ClickClick...Is my starter dead?

5.0stangette · Sep 11, 2004

After driving fine all day and night i too a short drive down the street. the car was parked for about 10 minutes and when i came back out to go home when i turned the key all i heard was a really fast clicking. it's not the battery or anything because my remote to lock and unlock the car still worked. i'm thinking it's the starter but is there anything else that a stang newb like me wouldn't know? i would really appreciate your imput on this...working a forty hour week and going to school will be tough without my baby

Also if it is my starter i'd like to know some estimates on how much it would cost to be fixed (either done at a shop or buying the part and putting it in with help from my boyfriend) i would appreciate you guys sharing your experiences with this

THANKS!!!

1105 · Sep 11, 2004

when my starter went out, I just got one click each time I turned the key. Cost me $50 to get it rebuilt.

See if you can push start your car... if you can then its your starter, if it still wont start its something else.

stang_gt_1994 · Sep 11, 2004

Check the battery voltage. Most cases fast clicking is caused by a low battery. Even if its 11.9 volts it can click like that. Charge it and it should be about 12.6 volts fully charged.

stang_gt_1994 · Sep 11, 2004

1105 said:
when my starter went out, I just got one click each time I turned the key. Cost me $50 to get it rebuilt.

See if you can push start your car... if you can then its your starter, if it still wont start its something else.

She said fast clicking. Just a single click is caused by worn contacts and brushes.

stangbanger94 · Sep 11, 2004

You can push it and pop the clutch, but in either case of a bad starter, or a bad battery, the car will usually start. If you can, get under the car and tap the starter with a hammer. If she starts, then you definitely need to replace the starter. It doesn't always work, but it can be a sure test in most cases.

94GTLaserRC · Sep 11, 2004

It could still be the battery...even with the clicking.

Have you tried to jump start it???

BTW...starting your car takes tons more battery juice than the remote does.

My car is 10 years old and the starter is sill stock...Ive gone through 5 or more batteries.

RC

5.0stangette · Sep 11, 2004

OK i'll try to respond to everything but i'm sure i'll forget...

No push starting because i have an automatic.

My dad also said to try tapping it with a hammer so i will try that tomorrow morning if jump starting fails

I didn't want to try to jumpstart it tonight because i called my boyfriend and he said to wait and not to drive it home in case it was more serious

I understand the car takes more juice to start than it does to unlock but the past times i have had a dead battery my remote wouldn't work.

I will try jump starting and the hammer thing in the morning. if all else fails would you guys think it would be worth it to have it towed to a shop for inspection or just towed home for my boyfriend to look at and then order the part and have him put it in?

RIO5.0 · Sep 11, 2004

You may have a "ground problem" to

Have you checked the terminals on the battery to see if there loose??? are they cruddy/corroded??? Take em off...clean em good, and reassemble it...

There is a Green bolt right in front of your battery as your looking at it...is that loose??? is the wire going to it solidly in the connector??? Thats a ground wire back to the battery...

there is also a ground strap that goes from the motor mount to the drivers side fenderwell....If that connection is bad at either end...it will do what your saying....sometimes you can see it arcing as you turn the key...
the strap will have a Black plastic cover over it...mine had your symptoms and that strap was bad...6.00 to fix it...

I went thru all your symptoms 2 yrs ago....even got another starter...wasnt it...was that ground strap...

Run test leads from the battery to the starter (Red or Positive to the big nut where your battery cable goes on the starter, Black or Ground to the little bolt on the solenoid that has a little Black plug on it)...if the starter engages when you attach those leads...its good..

Good luck....

HISSIN50 · Sep 12, 2004

great advice in here. RIO is right on - remember that juice flows from ground to positive. if the ground is insufficient, you could have a power plant attached to the positive lead and it wont start.

i would guess that you simply need to top off the battery, need a new battery or have a bad connection. your dad might have a charger or know to check specific gravity of the battery cells. dont over look the very simple stuff.
when checking connections, be sure that the motor to frame ground is good (how the starter is grounded). good luck.

Nosfurato · Sep 12, 2004

HISSIN50 said:
great advice in here. RIO is right on - remember that juice flows from ground to positive. if the ground is insufficient, you could have a power plant attached to the positive lead and it wont start.

i would guess that you simply need to top off the battery, need a new battery or have a bad connection. your dad might have a charger or know to check specific gravity of the battery cells. dont over look the very simple stuff.
when checking connections, be sure that the motor to frame ground is good (how the starter is grounded). good luck.

