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CLICKING WHEN TRYING TO START


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ziggy
User

Nov 11, 2014, 1:13 PM

Post #1 of 4 (1372 views)
CLICKING WHEN TRYING TO START Sign In

year 2002
ford focus
1.6
840000
Hi all woman here so be kind i went start my car the other week and it started clicking the battery is fine its not dead ,the click sound goes click click click and will only start when pushed ,also the speedo drops now and again and i have been told it is the gearbox sensor ,would this gearbox sensor have anything to do with it clicking after a push it starts ok then i leave it on the drive fora day or two and it starts clicking again .i understand this could be a starter motor issue but i just wanted to make sure its not the sensor before i go to a garage as they will say its everything,


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Nov 11, 2014, 1:41 PM

Post #2 of 4 (1357 views)
Re: CLICKING WHEN TRYING TO START Sign In

Do you mean multiple rapid fire clicking when in "start position" with the key? If so that's usually low battery power available for the starter.


Would call for charging, checking and cleaning up cables to battery and charging system all up to par first before blaming anything else. Of course could be other something but do make sure of ordinary checks of fluid levels manually not always just relying on just warnings that may or may not give you early warnings. An engine that's too tight could do this too so just rule out the oil is fine and coolant if only that much,


T



ziggy
User

Nov 11, 2014, 1:51 PM

Post #3 of 4 (1351 views)
Re: CLICKING WHEN TRYING TO START Sign In

Yes it is multiple clicking and when i took the battery off to charge it it was one bar away from fully charged .I did charge it and it was fine for a few days then went back to clicking.everything else is fine


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Nov 11, 2014, 2:14 PM

Post #4 of 4 (1346 views)
Re: CLICKING WHEN TRYING TO START Sign In

It may show fully charged but not powerful enough for the starter. Actually common as they get older. Not just how many volts it shows when charged up but can it hold a load on it. That clicking is probably the starter's solenoid which is supposed to flutter when power is inadequate to protect the starter from actually getting hot from sustained low power to properly turn/crank the engine.


This car if my guess is right probably just needs a new battery but can have it load tested and checked too first. The light bar type indication devices are just telling you it's voltage is up to spec not how powerful it is. The starter motor needs the most power of anything else in the whole car electrically.


Should have said first off - gender doesn't matter a hoot on knowing something about cars or not so quit that please.


Not to dumb down what I mean about the power of a battery and needs of a starter motor but think of voltage as pressure and power or amps it's called is the volume it can deliver.


Not much different that water thru plumbing. Skinny little pipe with the same pressure as a fire hose are NOT going to fill a swimming pool at the same rate - do you get the idea a bit if said that way?


You can tell if amps are compromised with a simple voltmeter or even less. Watch a forced on dome light while dark helps a bit how dim it gets while cranking the engine. If a lot it's voltage is dropping off for your starter too,


T







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