Check your battery power

• Car starters require access to the battery to start the engine. The easiest way to check the battery power of the car is to turn the lights on while the car is off. If the lights come on, your battery has power. Take a voltimeter (available at auto parts stores) and connect the leads to your battery. A fully charged battery has 12.5 volts. A dead battery has less than 11.8 volts.
  
  

Check your ignition switch

• This step requires a little more knowledge of your vehicle. Start your car and watch the dashboard. When your car starts, the lights on your dashboard should dim, not turn off. If they dim, your ignition switch is connected correctly. If the lights turn off during start-up, you could have problems with your ignition switch.
  
  

Check the solenoid

• Find the solenoid, which is between the starter motor and the battery. The solenoid is connected to the starter by a heavy-gauge wire. This check is a two-person job. With the car shifted into neutral and the parking brake on, touch the positive lead of a voltimeter to the heavy gauge wire. Make sure to securely ground the negative lead. At this point, have another person start the car. This should register 12 volts on the meter. If it does not, the solenoid is faulty and not transferring power to the starter correctly.