Car Won’t Start and Produces A Clicking Noise : Causes and Solutions

Every now and then, our car needs to be checked up and maintained. The oils, brake pads, cables, etc. all need to be checked to make sure it’s in working condition.

It is extremely important for any vehicle owner to get it regularly checked because, on occasions, you might experience that your car isn’t even starting anymore. Now there could be several reasons that might lead to that. We shall discuss the symptoms you are experiencing and their causes and several solutions.

Why is my car producing a clicking noise:

Some of the major reasons for this could be either the battery or any other electronic component or maybe the alternator. The clicking noise most likely implies that there is something really wrong with the electrical components of the car. It could be that the battery is dead, the cables are loose, the starter is faulty or that the alternator is faulty.

In such a case, the starter, which is the motor that starts the engine, doesn’t get enough power to get it started, and so the car only produces a clicking noise.

The clicking is also of several types. Such as it could be a single loud click, or it could be continuous rapid clicking. Depending upon what sort of a clicking sound you hear, you need to diagnose the problem with the car and then find out what to do about it.

Given below, we have discussed each of the possible reasons that could be causing the clicking sound and refraining the car from starting.

Reasons why your car isn’t starting and making a clicking noise and what to do about it:

We will discuss the scenario where your car isn’t starting and makes a clicking noise. Now, this could be caused by several reasons each f which is listed and explained in detail below:

1. Corroded battery terminals:

One of the most common and basic reasons for why your car is not starting could be corroded battery terminals.

Battery is the most vital electronic component of the car. It is what powers the car and kick starts it. With the battery not working properly, it is not possible for the car to even be able to start.How to know for sure that the battery terminals are corroded?

To make sure that this is the reason why you can turn the key in the car’s ignition, and you will notice that it won’t make any sound.
To be completely sure, now check the terminals of the battery. If they look corroded, then congratulations, you have successfully diagnosed the problem. We will now get down to how to solve it.

What to do if the battery terminals are corroded?

First, try forcing the corner of a screwdriver between the connectors and the terminals of the battery and start the car, if it works, then you need to get your cables replaced.

2. A dead battery:

Another basic reason that leads to a clicking noise and the car not starting is a dead battery. Being the starting engine of the car, if the battery is dead, then your car won’t be starting anytime soon.

How to know that the battery is dead?

This is more of an observation than an analysis. You might have experienced problems with starting your car in the past as well. This is because the battery needed a recharge.

What to do if the car’s battery is dead?

You can temporarily start your car by recharging your battery, but it might not permanently solve the problem, so it is necessary to get your car examined by a mechanic. Once that’s done, they’ll be able to guide you better. The two options that you have are either to get the battery recharged or replaced. Either case, the car should start once that is done.

3. A frozen or a locked up engine:

This is another reason that could be causing the clicking noise, and then the car won’t start. It is easy to identify and to solve.
What to do if you have a locked up or a frozen engine?

In case of a locked or a frozen engine, all you have to do is manually start it. You can kick start an engine simply with the help of a breaker bar and a wrench.

To avoid having this problem in the future, fill up the coolant of your vehicle, and try not to park the car out in the cold.

4. Due to a faulty starter:

A starter or starter relay is a switch that transmits power to the starter of the car and gets it running.

One of the symptoms to identify a faulty starter is a clicking noise that is produced one time when you press start or turn the key.
Starters usually last up to 30 to 200 thousand miles, but its lifespan also depends on the driver and the vehicle, so it may be that the starter is damaged.

What to do if the starter is faulty?

Temporarily if you discover that the starter is faulty, you can jump-start your car. If that doesn’t work, unfortunately, you don’t have any other option but to tow your vehicle to a nearby repair shop, but to permanently solve the problem, you will need to get your starter replaced by a mechanic.

5. Ground cable problem

It could be that the ground cable that lies between the body of the car and its engine or its battery is corroded, loose or cut, etc. In such a case, the power to the car won’t be transmitted, and due to this restriction, the car won’t start.

What to do if the ground cable is faulty?

If you see that the ground cable is loose, you can tighten it, but if it is corroded or cut, then you will have to replace it. To start the car, you can use an external jumper. Attach the jumper to the engine of the car and then the negative terminal of the battery. This might solve the problem.

6. The power cable is broken

One more reason that could lead to a vehicle not starting or making a click sound is a loose or a broken power cable. It is the job of a power cable to transfer the power from the starter to the engine, and if it doesn’t work and is unable to transfer that power, it will definitely lead to the car not starting.

What to do in this case?

If the cable is loose, you can check it out and tighten it or reattach it if it’s dislocated, but in the case that it is completely broken, you have no option but to get it replaced.

If none of the above work, what to do to start your car:

If none of the above-mentioned reasons can be deduced and solved, then here are some other things that you can try to either diagnose the issue or to start your car and be able to take it to a mechanic at least and get the problem diagnosed and then fixed.

Boost or jump start your car:

All you need to jump-start your car is a 12V or a higher voltage battery. It could be in a close-by car.

I. Just attach the jumper cables by attaching the negative to both of the batteries and the positive to the positive booster cable.

II. Now you need to put the jumper cables on. It is important to remember the following sequence 1, 2, 3, 4.

III. Now start the other car and let it be for a few minutes.

IV. Whilst keeping the engine running, remove the attached jumper cables in the reverse order that is 4 3 2 1.

Scan it with an OBD2 scanner:

An OBD2 scanner is used to scan the computing system of the car. This way, you can compare the codes that you get with the help of the scanner with the codes of the vehicle and be able to tell what is causing the issue. The codes for each vehicle may vary but are mostly given on the manual.

It is important to remember that an OBD2 scanner may not solve the issue, but it tells you what the issue is and in most cases, it is something that can be easily solved by the driver on their own such as a cable that needs to be tightened or a battery needs to be recharged, etc.

Once you have diagnosed the problem, all you have to do is solve it. There are two things that you can do at this stage, one is to repair the part or get it repaired, and the other is to replace it or get it replaced.

Final Thoughts:

Listed above are all the things that you can do if you find yourself stuck, with your car not starting and making clicking noises. Regardless of whether the above tips work or not, it is still important to get your car checked by a professional.