Yesterday I jumped in my car to go to work and it wouldn't start. I heard a "click" sound every time I turned the key to start it. I also heard a low humming sound after the click if I held the key in the start position. I took my battery to Auto Zone and they said it was a little low but still held a good charge. I'm not sure where else to look into but I think it's my starter that's not kicking in. I'm not the best person when it comes to cars, but I'm hoping if anyone knows if these symptoms fit a bad starter. I have a friend who suggested I take the starter to AZ to have it checked as well. Also I had to replace the alternator a few months back and I don't know if has had any affect on the problem. Any help will be greatly appreciated. -Jose

 

the affects of a bad starter is a click noise but no start. a bad main power cable will also cause this. a bad starter relay usually won't click. your friend who suggested having the starter tested sounds like they know something and you should do what was suggested.

 

I'm outside with him now and we're trying to get it off but we're having a bit of trouble getting the front exhaust pipe off. But we just bought a socket set and gasket cover, so the starter should be out in no time. After that we'll get it tested. The power cables that hook up onto the battery look pretty worn out as well, so if the starter passes, then that might be the next thing to check. Thanks for you help and advise Sapporo. - Jose

 

IDK why you need to pull off the exhaust pipe? wouldn't it be better to test the easier stuff first before you pull out the starter? does the starter click when the key is turned to start. have someone IN the car doing this while someone is near the starter.

more diagnostics will pinpoint the problem. It sure would suck if the problem was not the starter after pulling it out and then finding it's just fine.

 

You were right, I wish I had read your last post before continuing on. The starter passed with flying colors. We were stumped, we reinstalled everything and tried to give it a jump. Still the same clicking noise, but he said he didn't know if his jumper cables were the best in the world because he bought them at a garage sale.

My uncle then shows up out of the blue in his truck and suggested we use his cables along with his battery. It Started! When I tried to restart it I got more clicking. He then installed his battery onto my car and it started again. He said that by using his battery we were able to rule out the alternator as a suspect, and suggested the battery was the source.

So now after all that work I believe it's the battery that may have gone bad. We checked all the wiring and made sure that all the wires were covered and not shorting out, and double checked the solenoid switch, alternator, and fuses. All good to go so tomorrow I'll buy a new battery and see what happens.

 

I hate it when I'm right.

maybe it is the alternator. cuz if the alternator isn't charging properly then the battery will go dead and cause the car not to start giving a clicking noise.

 

I hope your wrong about the alternator, because I will hate it too lol. The thing is that I just replaced it a few months ago, but it was a junkyard part and there's no telling when those things will come back to haunt you. In the event the battery solves the current solution and I'm thrown back to this problem again, I will just purchase a new alternator. I'll have to save all my pretty pennies just in case, but I believe the smart thing to do would be to take my car down to Auto Zone and have them test the alternator just to make sure it's working properly, along with the rest of the starting system.

 

why do you insist on throwing parts at the problem and not diagnosing the problem?

did you have your old alternator tested?

you need to realize that besides the alternator, there's wires and a computer that all are part of the charging system? any fault in these areas you will have a dead battery

 

Well I needed to change the alternator the first time because the old one did fail, and the current one passed. I made sure that was certain when that came up as a problem. When the old alt began to fail, I noticed that my battery light would flicker on from time to time depending on the speed I was going, or the slant of the road I was on.

As far as the wires go my uncle helped check them from the alt and starter all the way back to the battery, but I don't know how to check for a computer problem unless taking it to get the error codes checked would be that solution...

 

flickering light means you have a problem. sorry but i can't do the testing for you, you'll need to get your uncle to sort out what caused the battery to die.