Car won't start, clicking noise

[Herr Kutz]

I just replaced my battery in October of 2016. Yesterday my car barely started and once the engine had started it took 2-3 seconds for the gauges to start moving. Normally it is instant. I got a jump from a coworker in the evening and made it home. I cleaned off the + terminal since there was some corrosion, and I was thinking that maybe the lug was not making good contact with the battery terminal. After cleaning it, I could tell the lug was not getting a good grip around the terminal and with a very small amount of force would slip off no matter how much I tightened the volt. I wound up tightening the nut a bit too much and destroyed the lug. Picked up a new OEM lug today and it went on easily and makes a great connection. Tried using my Stanley battery to jump start and it was a no go. Then tried jump starting with my brother's car and it was a no go. When I put the key in AECC my battery voltage reader is reading about 9.5V which I know is too low to start, but I'm confident I reconnected the lugs correctly considering I'm reading a voltage. Now I'm thinking something may be wrong with the starter, but that does not explain how I was able to easily jump the vehicle yesterday. When trying to start I get a clicking noise (see 1:00 on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TK8NxqJ4MA). Ideas?

 

[C1]

Most probable is that the battery is the cause (of inability to start).

In this case, a battery can have an internal short that makes starting even when a jump cable is used.

You should pull the battery & take it to a place like Auto Zone & they can try to charge it up then load test it.

In any event, if it were me, Id pull the battery, clean it up, inspect it to ensure sufficient electrolyte then see if it can be made to charge and hold to the fully charged 12.75 volt level. If so, most likely the car would be able to start after battery re-installation.

Be careful though as the battery may now not be reliable anymore after having been constantly under charged over a long time period.

 

[bruceb]

Consider replacing the battery cable. It can easily have corrosion inside it that you can not see. Also check and maybe replace the battery ground cable. Especially check the connection where it is made to the engine block for dirt or corrosion.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If the battery is more than 4-5 years old, I'd just replace it. Save time and energy on all that troubleshooting business.

Then again, well, Minnesota. It gets cold here. We buy new car batteries more often than we buy new... umm... shit. Name a thing pretty much everybody buys every 3-5 years. Shoes? Goldfish? I'm not good at folksy analogies.

 

[Herr Kutz]

If the battery is more than 4-5 years old, I'd just replace it. Save time and energy on all that troubleshooting business.

Then again, well, Minnesota. It gets cold here. We buy new car batteries more often than we buy new... umm... shit. Name a thing pretty much everybody buys every 3-5 years. Shoes? Goldfish? I'm not good at folksy analogies.

Just replaced it this past October. I hope it is the battery because it has a 3 years warranty. I'm just worried because jumping it isn't working any mo'

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Just replaced it this past October. I hope it is the battery because it has a 3 years warranty. I'm just worried because jumping it isn't working any mo'

Oh... could be an alternator then.

 

[jlee]

Oh... could be an alternator then.

It could also be a really dead battery. I've ran into a situation where even a jump wouldn't get something started - but a new battery fixed it.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

It could also be a really dead battery. I've ran into a situation where even a jump wouldn't get something started - but a new battery fixed it.

Well, yeah, that'd be surface problem. I meant, like, how the battery got that way.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Cleaned off the lug attached to the negative terminal this morning and when i went to reconnect the lug to the battery my alarm would go off, although the sound was very faint due to the low battery. I thought maybe that did something so I tried to start the vehicle but no luck. I was able to jump my car (barely) with my Stanley battery pack so I drove around for about an hour (30 miles) with no issues. However, after shutting it off, my car would no longer start. I pulled my battery out and got a ride to Advanced Auto Parts and Autozone to get my battery tested. Both claim it is okay but was low on charge. I had Autozone charge it, and then I reinstalled it when I got back home. I checked voltage with my voltmeter, and it was in the low 12V range. I checked current draw on my vehicle and did not see any parasitic draw. I tried to start my car and it was a no go. Hooked up my Stanley battery pack and that too was a no go.

