My car won't start and makes fast clicking noises when I turn the key. What would cause this to happen?

Question

I took my car in for new tires and they also changed one of my headlights. My car has never had problems starting before. After they changed my tires and did the alignment they drove it around for a couple minutes to make sure everything worked. When I went to start it after paying nothing happened except a fast clicking noise. We jumped it and it started right up. I drove it around for about 20 minutes to recharge it and thought it would be ok. Later that night I went to start it again and it made the fast clicking sound again. I jumped it and this time let it charge for 35 minutes. I turned it off and tried to start it up right after and it was making the same fast clicking noise. I have a 2000 Dodge Stratus. I think the guy might have done something when he changed my headlight. Please help!

Answer 1

Battery,Mr/M/s ask me anything,Or else,check your starter.

Answer 2

It sounds as though you may need a starter or a cylinder switch.

Answer 3

i agree you need a new battery

Answer 4

Sounds like the starter.  Or the battery is dying but not completly dead yet.

Answer 5

The battery is low and can't keep a  full charge.

The clicking is what is called a solenoid. That is an electric switch. I uses a magnet to pull a piece of metal over to close the circuit.

When you turn the key, there is enough power to power the magnet and close the circuit. This causes electricity to be routed to the starter motor, but there is not enough power in the battery to run it. All of the battery power goes into making this happen and because there isn't enough the solenoid doesn't have enough power anymore to keep the circuit closed and it moves.

You end up with a rapid series of clicks as the solenoid powers on and off.

Probably what has happened is that they had the cars electrics on without running it and your battery was already weak. This probably pushed it over the edge and the battery died.

So buy a new battery and you will be good to go.

Answer 6

battery, starter or alternator is my guess. In that order.

Answer 7

Bad starter

Answer 8

you need a new battery

or check the battery connections   make sure they are clean

Answer 9

first make sure that all ur connection are clamped down and tighted if thats all good.  take ur battery to kragen or checker its free to determine if ur battery is source of the problem and dey will charge ur battery for free. if thats ok, den u may have to take the alternator off and take it to kragen for a test. or if u have the money take it to sears or any automotive place to test ur charging stystems. it is not the starter coz the car will start when jumped start.  but it sounds like the battery or u better hope its the battery!

Answer 10

The sound your are describing is typically heard with a dead battery.. though what that has to do with simply changing a headlight, I don't know..If a light was left on, that would typically drain down the battery, but after running the car for a while, or charging the battery with an external charger, it should be good as new.. take it back and have them load test the battery, check the charging system, and if necessary, the fuse (s) for the alternator. I've seen batteries die under unusual circumstances.. but for this, the timing is too convenient....

Answer 11

sound like it may be your starter. no need to buy a new one yet. first take the starter to your local auto parts store and have them test it. If its good do the same thing with your alternater... have them test it. If its good also then try replacing your battery..... well good luck!

Answer 12

your battery needs to be charged. if your battery is older than 3 years old you may need a new one. or your alternator is shot and not charging the battery. it could even bee something as easy as a loose wire. check the leads for corrosion and make sure the negative terminal is grounded properly to the car frame. the solenoid and starter are probably fine but dont crank it too much with no juice. you could try tapping the solenoid with a wrench or hammer but i doubt the starter is the problem charge or buy a new battery and test your alternator with a ohms volts meter

Answer 13

Your headlight change quite possibly meant the battery was disconnected. If, in replacing the cable, proper contact was not made, this can cause the "fast clicking". This is mostly caused as the starter tries to run (requiring large current) but the battery fails to supply enough- for whatever reason. The starter relay drops in an out.

In jump starting, you probably placed the jumper leads on the battery CLAMPS. Even if the battery connection is poor, the car then starts. It may charge the battery alright, even.

So first, simply check the battery connections. IF IN DOUBT, CLEAN THEM THOROUGHLY before reconnecting.

Your problem might magically disappear.

Answer 14

YOUR STARTER IS GOING OUT, OR IT'S YOUR ALTINATOR... YES, THIS HAPPENS. FIX ONE THING, & BOOM, SOMETHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

Answer 15

Lets start simple. It is possible that the battery is good but you have a weak connection between your battery poles and the terminal that is connected to them. This is very common. So the first thing you should do with the key OFF the ignition is unplug the terminals and clean them. If you see this green poudery stuff in the terminal you know they are corroded. Clean them. You can even use soda which will eat away the green stuff. OH! don't get it into your eyes. Also, with a knife scratch off the inside of the terminal to expose more metal. Also scratch off a bit of the terminal. Alternatively there is a tool made just for this purpose which looks like a brillo pad with a k**b. Anyways, reconnect the terminals and try starting the car again.

If that did not work, it still can be the terminals but is less likely. It would be a good idea to get a voltmeter. You can get a cheap one at your local radioshack. $9 to $15. Put it on DC volts and measure the battery by putting the meter probe on top of the battery terminal. Match the colors. That is, put black wire to black or negative side of the battery and the redprobe on the red or positive pole of the battery. Remember, you want to touch the battery not the terminals attached to the batteries. It should meassure 12 to 13V the closer to 13V the better. If this is not the case the battery is discharged which means it may be bad. take to the car part shop and have them test it. If it does meassure 12V and above then there is not a good connection in one of the two wires connected to the battery.

To determine this leave on of the probes of the meter and follow the wire on the other pole. For example battery pole to battery pole meassures 12V then battery is good.But if meter negative (black wire) on battery and meter positive (red wire) does not measure 12V then there is a bad connection.

One more thing, If after fixing the problem the battery dies it could be a bad alternator but this is if you see that your battery gets drained after use.

In short, try these steps sequencially and after each try startint the car before moving to the next step.

1) first clean the terminals and try again.

2) check if there are no other problem with the connection from the battery to the wires.

3) take the battery to a shop and have them test it.

Answer 16

Bad connections on the battery or a bad battery. A lot of auto supply outlets will test your battery and charging system for free.

Answer 17

You need a new battery