Again, I agree with the battery. Charger her up. Heck, get a jump start and drive it for about 20 mins. it should be fine after that (assuming the batt is OK). But, it sounds like a batt problem.

But, if you jump it. keep an eye on your voltage gauge. It shouldnt read low when the car is runing. If it is, I would look at the alternator.

JJ95GTID · Sep 12, 2004

Same thing happened to me. Starter just clicks when the key is turned to start. Battery just got old and couldn't turn over the engine anymore.

deadly97snake · Sep 12, 2004

I am having the same problem with just one click. My stock voltage gauge says its charged and even with the key turned all the way to "start". I am gonna try tapping the starter tommorrow once I get some jack stands from my parents house. The only concern I have is my fuel pump isn't as loud as it usually is when I turn to the "on" position.
Any help will be appreciated.

HazMat404 · Sep 12, 2004

deadly97snake said:
I am having the same problem with just one click. My stock voltage gauge says its charged and even with the key turned all the way to "start". I am gonna try tapping the starter tommorrow once I get some jack stands from my parents house. The only concern I have is my fuel pump isn't as loud as it usually is when I turn to the "on" position.
Any help will be appreciated.

i got the one click problem too....if i let the car roll back a lil and i jam on the brakes then try again, she usually turns over but very very slowly. im off tomorrow and i know my ground from the engine to the driver's side fender is kinda corroded so im gonna clean that off and put some liquid tape on it to seal it. sometimes it starts right up but its pretty rare.

if it clicks, thats battery related but i know a few times my bad ground (im about 97% sure thats the problem) has drained my battery so check the grounds too. do what everyone said, jump start her to make sure the alt is charging, drive home, check all the wires and make sure everything is grounded right. only thing that i think would need replacing in this situation (which you will find out after you try to jump start her) would be the alt. im sure everything else is fine

5.0stangette · Sep 12, 2004

ok well this morning i went to where my car was stranded at and it started the first time w/ some complaining but it started none the less so i was sure it was the battery. i definitely should have checked this thread for all the advice first but since it's a daily driver and if it's not fixed by tomorrow a.m i'm screwed i just spent the 50 bucks for a new battery. i think that was it though(as opposed to a loose wire or something like that) because it started perfectly after i put the new battery in. problem solved. i'm SOOO glad it wasn't something worse. my battery has died many times before and i never had the clicking so i thought it must have been something really serious. i guess this time the battery was just old and worn out instead of dead due to driver error(such as leaving the lights on) Thanks everybody for all the advice!! if i have a problem w/ her in the morning i'll know exactly what to check and that's a huge relief but she seems fine now THANK GOD!!

HazMat404 · Sep 12, 2004

i had a new battery (got an optima for the fun of it cause it was cheap) and 3-4 days later it started to do it again. it is kinda weird for a battery to just die like that outta nowhere like that. hopefully we wont see you in here again in another day or two rereading all of we said.....im still bettin on a corroded ground wire....just a guess tho hopefully it is fixed tho

94GTLaserRC · Sep 12, 2004

5.0stangette said:
ok well this morning i went to where my car was stranded at and it started the first time w/ some complaining but it started none the less so i was sure it was the battery. ................................. THANK GOD for RC!!

RC said:
It could still be the battery...even with the clicking.

RC

revhead347 · Sep 12, 2004

Almost all autoparts stores test batteries alternators and starters for free. Check the battery first because it is the easiest to remove. Before you replace the starter, put it on a benchtester before you buy a new one. The ground cables in an SN95 are itty bitty, and corode easily.

Kurt

94GTLaserRC · Sep 13, 2004

revhead347 said:
Almost all autoparts stores test batteries alternators and starters for free. Check the battery first because it is the easiest to remove. Before you replace the starter, put it on a benchtester before you buy a new one. The ground cables in an SN95 are itty bitty, and corode easily.

Kurt

5.0Stangnette FROM ABOVE said:
ok well this morning i went to where my car was stranded at and it started the first time w/ some complaining but it started none the less so i was sure it was the battery

stang_gt_1994 · Sep 13, 2004

stang_gt_1994 said:
Check the battery voltage. Most cases fast clicking is caused by a low battery. Even if its 11.9 volts it can click like that. Charge it and it should be about 12.6 volts fully charged.

Should of just listened to me.

RacerRick · Sep 13, 2004

Just had the same problem, cleaned battery cables and load tested battery, ok. cleaned ground cable at timing cover stud(behind harmonic balancer) car started right up!

ClickClick...Is my starter dead?

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