Engine won't turn, clicking in glove box

[YellowMP5]

Started my car on sunday and the battery light came on and stayed on. I drove it quiet a bit yesterday and today. Parked at walmart, came out 10 minutes later and it would not start at all. Took the battery in and had it charged, they said it was low on charge. Put it back in and nothing happens. Engine does not turn, no sounds but the clicking in the glove box when you turn the key to run.

Is it the starter? the alternator? the relay in the glove box? (any one know the name for it or how to test it?)

I would love to fix it myself and not deal with towing it to a shop and having them fix it. Help?

 

[slavrenz]

Have you tried jumpstarting the car? The battery may just not be holding a charge.

 

[YellowMP5]

Have you tried jumpstarting the car? The battery may just not be holding a charge.

have not tried jump starting but they charged it at walmart and said it was good

 

[dxaveP5]

check your grounds, same thing happened to me.
and turned out that my terminals weren't on the battery terminal all the way, some of the corrosion just a tiny bit caused the power to not go through all the way.

 

[P-Funk!]

Is the alt output good? usually the flashing bat light inidcates low voltage.

If the battery is old - replace it. If not check the alt and the wiring.

 

[slavrenz]

have not tried jump starting but they charged it at walmart and said it was good

There's a reason that the Tire/Lube people at Wal-Mart aren't working in real garages . Just because they say you're battery is good. Doesn't mean it is.

I would try jumpstarting it, and also clean your battery terminals and cable ends.

 

[slavrenz]

Is the alt output good? usually the flashing bat light inidcates low voltage.

If the battery is old - replace it. If not check the alt and the wiring.

This is something to do once you actually get it started tho. If the alternator is bad, it will only cause the battery to die over time. It won't cause your car not to start with a freshly charged battery.

I'm not knocking this advice, I'm just trying to give the OP a list of priorities in terms of what to check first.

 

[curls]

My wife's car had a very similar problem. Battery (original!) was toast -- replaced it. Car worked for a bit but struggled to start even the same day the battery was replaced. I checked the starter and its cables for corrosion, tested OK but I broke the damn copper stud in the process. Replaced starter ($200 mistake, ouch).

Replaced the battery terminals, that didn't help.

What DID work, eventually, was replacing the alternator. I brought the old one in, had it bench-tested, it failed, and I got a new one for under $200. Installation is a b**** (they must have installed the alternator first, then built the car around it, I swear!). In the end, it was a faulty alternator that killed the battery and also led me to break the starter.

In your situation, check that your voltages with the car off are good (12.5V). If not, charge the battery, then check again. Jumpstart the car, wait a bit, and then check the voltages at the battery w/ the car on. Should be above 14V. If not, your alternator is likely kaput.

You can test the starter (if a jumpstart doesn't work) by using a beefy screwdriver with a plastic or rubber handle. Jump it across the large posts. It should spin -- it'll scare you, and make sure NOT to hold it there for more than 1/4 second. You just want to see if the electrical connections are providing power to the starter and its solenoid.

 

[wagon]

I live close to the ocean and we are prone to corrosion; I have had battery cables corroded inside, in the middle, completely hidden from view.

As they were getting worse and worse the problems started sporadic and got more frequent over time. I knew for sure that everything else was good so it was easy to determine.

Replacing fixed it all. Split cable open @ least 1 or 2 occasions and spotty corrosion was in multiple places along the length.

Just a thought.