YACT - ah crap, i have a car problem, it won't start

[spanky]

after work, i get into the car, put the key in the ignition, step on the clutch, turn the key. instead of the engine rumbling on, all i hear is ticking (some can say it sounds like "klaking"). someone just told me that it's the starter. does this sound about right?



Edit - you guys were right on the money about the battery, thanx :beer:

 

[KLin]

could be the starter or maybe a bad battery not giving enough juice to the starter to crank the engine.

 

[upsciLLion]

Originally posted by: KLin
could be the starter or maybe a bad battery not giving enough juice to the starter to crank the engine.

The first place I would check would be the battery terminals. Look for corrosion on them.

 

[cavemanmoron]

Originally posted by: KLin
could be the starter or maybe a bad battery not giving enough juice to the starter to crank the engine.

Sounds like low charge battery.

leave lights,stereo on?

 

[dethman]

sounds like a starter or battery problem.

 

[Jmman]

Try and jumpstart the car. If it doesn't work it probably is the starter. If it works it probably is just the battery or the alternator.....

 

[kmac1914]

My mom's car did the same thing the other day, but it was the battery. She got a new one and was good to go.
If you have jumper cables, hook them up to another car and see if it starts then. If it does, then it's probably the battery.

 

[MrKneecap]

Yep, good advice in the thread so far. I've had the same problem, turned out to be the battery in my case.

 

[pray4mojo]

sounds like battery to me. i'd get it checked.

 

[spanky]

thanx for the quick advice guys. i posted on honda-tech too, but you guys beat them to the punch.

:beer:'s all around

 

[ttown]

jump it. Does it start normal?
If yes, then it's your battery -- which may be dead, or has a degraded connection.

get a battery terminal clearner. it's a litte device with a small hole in it, with steel(?) bristles inside. put it over the battery terminal and rotate clockwise/counter-clockwise to make a nearly new connection. It also has a little poker-brush to clean the battery cable terminal... clean that, too.
A place like Shucks can test your battery for free (or at least they did for me) to see if it went bad.

If no, then it's 99.99% probable it's your starter

I've had both problems with past cars. A battery terminal brush should be a couple bucks. a new/rebuilt starter is significantly more.

 

[fs5]

turn on your headlights / radio. Do those work? If they do then it's either your battery terminals or your starter (ack). Try jumping it, if it doesn't seem like it's even trying to crank it's something else. (One time a co-worker didn't put it in park all the way and we tried jumping it for like 20 minutes)

 

[imported_DocHolliday]

battery/starter /thread

 

[xboxist]

I had the same click/tick/klak-ing noise the other day. Brought it into the shop and they did a systems check. The alternator shorted out.

 

[Ornery]

get a battery terminal clearner. it's a litte device with a small hole in it, with steel(?) bristles inside. put it over the battery terminal and rotate clockwise/counter-clockwise to make a nearly new connection. It also has a little poker-brush to clean the battery cable terminal... clean that, too.

That's all well & good if it's a top terminal, which it probably isn't. Gotta love this new, "high tech" side terminal BS, eh? Can't believe they still make the stupid things, which are notorious for bad connections. Good luck trying to jump the damn things, when they're so inaccessible, and nothing substantial to clip to. :thumbsdown:

Originally posted by: DocHolliday
battery/starter /thread

It could VERY easily be a corroded terminal, lugnut. :roll:

I love how people just throw a $50.00 battery at the problem, when it could possibly be resolved with a little elbow grease instead. Of course, the new battery makes the problem go away for a while, because half the corroded connection is replaced by it as well. Chances are, the cable's connector doesn't get cleaned, and the problem will reappear in a short time. Just throw another battery at it I guess...

 

[spanky]

i got a jump from a friend and that did the trick (for now). is there any way to tell if my starter or alternator is on the way out? or will my only indicator be when it takes a dump?

 

[Ornery]

Why not ask the resident auto mechanic wizard?

In the mean time, the starter is good, because the jump got it to spin and start. The connection at the starter is good for the same reason. Use a VOM to check voltage of tthe battery while the engine is off. Should be 12 volts. With engine running, if voltage is near 14 volts, the alternator is good.

If the connection from the alternator to the battery is bad, it won't charge it. If the connection from the battery to the starter is bad, it won't spin the starter. Costs NOTHING to clean those connections, so that's the very first thing I'd do!