe they are involved.

so even though i have told 3 or 4 people with the same problem how to fix this. im just checking to see if anyone else has input.

click click click... check the terminals and clean them. check the terminals where they connect to the starter and make sure they are clean. sometimes you can get a stuck starter and can beat on it w/ a screw driver while cranking and it'll start. i don't think that'd make a clicking though. how old/new is the battery. it might be a dud? solenoid?

the car (http://www.adsrve.com/linkredirect.php?h=502,23792256,cadillacforums.com ,0) has the same battery since i got the car, a little over a year ago. not sure on the history before that other than who the owners were and a few repair bills. however im running a crapload of power from the battery with nearly 1000 watts to the business in my trunk, which has been in since i got the car. i do not believe its the battery, lights work and all other functions simultaneous without starting.

you may be onto something with the starter. i remember my lincoln had the starter stick up a few times and i just kinda slammed it with an open hand while a friend started it. this if i remember correctly made a click click noise.

i actually got the car started again today. i pulled the glove box out within 30 seconds, played with all the wiring harnesses i could and even found another fuse panel. i just put pressure on all harness and fuses just incase anything was the slightest bit loose. not sure if that helped at all (i doubt it) but the car started fine 4x in a row.

an hour or so later it was dreadful. it was almost as if it was starting in super slow motion. oh my i felt so bad for my car she sounded terrible. i also felt (or just thought i felt) a loss in power around the 30-40 range. which leads me to think that plugs/wires etc. could make a difference.

so now i ask what is this extra fuse panel i found behind the glove box (cuz im curious). and could the starter motor be wearing out?

thank you for your response.

when starters start to go out, usually they will start most of the time, but sometimes won't catch and just spin. unless you are getting a "sticking" starter, which that needs to be replaced too. (if you are sure that's what the prob is)

a battery won't start sometimes, and then decide to start other times, so if you aren't using jumper cables, then your battery is fine. I'd check all the wires going to and from the starter. It requires taking the start heat sheild off (2 not fun screws under the car) and try to clean things up and maybe take them off and clean them and the posts.

Before that go to the battery posts and the wire terminals. Take the cables off and clean those super well with a battery post cleaner or a knife. Get em real shiny like!

If it's not the battery,starter, or ground connections, your battery may be on its way out. Hot weather is often death to a marginal battery.

What is the voltage at the battery posts?

What is the voltage on the diagnostics display?

If you can get it to start again (try first thing in the morning before it gets too hot) measure the voltage at the battery before & after starting. A marginal battery or weak connections can blow an alternator diode from increased current demands.