 

[Pick2]

Sounds like a bad starter. The carbon dust from the brushes will build up inside and short a lot of current. Just flushing the starter out and installing new brushes is sometimes all you need. Autozone will test your starter also. Need to remove it from the car , Natch

 

[bruceb]

Before you condemn the starter, please replace both main battery cables. I have seen them with corrosion internally which can not always be seen from the outsides, which will reduce current flow. After the car is finally running do a charging test on the alternator output. It should be about 13VDC at idle, & up to about 14.5VDC when under a full load, (like with radio, headlights and AC going) .. Quick test: Do your headlights come on at full (or close to) brilliance with engine OFF ? If they do, cables are probably fine.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Before you condemn the starter, please replace both main battery cables. I have seen them with corrosion internally which can not always be seen from the outsides, which will reduce current flow. After the car is finally running do a charging test on the alternator output. It should be about 13VDC at idle, & up to about 14.5VDC when under a full load, (like with radio, headlights and AC going) .. Quick test: Do your headlights come on at full (or close to) brilliance with engine OFF ? If they do, cables are probably fine.

Lights come close to full with engine off.

When I was able to jump it with my battery pack on Saturday and was driving around for a while my volt meter was pegged around 13.9V-14V. AC and radio were both on.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Oh yeah, when trying to (with a charged battery), I only get once chance (1-2 seconds) to try for a start. After that the battery voltage has dropped far too low to try starting again.

 

[RLGL]

You have given no information about the vehicle. Starting with a fully charged battery , measure the voltage, then what is the cranking voltage? Should not drop below 10 to 11 volts, the higher the better. With a no start condition The starter may be toast and or the cables may have internal corrosion. Make sure both cables are clean and tight at the battery and the attaching points at the other end. Then pull the starter

 

[bruceb]

I did suggest changing both battery cables 2 times in this thread. It will be interesting to find out what really is the issue, once it has been fixed for good.

 

[RLGL]

I did suggest changing both battery cables 2 times in this thread. It will be interesting to find out what really is the issue,

Sometimes the message is not fully understood.
Electricity is a funny beast. I have seen where factory applied Loctite on threads of a ground stud has caused starting issues

 

[Herr Kutz]

Checked the impedance of the cables with my ohmmeter and nothing was out of the ordinary--they were essentially reading 0 ohms. I checked voltage at alternator and starter input with the vehicle off and voltage drop was ~0V. I sanded the battery terminals for good measure. I was able to jump the car (barely) with my battery pack. Took it out for a ride to charge the battery and had my voltmeter running the entire time. I took several pictures with voltages ranging from 13.8 to 14.8V. I arrived back home and found someone had taken my parking spot so I had to parallel park. I noticed when I turn my wheel all the way to the left or right when not in motion my headlights dim A LOT and voltage drops to around 10.5V. Does power steering take this much power? As soon as I shut down the vehicle I checked the voltage on my battery--below 10V. I am now starting to think it's the alternator.

 

[leper84]

Checked the impedance of the cables with my ohmmeter and nothing was out of the ordinary--they were essentially reading 0 ohms. I checked voltage at alternator and starter input with the vehicle off and voltage drop was ~0V. I sanded the battery terminals for good measure. I was able to jump the car (barely) with my battery pack. Took it out for a ride to charge the battery and had my voltmeter running the entire time. I took several pictures with voltages ranging from 13.8 to 14.8V. I arrived back home and found someone had taken my parking spot so I had to parallel park. I noticed when I turn my wheel all the way to the left or right when not in motion my headlights dim A LOT and voltage drops to around 10.5V. Does power steering take this much power? As soon as I shut down the vehicle I checked the voltage on my battery--below 10V. I am now starting to think it's the alternator.

