318White

I went out to start my 2003 S2000 after it was sitting in the garage on a very cold night, i.e. ~18 deg F, and when I turned the key to the on position I heard the normal buzzing sound, not sure what it is. When I pressed the Start button I heard the same buzzing sound and the engine did not turn over. What is going on? This is the first time the car has not started for me. It is also the coldest it has been since I have owned the car. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks.

rpg51

Your battery may not be fully charged.

Chuck S

18°F in Alabama? My condolences.

Normal buzzing sound? No buzzing on my car. Not sure what it is either, doesn't seem normal.

The buzz is the starter relay rattling? Try a charged battery if available.

-- Chuck

Car Analogy

I think he means normal whirring sound the starter makes when its spinning.

But if that is the case, issue isn't low or cold battery unable to crank motor. Symptom would be crank no start.

Engine is going round and round, like normal, but ignition not occurring. If this is the case, issue is either spark or fuel.

Zer0ne

Probably hearing the fuel pump priming. Bad battery or bad starter is my guess.

318White

Not the battery. Been on the charger all day. Same result. Buzzing sounds like it is coming from rear, i.e. fuel pump. Is there a starter relay? Could it freeze in the cold?

rpg51

So its not cranking over when you press start?

Any codes?

zeroptzero

The starter will make a loud cyclical tapping sound when it is not able to crank the motor, 2 best guesses in those cases are a low / failing battery or a failing starter. You said the battery is okay, but that is usually the first culprit and you only really know by testing the battery. I know you said it was on the charger but you could have a dead battery with dead cells, and cold temps is when they show up frequently. If the battery tests fine then your starter could be starting to fail, but they usually give you some warning and act up prior to completely failing. I really think your battery is faulty, I have a professional battery tester that I use, but take it to an auto store and have it tested for free. Your description sounds very familiar to me as I live in Canada and extreme cold temps cause these issues to show up when they normally don't act up in warmer conditions. They do show up out of the blue without warning as soon as temps drop and a charged battery does not mean it is good.

318White

Correct the engine does not turn over. No clicking of the starter. I have heard that before on other cars I have owned. Will take the battery to the auto parts store for testing.

B serious

Floor mat isn't blocking the clutch pedal or something silly?

Cars dont have trouble starting at 18F. So...it has nothing to do with the cold, directly. That's not very cold, in the grand scheme of things. Its probably also quite a bit warmer than 18F in the garage, assuming its attached to the house.

BUT...cold does put a higher load on the battery, so I kinda assume a dead/weak battery too.

Not sure why you heard a buzzing sound when you hit the starter button, however.