Sometimes your car won’t work as it should, especially if it’s several years old and hasn’t received proper maintenance. If you hop in your car one morning and try to start it only to be met with clicking noises, you don’t have to worry. This is a common problem that may have an easy solution. Below, you can learn about some factors that might be causing your car to make a clicking sound when you try to turn it on. We also provide some ways to fix these issues so you can get back on the road efficiently.
A Drained Car Battery
A drained battery may be the reason your engine is making clicking noises and is struggling to start. You can learn if your battery is dead by determining if you did something to cause the drainage. For example, you might have left your headlights on overnight. Even though newer cars typically have a feature that turns off the headlights automatically, older ones don’t.
You can also check to see if you left the vanity mirror lights, the trunk light, or the inside’s dome light on. Even though these lights are less powerful than headlights, leaving them on overnight might be enough to drain your car battery.
You may also consider if your vehicle was in extreme temperatures. Extreme heat or extreme cold can drain the battery of all its chemical energy. While you can’t necessarily control this factor, you may consider storing your vehicle away in a garage whenever possible to avoid its exposure to harsh conditions.
If you suspect a drained battery is the culprit of your clicking noise, you can remedy this issue by jump-starting your car. Grab a set of jumper cables and have a friend of yours with a functioning car and a strong battery meet you wherever your vehicle is. Hook up the jumper cables appropriately while confirming none of the cables are in contact with moving engine parts.
Start the engine of the vehicle that’s contributing the electricity. Then, attempt to start your vehicle. You may notice it starts right away. In other cases, you may have to wait a few minutes so the dead battery can get an adequate charge. You may attempt to raise the idle speed of the functioning vehicle slowly to expedite the charging process.
An Old Battery
In some cases, jump-starting your car won’t be enough to bring a battery back to life. A battery may die due to factors outside of your control. In fact, most car batteries only have a lifespan of approximately three years. Some may last for as long as five to seven years, but they may operate at a lower capacity. If you try jump-starting your vehicle to no avail, you can purchase a new battery from the Express Service Center at Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville.
Inadequate Cable Connections
If you hear clicking sounds but can’t think of any reasons that your battery would be dead, you can pop open your vehicle’s hood to check for inadequate cable connections. The battery cables of your vehicle’s battery connect to various electrical components, including its lights, ignition, and various computer systems. Because we’re concerned with the ignition not starting, you can check the clamps that connect to the ignition system.
Note if the clamps fasten to the system properly. As you use your vehicle, these clamps may become loose from road vibrations, so they may not be making adequate electrical contact. You can fix this issue by tightening the clamps. Use the appropriate socket size, and ensure that you never allow metal tools to touch the positive and negative terminals simultaneously. If loose battery cables were the problem, you should notice a lack of clicking when you start your car’s ignition.
Even if you tighten the cables and the problem persists, you can pay attention to the condition of the cables. If you notice a lot of corrosion, this grime might be inhibiting the connection that your battery cables are providing to your ignition. Disconnect the cables, ensuring that you note which one attaches to the negative terminal and which one attaches to the positive terminal.
Before reconnecting them, though, you can use a clean rag to wipe off the corrosion and grime. Then, reconnect them to the correct terminals so you can restore a proper connection between the battery and your ignition.
An Alternator Issue
The alternator is the part of your car that creates the power that charges your vehicle’s battery time and time again. If there’s an issue with it, you may hear clicking noises when you try to start your car and can’t get it to turn on.
If you schedule service at Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville, one of our technicians can test your alternator. Through a diagnostic test, they may determine that your alternator is faulty. In this case, they’ll likely suggest that you replace it. Here at our service center, we can order the right alternator for your vehicle and install it so you can get back on the road with confidence.
A Faulty Starter Motor or Solenoid
If you hear multiple clicks in a row when you try to turn your car on, you may have a faulty starter motor. The problem may also lie with the solenoid, which is the piece that encourages the starter motor to turn its flywheel and ignite the engine. This kind of repair and replacement is highly technical, so it’s best to leave it for a certified technician to complete.
If you hear a clicking sound coming from your vehicle when you try to turn it on, you don’t have to face the problem alone. Whether you hear a single click or many clicks in rapid succession, the problem isn’t something you can ignore, especially if it means your vehicle isn’t moving. Our service technicians at Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville are eager to assist in any way we can. Contact us today to get in touch.