Q: My car wouldn't start this morning. I tried to jump it but it just clicked one time and didn't crank.
I don't think it's a battery because when the cables are hooked I get a spark on the other end. Sometimes when I backed my car up, it felt as if the car was gonna run out of gas or shut of, but after a couple of seconds it ran fine. Any tips or suggestions as to what may be the problem?
My car has 150000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.
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The battery sounds like it has power since you shorted the jumpers together. This is not a good way to test a battery or the battery could explode. You may have a problem with the starter or the cables going down to the starter. In order to test the starting system you will need a volt meter at a minimum to properly test to find the problem in the system. You most likely have a bad starter but it will need to be tested to make sure you do not have bad battery cables and connections. The starter will need to be checked to see if it is getting battery voltage to the main terminal and ignition power to the small terminal. If it is getting power to both terminals then the starter may be bad. I would recommend having a mechanic come out to your location and check your turn over condition for you.
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