Possible starter failure?
 

Hello, I'd like to apologize in advance if someone has posted something similar to this. When I went to start the car this morning, I turned the key while holding the clutch down (as normal) and nothing happened. As the key went all the way to the start position I saw all my lights and stereo flicker like it was trying to transfer off the battery, which I'm pretty sure is normal. But once the key hit that position there was no attempt at a turn over. No clicks or noise were made. My initial assumption is the starter, but I want to ask here first before spending that kind of money. Also, is there a DIY for replacing a starter? If so, that will be helpful in the event the starter is dead.

Thanks!

Make sure the battery is fully charged and the connections are clean.

One thing I did forget to mention was that I had to recover my engine from flooded spark plugs about a week ago. Meaning I had to grind the crap out of my starter to clear all the gas out. The battery was on a wall source during it though. Oh, and why would the connections impact it turning over? (Curiousity! :) )

Normally you can get 2-5 years out of a regular battery. How old is yours? Some of the time it is a poor connection on the battery post that causes your problem.

Battery is dead.

Ok, update to my original post! This morning the car started on the first try. However, after starting the RPMs went from 2000 to 2500, down to 1500, and then gradually came back to 1000 as the engine warmed up. My chief speculates that there might have been moisture in the fuel line that froze over the past weekend that was used by the engine this morning. Does this check with what you all think?

In regards to the battery, the car is an 04 that I bought last year. I have no paperwork on a new battery, and it looks pretty old. Also, the positive terminal was completely white from battery acid, which I sprayed off after the car warmed up and I shut off.

Spray off the white will not help. It just looks better now but needs to be removed and cleaned to the metal where they make contact around the post. The date most likely is on the battery top. If possible you could add distiled water to the battery if it is low(fill to the bottom split ring on each cell). If your not familiar with these activities have some one else do it. You might just need a battery.