car won't start....clicky clicky

[poisonivory]

hey,
I am a complete technical noob, so please excuse the dumb question...and if you're gonna be a douchebag, please don't bother responding.

Went out to my car this morning, turned the key.... "click...click...click". Absolutely no sign of turning over or engine cranking. When I turned the key, all the dash lights lit up and it just clicked, that's it.

What are your immediate thoughts.... dead battery? starter?

I am at work now, but this absolutely has to be fixed tonight when i get home. I took the train to work today but i need my car for tomorrow. As I will only have a short time to work on it and get to the store before they close tonight....any help would be greatly appreciated!! I'm just trying to get a handle on potential causes before I get home so I'm not wasting time twiddling my thumbs.

Thanks!

[Snoozie]

Sounds like the battery to me. My battery always died in my VW and thats what it would do when it wouldn't start.

[poisonivory]

i sure as hell hope that's all it is. I can take the battery out and run it over to the store for them to confirm. That would be sweet if I just need a new battery. This is one problem i've been fortunate enough not have on any of my previous cars. lol

[lownslow95]

Its either A) just a dead battery or B) a starter. I would start at the battery first because its going to be the cheapest to get replaced. I would start their first.

[poisonivory]

thanks guys. I really hope it's just the battery because I need my car for tomorrow.

[TrboChicsRock]

Do the lights dim when you try to start it? Because if your lights are coming on your battery isn't completely dead. But if it's close to being dead, when you try to crank it over it'll take up what little power is left in your battery and your lights will dim or go off. If they stay on when you try to start it, it's probably your starter.

[lownslow95]

Originally Posted by TrboChicsRock

Do the lights dim when you try to start it? Because if your lights are coming on your battery isn't completely dead. But if it's close to being dead, when you try to crank it over it'll take up what little power is left in your battery and your lights will dim or go off. If they stay on when you try to start it, it's probably your starter.

Could be that to, but I'm going to stick with a dead battery first since he did say it is clicking.

[SpendOne]

if it doesnt crank at all then its the starter.

[teh DIRT]

Originally Posted by SpendOne

if it doesnt crank at all then its the starter.

not neccessarily.

"Clicking"- Is most commonly caused by the starter solenoid. When operating normally the starter solenoid energizes causing the starter motor to energize and spin. When you do not have enough voltage/current to operate the solenoid, it will "click". The clicking is the solenoid energizing and de-energizing due to the lack of power. If the battery is dead enough it wont even click. This sounds like a dead battery.

[poisonivory]

thanks a lot for all the explanations and possibilities gang. I'll let you guys know the verdict once I get home. Much appreciated.

[SpendOne]

Originally Posted by teh DIRT

not neccessarily.

"Clicking"- Is most commonly caused by the starter solenoid. When operating normally the starter solenoid energizes causing the starter motor to energize and spin. When you do not have enough voltage/current to operate the solenoid, it will "click". The clicking is the solenoid energizing and de-energizing due to the lack of power. If the battery is dead enough it wont even click. This sounds like a dead battery.

Id assume that someone would know if they didn't have enough power to start a car. as soon as you would go crank there are many noticeable signs. I'm just stating that it should be the first thing that is noticed. Its pretty simple.

[BlkWhtTSI]

could be starter or battery. check for the lights to dim like turbochicks said, also if your car is stick shift it might have a saftey switch which when the clutch is pressed activates the switch and allows you to start the car. this little switch went on my car and i didnt know, replaced the starter and then found the little switch broken fixed it for 5 cents at home depot. also see if you can kickstart it to get it home if it is the battery or starter. (put the car in fist gear or reverse roll it down a hill with you in it of course lol and pop the clutch.)

[poisonivory]

I got a jump and it started, so i got the battery tested at Autozone. They said the battery is fine, its the alternator. I got a jump and it started up, so the battery is good. But i have no clue how to change an alternator, and I need my car for tomorrow. This blows.

[SpendOne]

alternator cant be too hard to change. Loosen the tensioner, take the belt off, unplug and unbolt the alt. Walah...done!

[05OCsrt-4]

Originally Posted by SpendOne

alternator cant be too hard to change. Loosen the tensioner, take the belt off, unplug and unbolt the alt. Walah...done!

easier said than done in some cars, i forget how the f u c Kus looks under the hood

[poisonivory]

^^it's a pain..lol in a very tight spot, especially in AT which I have. It tells you to remove the motor mount and passenger tire to get acces to the belt, etc etc. BUTTTTTTT, none of this matters because this is what happened!

Last night, I got a jump and went to Autozone. The dude ran the test and said my battery was fine, so he ran an alternator test. he said "yea, it's your alternator". So I pay for the alternator + Core + new belt and it came to like $235. I realized after looking it up online that this job was too involved for my skill level, and lack of space and some tools. I went to a local mechanic first thing this morning..he runs his own tests. He said "dude, your battery is shot, you're alternator is fine!". He showed me his test results, Alternator was pushing 14.1 volts and a good diode pattern. Battery test showed "bad battery", 6 volts under load and they had to jump my car just to get it out of their garage.

I go back autozone and bitched them out. They apologized up and down. If I knew it was the battery I could changed it last night and been done. Instead, I went through all of this, was stressing out like a champ. I absolutely needed my car today, so I missed a few hours of work this morning to get this straightened out. I returned the alternator and belt, got a battery and borrowed the tools from them (becuase i left my toolbox in my garage), changed it right in their parking lot, and all was good. Car started right up. and here I am now at work.

[Snoozie]

That sucks, but atleast it worked out for you in the end!

[lownslow95]

That sucks, but in the end, your back at work getting paid to be on TST. At least it was just your battery, and nothing else.

[Erik]

I was going to say, that isnt your alt. If it was your alt, the car would crank, start, then die after a little bit. Your alt is what takes over AFTER starting, so it doesnt effect the start up. Whom ever jumped you, needs to be jumped them self. good thing you got it straightened out.

[teh DIRT]

yeah....seemed a little off to me because alternators usually show signs of going bad when the car shuts off while running, not a no start in the morning.