My car wont turn on, when i try to turn it on, it makes on click from under the hood and thats it. The lights on the dash get kind of dim and the door chime doesnt sound right, and thats with the key all of the way forward in i guess the start position. The battery isnt dead. And i tried to push start it, but when i release the clutch my car stops and jerks like i slammed on the breaks. Any ideas with whats wrong with it?

 

battery.


and...are you the real boxxy?

 

Battery for sure. If you turn on your headlights or other accessory my guess is they will be very dim or wipers won't move. You are describing a classic dead battery symptom.

You cannot push start the car becuase it requires electricity to run the computer, gas pump, etc etc.

Get a jump start or replace the battery.

 

moved to problems & service

 

I bought a brand new battery and nothing changed.

 

just because you bought a battery doesn't mean it was charged from the store

 

I got my car to turn on this morning. I push started it in reverse, but i had to start the car and then pop the clutch, and that got it going. but it idles pretty bad. (not the battery) when it idles the needle jumps from 300-400rpm up to 1500-1600rpm, like it cant find the right spot. what could cause my car to have such a bad idle and possibly cause my car not to start.

 

what type of car? massive air leak....if the maf reading is totally f'd it won't start and if it does it will idle like complete **** and cut off.

 

06' chevy cobalt ss, has a 2.8 pulley

 

this

 

Always jump start in second gear never first the gear ratio is to low and reverse is worse !

Would of been easier to just boost it with another car.

As for your idle problem if it idled fine before this ,plugs could be fouled take it for a good run or clean the plugs manually.
Could have a bad vac leak as well.

 

What originally caused the car to shut off?

 

Nothing that I can think of woul make my engine seize up like it did, I park my car, woke up and it wouldn't start or move in gear. Also, I was doing the push start in reverse because I was on a hill facing the wrong direction. I live on a narrow street and doing a 7 point turn by myself in 100 degree weather isn't easy.

 

Wouldn't hurt to do a compression test on it.

 

Was my first thought

 

Make sure your battery connections are tight and not loose.
Also,
Check where the ground one hooks to the ground next to the battery make sure thats not loose either.
Loose battery connections will emmulate a dead battery

Try this for your erratic Idle
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/2-0l...inally-116051/

 

Thanks for that link, I'm going to clean it tomorrow, I'll let you know if it works.

 

 

actually it was the battery if this is your problem. when the batery dies your internal computer gets messed up. part of what t does is tell your car where to idol. drive it around for a while and the car should learn where it needs to idol and charge the battery. all will be well when both of these things happen

 

^ what he said. car needs to "relearn"

 

19 posts later, you got it^^^