Dad's 01 v6 won't start. Just clicking at me!

will_95gt

will_95gt

Member
Jul 27, 2004
298
1
16
Austin, TX
#1
Hey, errbody.

My dad informed me today that his mustang won't start. I went and gave it a crank and all I heard was a clicking noise. Also, when you turn the key to the "run" position, the radio doesn't turn on.

Here's the thing, the battery is new and so is the alternator. I'm assuming the clicking is the starter trying to turn over the engine, so i can rule out starter and starter solenoid, correct?

Now with my (inexperienced) logic, that leads me to think possibly wire corrosion or a short somewhere. Is this a decent assumption or am I missing something?

Here are pictures of the battery terminals:

104_3631.webp

104_3630.webp

104_3629.webp


Do they look like they could be the culprit? The negative terminal's rubber housing is beginning to go and the positive has this lovely looking sunburst red orange sediment forming around it.

Welp, what is y'alls opinion on the matter?

Love you guys,

-Will
 
#3
Those splice-on battery connectors suck. I would unbolt the connection and clean and inspect the cable strands. Clean it all up and then try to find him some better terminals.

Do any accessories work? I.e., do his headlights come on strong and stay strong?

The clicking could be the slave starter relay and not the solenoid.
 
#4
Ok, well i popped off the terminal connections and cleaned them out. The positive one was the only dirty of the two. I ran my eyes down each cable and they seem to all look to be in good shape other than the fray near the negative terminal.

All of the grounds seem firmly connected and are hardly harvesting any corrosion. My jumper cables just turned up missing, so it will be a couple hours before I can get some and try jumping the car.

As far as accessories go, the radio doesn't turn on when the key is in the run position but the lights do come on, they are however, not very bright. I'm unable to tell though whether this is due to a power constraint or if it is because the bulbs were just swapped out for some blueish colored BS bulbs that by all accounts are less bright than stock anyways.

If the jump is successful does this rule out the possibility of the starter/starter solenoid/any electrical components being bad and mean that it must be the battery? Or can a successful jump still mean that there are electrical issues?
 
#5
What about other lights in the vehicle, dome light, or if you turn on the running lights how bright are the dash lights? How dead is the battery exactly? It isn't uncommon for an almost dead battery to have enough juice to power interior lights slightly but not enough power to actually kick over the starter, hence you hear the click.

Do you have a multimeter that you can hook up to the battery to check the voltage? That would be a good way of determining whether or not your battery is good and a poor connection is causing the other issues.

Imo, replacing the battery and having everything working as normal again would lead me to believe the battery is bad, but that isn't necessarily so. We need more information really. A multimeter and a charged battery would help us help you diagnose better!
 
#6
Jumping is just adding an extra power supply. If it magically starts with a jump, the battery and connections are suspect. It sounds like the battery has seen better days. When you jump it, try to get part of the jumper's clip on the battery post itself. Otherwise a bad battery terminal-to-post connection can keep the donor's power from reaching the battery.

If you have a DMM, check the battery voltage. I'd guess you're at around 11.5V or so given what you've said. If cranking voltage is below about 9.5V, the cars generally won't catch.

Check all your fuses to see why the radio is acting up. That should not be happening.

Edit: Didnt mean to be redundant. D posted while I was pecking.
 
#7
HGFireHazard said:
A multimeter and a charged battery would help us help you diagnose better!
Click to expand...

Alrighty tighty. I jumped the car and it started up--its running right now. I do have a multi-meter so lets test this sheet.

Should i put both leads on the negative in order to test voltage? At what states should i test it? Running? While being started? Etc...

Thanks guys!
 
#11
Adam has you. One lead on positive (red) and one on negative (blk). Set your meter to 20V DC.

Look for more than 12.6V. It should be putting out about 14.5V idling with no accessories. With a load of accessories (lights, fogs, HVAC fan on max), look for greater than 13.0V (let us know if Dad has underdrive pullies or a really low idle).

D did it again. He's sharper than I am. :)
 
#13
Had the car sat for a long time without being started? Check the dome light, was it left on? If this is something that hasn't happened before and you haven't changed any parts out I would venture into accidentally leaving something on that was drawing from the battery.
 
#16
Agreed. Check things like glovebox and trunk lights to see if they're staying on.

Do you want to check current draw? If so, grab your meter. There should be 3 ports to plug the leads into. Move the red lead to the current testing port (often labeled as 10ADC). Then set your meter to read current in DC amps (often this setting is right next to the port. It will say something like 10A).

Now you can disconnect the negative battery terminal. Be sure all the lights and everything are off. Put one meter lead on the disconnected battery cable and one on the battery post (so the meter is in series with the cable and post). Now note the reading. It should read ~0.50A or lower. Let us know what it reads. If high, you need to start checking for lights staying on and pulling fuses till the reading goes down.

Note that you do NOT want to create a large draw with headlights, etc. The 10 A on the meter means it can handle up to 10 amps (10 amps is pretty standard on DIY meters). All the power for the car is going through your meter and if you exceed 10A, you can blow the meter's fuse or blow the meter itself.
 
#17
Does the Mustang start on its own now? Have you turned it off and tried to restart it? This will tell if the battery is charging properly. I've found that a Mustang that hasn't been started for a few weeks usually has drained the battery enough that it won't start. This is without any unusual power draws or shorts. Also, any sudden cold snaps can kill a cell in a battery so it doesn't have enough amps to turn the engine over. Of course, I'd be surprised if it got that cold at this time of the year
 
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