Click click click problem when starting

Jun 23, 2009 5 Replies
J

Have an old Corolla, which the son used yesterday and on his way home, it wouldn't start for him; but he was able to get help with a 'push start' and it then started O.K.



When I looked at it early this morning the battery was really flat, so I put it on the trickle charger. Since the car had quite a good run the day before yesterday we thought this might be a charging problem. This afternoon, after charging all this morning; I turned the engine over on the starter motor and the car then started straightaway without any trouble. So I then disconnected the trickle charger.



Early this evening my son needed the car again, and when he started it there was just a very loud clicking from the starter motor. I don't think the engine was being turned. I checked the battery terminals to see if they were loose and so preventing enough current from reaching the starter motor, but the connections were not loose.



We push started it together and again got it going without any trouble.



Apparently this clicking noise this evening was the same noise and problem that he had yesterday. So since the car started alright on the starter motor for me earlier this afternoon, I am now a very confused novice. Grateful for any advice please.


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M

The first thing is to have the battery tested, it is probably kaput, if it is in good order then the charging system is not working. My money is on just a battery. There is the possibility it needs both battery and charging fault fixed, but from your description it is just the battery.

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M

On Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:27:27 +0100, john royce grumbled:

Sounds just like a few cars of mine that have had knackered batteries. I'd get it tested, you'll probably find it's in need of replacement.

Mike P

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D

It's probably the battery. It's possibly the alternator as well, how old's the battery?

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J

As others have said, that's typical of an almost-flat battery. Enough power to pull and engage the starter solenoid, but not enough to crank the motor after that. Once the starter windings are connected, the extra load can see the solenoid disengage again, and the whole thing just clicks away as it cycles through this sequence over and over.

A very common battery failure mode results from the accumulation of debris from the battery plates. There's room at the bottom of the battery to collect a lot of this, but it eventually gets high enough to touch the plates themselves. And this provides a leakage path, causing an internal short-circuit which flattens the battery overnight. This then results in much faster shedding and accumulation of plate material. Such a battery is dead, despite the fact that you can still charge it.

John

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J

Are all you guys in this group great or what? You were dead right and I'm now up and running again. Many thanks.

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