Car wont start.....
10-31-2006, 06:54 PM
#12
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 1,541
RE: Car wont start.....
may be a little late....but yeah its the starter....do one thing PLEASE!! Check the fuse box by the battery, and check it HARD...i had the same problem, went out one day to crank my 99 cobra and click, click...click every time...changed out the start (which autozone said was bad anyway) and still had the problem...turns out the fuse was busted, but so slight it was almost impossible to check (missed 4 of my friends)...it will save u plenty of money
10-31-2006, 08:31 PM
#14
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 868
RE: Car wont start.....
Sounds like an electrical problem, you obviously have something draining your battery. You may have a short some where where the 12v is going straight to ground, and if thats the case its really hard to find but since your battery light keep on flickering or w/e thats most likely the probelm, some where you probably have a bare wire touching metal.
11-01-2006, 04:44 AM
#15
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 37
RE: Car wont start.....
u know what...that might be the problem...im going to check it out in the morning...i took my foglights out and left the wire hanging...i know bad idea!!! but i think maybe the wire was touching the tire and was shredded, and the wire might be touching metal....ill get back to u on that....
ORIGINAL: korn253
Sounds like an electrical problem, you obviously have something draining your battery. You may have a short some where where the 12v is going straight to ground, and if thats the case its really hard to find but since your battery light keep on flickering or w/e thats most likely the probelm, some where you probably have a bare wire touching metal.
Sounds like an electrical problem, you obviously have something draining your battery. You may have a short some where where the 12v is going straight to ground, and if thats the case its really hard to find but since your battery light keep on flickering or w/e thats most likely the probelm, some where you probably have a bare wire touching metal.
11-01-2006, 04:46 AM
#16
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 37
RE: Car wont start.....
ive had the battery a little over 3 yrs, but autozone checked and charged it fine, when i went to put it back in the car it started up fine...if i leave the car sitting for one whole day without running and then try to start it...it wont....ill get back to u after the problem is resolved....
ORIGINAL: ripper
How old is your battery? Sounds to me like you need a new one cause it wont hold a charge. Let me know whAT IT WAS.
How old is your battery? Sounds to me like you need a new one cause it wont hold a charge. Let me know whAT IT WAS.
11-02-2006, 03:45 AM
#17
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 87
RE: Car wont start.....
ORIGINAL: SlvRgT
O.k...so I was driving my car yesterday, when I went out to start it today it would not crank up...I was confronted with that ugly clicking sound...Went to Autozone charged my Optima, installed it and it started up fine, although my battery light flickered a bit...Obviously the battery is fine...Any idea what could be draing it or could it be something else that just isnt giving it the crank....Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thx
O.k...so I was driving my car yesterday, when I went out to start it today it would not crank up...I was confronted with that ugly clicking sound...Went to Autozone charged my Optima, installed it and it started up fine, although my battery light flickered a bit...Obviously the battery is fine...Any idea what could be draing it or could it be something else that just isnt giving it the crank....Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thx
11-02-2006, 05:22 AM
#18
I ♥ Acer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 1,566
RE: Car wont start.....
I saw a similar post here.
It's not a mustang, but a similar problem. These guys are real good & it's probably worth your time reading...
GL WITH THE FIX!!!
But me, I usually go easiest to hardest fix...
It's not a mustang, but a similar problem. These guys are real good & it's probably worth your time reading...
GL WITH THE FIX!!!
But me, I usually go easiest to hardest fix...
11-02-2006, 02:55 PM
#19
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,031
RE: Car wont start.....
First measure the voltage across your battery with the car running.
It should be about 14 volts, give of take, but no more than 15v.
If not, your charging system is broken. More than likely the alternator.
Did you have any indication that the battery was discharged?
Dim headlights, gauges dim or acting weird etc?
Next time it fails, measure the voltage across the battery with the ignition off.
It should be about 12 volts.
The clicking you hear is the solenoid which supplies the 12v to the starter motor.
It is mounted on the starter motor itself and the plunger can stick or the contacts get pitted and will not transfer the
voltage/current to the motor.
Another problem is a bad segment internally on the motor.
The usual symptom is that you intermittantly get the clicking, but no start and the battery is good.
What happens is when the starter stops on the bad segment (like Wheel of Fortune), the motor will not get the *juice* and will not start.
You can sometimes get going by hitting the starter motor with a rubber mallet GENTLY or bouncing the car up and down.
The idea is to nudge the rotor in the motor to a good segment so it will start. Rapidly turning the key on and off will sometimes do it as well.