Have you considered that maybe you should get the battery tested? Because most of your symptoms point to a bad battery. Maybe a good starting point is taking it to where you bought the battery last year and have them test it. Is such thing as defective batteries.

Just saying I wouldn't personally get all gung ho about an alternator until I tested the battery first.

 

[WackyDan]

Just replaced it this past October. I hope it is the battery because it has a 3 years warranty. I'm just worried because jumping it isn't working any mo'

Jumping a battery is bad on the battery ok? THe more times you jump it the more you effectively damage it. Yes, Jumping is fine for emergencies because you have no choice.

Let me lay out what you need to do.

1. Get a new battery. Yours is toast.
2. Test the charging system. Either the new battery last year was kinda crappy to begin with or the charging system hasn't been doing it's job over time and contributed to the dead battery. Testing the charging system will help you determine if you need more work done and the place you bought the battery or the place you will buy the new battery from will test this for free.

Your battery should sit around 12.6 volts at rest with the car off and fully charged. With the car running and minimal accessories turned on, you should be high 13 volts or even over 14v.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Have you considered that maybe you should get the battery tested? Because most of your symptoms point to a bad battery. Maybe a good starting point is taking it to where you bought the battery last year and have them test it. Is such thing as defective batteries.

Just saying I wouldn't personally get all gung ho about an alternator until I tested the battery first.

I have already posted that I had the battery tested at two different locations. Per the tests, it is okay. Autozone even charged it for me.

 

[WackyDan]

Checked the impedance of the cables with my ohmmeter and nothing was out of the ordinary--they were essentially reading 0 ohms. I checked voltage at alternator and starter input with the vehicle off and voltage drop was ~0V. I sanded the battery terminals for good measure. I was able to jump the car (barely) with my battery pack. Took it out for a ride to charge the battery and had my voltmeter running the entire time. I took several pictures with voltages ranging from 13.8 to 14.8V. I arrived back home and found someone had taken my parking spot so I had to parallel park. I noticed when I turn my wheel all the way to the left or right when not in motion my headlights dim A LOT and voltage drops to around 10.5V. Does power steering take this much power? As soon as I shut down the vehicle I checked the voltage on my battery--below 10V. I am now starting to think it's the alternator.

Sounds like just a battery. Hard to say, but you are getting over 14v while running. Take it to the battery shop where you bought your battery. They will warranty the battery - pro-rate it given the time you've had it and they can actually load test the charging system which will tell you for sure whether it is your alternator or just your battery.

My vote is battery. I have one car that eats a battery every three years regardless of brand and $$$. My truck batteries last well over 7-8 years as the engine compartments breath a bit more versus our sedan.

You may have just gotten a bad battery. Your use or non-use may have contributed. AS for the corrosion at the terminals that may have been the core issue. You can buy a can of anti corrosion spray for the terminals. I've had the same can for 15 years now and about twice a year I check my terminals and give them a fresh spray...I get ZERO corrosion on them at all with using the spray.

 

[jlee]

Have you had your alternator load tested yet?

 

[RLGL]

If you insist on playing with a volt meter, do a voltage drop test on the cables

 

[clok1966]

What type of car? it really does sound like to little power. The click can be the starter, depending on the brand some have the solenoid on the starter, some on the firewall and it can go bad and you would get a click like that. you can test it (again if you are sure your battery and cables are up to snuff) by connecting two points on the solenoid. BUT again it depends on the brand, some are down on starter, some are on firewall, some are on wheel well. real easy to check if your solenoid or starter is the issue.

here is a real crude video, you don't want to do this all the time, its the one with the solenoid on the firewall. again some are on starter, you just need to jump between the two big terminals (only if you know its the starter solenoid) and it WILL START THE CAR if the key is on.. this is just a way to see if you have power and if something is wrong with the solenoid or starter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRlRinL-N-8

 

[Herr Kutz]

If you insist on playing with a volt meter, do a voltage drop test on the cables

I've done this.