Try to give the connector for the start signal on top of the starter solenoid a wiggle. It can get some corrosion on it, a very common problem in this area.  You can reach it from the top with long needle nose pliers or forceps.  If that works I’d spray some Krown or Rust Check on it to slow down the corrosion.    Nigel

2005 Fortwo CDI   This car gets driven daily and never had a problem starting until this morning. When the key is turned on, all the dash lights come on as usual. When the glow plug light goes out, I attempt to crank and nothing moves. I hear a click like a relay that sounds like it's coming from in front of me. The voltage dips only slightly, like from 13.0 to 12.8 (this is with a 3.5A charger having been on it all day). I also hear a humming from behind me for a few seconds.   I tried earlier today with a booster pack as well as with booster cables from a running vehicle. Same result. I've ruled out a current problem at least to the battery cables. So then I connected an iCarSoft 2 and looked for fault codes. Nothing. All the live data appears to be normal as far as I can tell.   If the starter died, it was sudden. I never heard it fail to engage in the past. If the starter was seized wouldn't it bring the voltage down significantly while trying to crank? With the minimal voltage drop I'm seeing I don't think there is any significant draw beyond maybe the glow plugs and the ECU itself.   What to look at next? I'm not sure what else to try before giving up and towing it to a shop.

I sold the white C1 to my youngest daughter recently and twice now it has failed to start for her, in a way that I've never experienced. The ignition key will be turned on and there is nothing, no lights on the dash, just a relay click. I haven't been with her when it happened but that is how it was described. The first time it happened was around a week ago, we were in Paris and she got to use our new Mercedes GLC350e. Now that we are home, there is no back-up car.....   The floors and battery well are dry, so that's not it. Could it be an ignition switch fault?   I'll drop the SAM on the weekend and put come MolySlip Combat on all the contacts after inspecting them, but right now I'm short of ideas.

Replace for sure. Rebuilding would cost a lot more.

SOLD