Bottom line is that you have to accurately determine if your battery is actually discharing or if your starter is just not turning.
If the battery is losing a charge, then you have to put an ammeter in series with the battery (car off at this point and DO NOT CRANK THE ENGINE with the ammeter hooked up) and start removing fuses until you see the current drop to normal levels.
It should be about 14 volts, give of take, but no more than 15v.
If not, your charging system is broken. More than likely the alternator.
Did you have any indication that the battery was discharged?
Dim headlights, gauges dim or acting weird etc?
Next time it fails, measure the voltage across the battery with the ignition off.
It should be about 12 volts.
The clicking you hear is the solenoid which supplies the 12v to the starter motor.
It is mounted on the starter motor itself and the plunger can stick or the contacts get pitted and will not transfer the
voltage/current to the motor.
Another problem is a bad segment internally on the motor.
The usual symptom is that you intermittantly get the clicking, but no start and the battery is good.
What happens is when the starter stops on the bad segment (like Wheel of Fortune), the motor will not get the *juice* and will not start.
You can sometimes get going by hitting the starter motor with a rubber mallet GENTLY or bouncing the car up and down.
The idea is to nudge the rotor in the motor to a good segment so it will start. Rapidly turning the key on and off will sometimes do it as well.
Bottom line is that you have to accurately determine if your battery is actually discharing or if your starter is just not turning.
If the battery is losing a charge, then you have to put an ammeter in series with the battery (car off at this point and DO NOT CRANK THE ENGINE with the ammeter hooked up) and start removing fuses until you see the current drop to normal levels.
11-02-2006, 03:35 PM
#20
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 37
RE: Car wont start.....
thx for the advice...when i tried leaving yesterday..i went to turn my car on and at first it sounds like its going to start but shortly after its that same clicking sound...u know, the one u dont wanna hear...my battery is good, lights are good, no dimming...i really dont know what to do...but my best bet its the starter....
ORIGINAL: undecided.steve
First measure the voltage across your battery with the car running.
It should be about 14 volts, give of take, but no more than 15v.
If not, your charging system is broken. More than likely the alternator.
Did you have any indication that the battery was discharged?
Dim headlights, gauges dim or acting weird etc?
Next time it fails, measure the voltage across the battery with the ignition off.
It should be about 12 volts.
The clicking you hear is the solenoid which supplies the 12v to the starter motor.
It is mounted on the starter motor itself and the plunger can stick or the contacts get pitted and will not transfer the
voltage/current to the motor.
Another problem is a bad segment internally on the motor.
The usual symptom is that you intermittantly get the clicking, but no start and the battery is good.
What happens is when the starter stops on the bad segment (like Wheel of Fortune), the motor will not get the *juice* and will not start.
You can sometimes get going by hitting the starter motor with a rubber mallet GENTLY or bouncing the car up and down.
The idea is to nudge the rotor in the motor to a good segment so it will start. Rapidly turning the key on and off will sometimes do it as well.
Bottom line is that you have to accurately determine if your battery is actually discharing or if your starter is just not turning.
If the battery is losing a charge, then you have to put an ammeter in series with the battery (car off at this point and DO NOT CRANK THE ENGINE with the ammeter hooked up) and start removing fuses until you see the current drop to normal levels.
First measure the voltage across your battery with the car running.
It should be about 14 volts, give of take, but no more than 15v.
If not, your charging system is broken. More than likely the alternator.
Did you have any indication that the battery was discharged?
Dim headlights, gauges dim or acting weird etc?
Next time it fails, measure the voltage across the battery with the ignition off.
It should be about 12 volts.
The clicking you hear is the solenoid which supplies the 12v to the starter motor.
It is mounted on the starter motor itself and the plunger can stick or the contacts get pitted and will not transfer the
voltage/current to the motor.
Another problem is a bad segment internally on the motor.
The usual symptom is that you intermittantly get the clicking, but no start and the battery is good.
What happens is when the starter stops on the bad segment (like Wheel of Fortune), the motor will not get the *juice* and will not start.
You can sometimes get going by hitting the starter motor with a rubber mallet GENTLY or bouncing the car up and down.
The idea is to nudge the rotor in the motor to a good segment so it will start. Rapidly turning the key on and off will sometimes do it as well.
Bottom line is that you have to accurately determine if your battery is actually discharing or if your starter is just not turning.
If the battery is losing a charge, then you have to put an ammeter in series with the battery (car off at this point and DO NOT CRANK THE ENGINE with the ammeter hooked up) and start removing fuses until you see the current drop to normal levels.