ok, so the last time the car wouldn't start it was the battery....that'* been replaced and its good, but this morning it deciding not to start again. I turn the key and all i get from the engine is 1 knock or click sound....is it possible the starter went? or could it be something else? i really haven't seen any signs of a problem prior to this though.....any advice is appreciated

thanks

Go tap the startere with a hammer, seriously. If you do that and it was the starter, theres a good chance it will start, but that would mean go buy a starter.

umm....where'* the starter?

Drivers side, front of engine, down low. Could be a sticking or lazy bendix solenoid. Also check for any corrosion, oxidation on the battery cables, starter cable. Check everything for tightness.

i imagine i'll need to get under the vehicle for this.......i hate the rain.....

::edit::

The starter is the gold/silverish cylinder in the front on the bottom, right?
and though this is a series 2, it should be in the same place for a series 1, correct?

ok, so i hooked up a charger for a few mins to the battery and the car started...apparently both of advance'* starting systems are down today so after driving around i parked the car and shut it off. To test it, i started it again, and it started right up. Out of curiousity, i tried it a second time and got the same response...so i'm thinking maybe my altenator is going/gone and is slowly weakening the battery?

Yes, that is the starter. (gold/silverish cylinder) It is in the same location on a 3800 series 1.

It sounds like your (new) battery has a bad cell or two to me. have them stress test it as soon as possible.

Your description of events is exactly how a bad battery gradually fails.

ay, i hate batteries......

anyway, after i got the car started earlier i took a risk and went to go see a friend since no one could help me today cuz it was raining out and "we can't take our machine out in the rain" so i got there, the car sat for about 10hrs, went to start it...power to accessories, but no power to start it...so i hooked up the battery pack again and in a few mins it started up.....drove about 25miles and witnessed the battery practically die the whole way...not too long after i get off the highway {<5miles from home} all sorts of warning lights come on, turn signals don't even work, and then the engine can't even run so i shut it off and hooked up the pack once again. It took a little longer that time to get it going but i finally got enough juice to get it home and as i pulled up to the house the warning lights were back on again, so i know i didn't have much longer anyway b4 it would've died again...

but later today {if i can get it started} i'm gonna get the whole starting system tested @ advance. They'll let me know if its the battery, altenator, or the starter. At this point i'm thinking its either the battery or the altenator....and more-so the altenator cuz the battery is brand new....so i guess we'll see what happens tomorrow...

thanks guys

::Edit::
Has anyone ever heard of this?
Alternator test
If the alternator is working, you can take the negative cable off of the battery and the car will still run. If you have had battery problems in the past, it may be your alternator. Start your car and take the negative cable off of the battery. If the car is still running, your alternator is fine. If the car stops running, you may have a problem with the alternator'* ability to charge your battery.