whenever its really cold outside, ill go to start my car and i just get a "click" noise. turning the ignition to the off position and trying again usually starts it up within about a minute. and it only seems to be happening when the weather is cold outside, and when its the first start of the day. One of my friends says my battery might be dieing, another says my starter is sticking. either way, their guess is as good as mine. can anyone help me out here. thanks
getting the dreaded "click" when its cold. any ideas.
- Thread starter carbed87
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89streetbeast
New Member
starter solenoid and maybe the starter could be it. bet more on the solenoid if it hasnt been changed in a long time. one thing to check tho is that if you have the original ignition lock on the car it might be worth changing it for a new one since they are a recall for causing electrical shorts/fire in the ignition column
In my experience it can either be a battery connection (often the negative battery cable) or resistance in the starter interlock circuit (though this usually crops up when it's hot out in the summer. The sound of the click is different for this issue though).
If you think it's the battery, and the issue happens like clockwork, you could use a jumper battery for the start that would usually click. If it fires right up, the battery might not be deep cycling (cold weather can make a weak battery rear its head).
I'd honestly first just clean the battery terminals, inspect the cables (they rot from the inside-out often times, especially if a new terminal was installed in a non-O2-free environment), and check the motor grounds (add an extra 4 AWG motor to frame ground if you have doubts). These are all great things to do for winter, even if they are not the issue.
Keep in mind that when using a charger or jumper, this bypasses a bad battery terminal connection, so a battery can be blamed for a bad battery connection.
Random thoughts. Good luck.
If you think it's the battery, and the issue happens like clockwork, you could use a jumper battery for the start that would usually click. If it fires right up, the battery might not be deep cycling (cold weather can make a weak battery rear its head).
I'd honestly first just clean the battery terminals, inspect the cables (they rot from the inside-out often times, especially if a new terminal was installed in a non-O2-free environment), and check the motor grounds (add an extra 4 AWG motor to frame ground if you have doubts). These are all great things to do for winter, even if they are not the issue.
Keep in mind that when using a charger or jumper, this bypasses a bad battery terminal connection, so a battery can be blamed for a bad battery connection.
Random thoughts. Good luck.
starter solenoid and maybe the starter could be it. bet more on the solenoid if it hasnt been changed in a long time. one thing to check tho is that if you have the original ignition switch on the car it might be worth changing it for a new one since they are a recall for causing electrical shorts/fire in the ignition column
I hope you dont mind, but I changed the Bolded part (from lock to switch) to read what I think you meant. If that's not what you meant, my apologies and I will delete it.
Hissin50's double post is right on. Yes, your battery may be getting weak and cold will exacerbate that, but remove, clean and reinstall your battery connections. Make sure that they're tight and clean and you'll probably be good to go. That said, I'd be thinking about a new battery in the not too distant future.
89streetbeast
New Member
I hope you dont mind, but I changed the Bolded part (from lock to switch) to read what I think you meant. If that's not what you meant, my apologies and I will delete it.
the ignition lock is with the keys, the switch is under the dash bolted to the steering column. least thats what i remember when i bought a new one for the 89. i asked for a ignition switch and they gave me the one that bolts to the steering column, then they squared me away on the difference between the 2 lol. i might be wrong i dunno, just heard the lock is the part that goes bad
89streetbeast
New Member
heres what i meant by the 2, didnt mean to cause any confusion.
switch
View attachment 415867
lock and keys
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/94thunderchicken/lockkeys.jpg
switch
View attachment 415867
lock and keys
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/94thunderchicken/lockkeys.jpg
89streetbeast
New Member
guess i learn something everday lol. dont know how many people told me the lock+keys is what you have to replace. oh well, guess thats on the list of goodies to get
DucatiRdr
New Member
Is the updated switch still available from Ford? I think the recall came out while my car was in storage and I never got around to having the update done.
Shakerhood
20+ Year Stangneter 
If after you get everything cleared up and it is still happening listen for where the sound is coming from, if it is under the hood on the drivers side then the Solenoid is going out.
Like was said, check the battery terminals, my old 86 would do this every once and a while. The connections look clean but once the cable was disconnected it was black in there. Cleaned the black off and it worked fine for a few months. It just became part of general maintainence. Change the oil, clean the terminals.
blackened88lx
Active Member
Like stated, it is common for batteries to show their weakness in the cold. It seems odd that it will start once you turn the key off, then back on. This makes me think it's something other than the battery, but clean the connections and put a good charge on the battery anyway. Just don't do what I did. I had the click, so the first thing I did was grab the trusty jumper pack out of the garage, hook it up, and that wouldn't start it. After a couple tests, I was convinced it was the starter, but I replaced the solenoid first anyway cause it's cheaper and easier. Still click. Replaced the starter, still click. Turns out the jumper pack wasn't charged, and the terminals on the battery needed cleaning 
awsome guys, it's good that it can be narrowed down this much. the only thing that im kinda worried about, is i know my buddy (the previous owner) had some issues with it not starting a while ago, and it turned out something on the starter was grounding out. now im sure he fixed it fine, but lol you always have that doubt in your mind you know.
89streetbeast
New Member
not to be off topic but the starter wire routing on the efi cars is rediculous, right next to the pass. motor mount
. motor mount went bad and pinched the wire, good thing i was workin on the car when it started smokin stuff including the battery lol.
. motor mount went bad and pinched the wire, good thing i was workin on the car when it started smokin stuff including the battery lol.
One other thing to check along with the connections is the condition of all the wiring from the starter to the relay, relay to battery and from the battery to the ground on the battery. If these are all original to the car they can also add to the problem. I had the same issue with my 93. After checking the starter cable I could see that it was deteriorating and swapped it out. Problem solved. The cable had degraded and added enough resistance that the solenoid wouldn't engage the starter. The only thing that would happen was that the relay would click.
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