HELP.... Engine won't turn over

[Will]

HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

OK, I need help…. Although I live in Northern California I haven’t had much of a chance to take the car out the past 6 or so months. Lately I noticed that I have a difficult time getting the engine to turn over when I go to start it up. It usually takes 3 or 4 tries before it starts. I figured the battery must be low due to lack of use (I don’t use a battery tender). However today I went to start the engine, and not only did I have to try several times, but I got a disturbingly loud clicking sound half of the time. No matter what I did I couldn’t get the engine to turn over. There has to be juice in the battery because everything else electronic seems to work and the battery indicator isn’t all the way to the left, so what gives?

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Will

 

[wcollera]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Your battery sounds like it is DEAD!

 

[Will]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

So all I need is a jump? Or should I replace the battery entirely?

 

[Alternative]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Replace the battery.

 

[joe117]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Take it somewhere and have them replace the battery. Buy the best one they have.

 

[95Viper]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Buy Optima

 

[joe117]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

"There has to be juice in the battery because everything else electronic seems to work and the battery indicator isn’t all the way to the left"

It takes lots of amps to get the starter to crank the engine. A weak battery will often have enough power to make the radio and interior lights work buy not enough to crank the engine.

Another possibility is a poor battery connection. This could be at the battery terminal itself or at the battery connect bolt under the hood.
If a dirty connection is present, you often get no power or reduced power when cranking the engine and yet enough to make the small electrical loads to operate.

This seems possible in your case, because you say you have to try numerous times before the starter will work. A truly dead battery will not get better after the initial start attempt.

The bad starter itself or starter relay will often display this problem.

If the battery is older than a few years, you should have it replaced and have the connections inspected and cleaned.

 

[2001 Sapphire Blue]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Ditto....get an Optima!!

 

[Ulysses]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

I vote battery too. I had something like that happen not too long ago.

 

[Viper Specialty]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Check the engine ground strap. Passenger side of the engine bay, connects from the alt. area to the frame.

 

[Will]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Thanks for the help guys. So if I get a jump I can make it down to the shop for a new battery?

Will

 

[Ulysses]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

If the battery isn't too far gone, it'll jump start. Just keep it idling for a few minutes before you head out.

 

[ViperRay]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Don't forget to bring a set of jumper cables with you on the road!!!

 

[Viper Specialty]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

WILL- Seriously;

PLEASE check the ground strap ASAP. my car had the exact same symtoms as yours, and it turned out to be the problem. Unfortunatly, if you dont cure the problem with the ground strap (if thats what it is) you can severely damage your cooling system from electrolysis. (Just ask my first radiator about that one!!!)

 

[Ulysses]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Yes, definitely check the ground strap too.

 

[Will]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

OK, "check the engine ground strap."
- Passenger side of the engine bay, connects from the alt. area to the frame.

If it isn't obvious already, I'm not that savvy when it comes to cars but I'll check all connections in this area.

Oh yea, I called Apex Motorsports and they're going to hook me up with an Optima battery Saturday morning (whatever the most expensive one that NAPA carries).

Thanks again,

Will

 

[VENM8R]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

Have the battery checked under a load before chucking it - most places do this for free.

These are some of the things (over the years) that I have found when a car "clicks" while trying to start it. The most common is a loose battery connection or connections.

Clicking is indicative of the any of following:

Voltage too low (weak battery)
Loose ground strap
Loose battery connections
Corroded battery connections
Damaged battery cables
Old battery

Clicking and then finally starting:

Loose ground strap
Loose battery connections
corroded battery connections
Damaged battery cables
Starter misaligned - (bolt(s) loose or missing).
Solenoid going bad
Starter motor going bad

 

[Jay Herbert]

Re: HELP.... Engine won\'t turn over

If you want to see what Apex will be doing to replace the battery, you can check it out at: Battery Maintenance Instruction

Clicking indicates not enough current to the starter.... could be low battery (if you do not have a trickle charger, this one is likely), battery with bad cell (load test would show this, but gotta take it out to check it), or bad connections.

Optima is nice as it is a sealed battery, all but eliminating corrosion concerns.