6 Common Causes of Car Clicks When Trying to Start!

It is the most frustrating situation when we are in hurry to leave our house and when trying to start the car, it just clicks, and nothing happened. There might be some engine issues, in that situation, the best option would be to call a DIY mechanic to resolve your issue.

You might see the car won’t start but lights come on clicking noise. But it is not the solution to turn the key for a longer time because it can cause damage to the starter engine. That’s why we came up with this post where we will tell you how to diagnose this issue.

One Single Click Versus Rapid Clicking

As we have seen that most people identify two types of clicks, one is the single click with engine turnover while the another is rapid clicking. If your car clicks but won’t turn over then any of the click issues may arise.

Well, it is not simple to diagnose with just noise, you can understand the difference between fast clicking and slow clicking. Basically, click is a type of electrical issue that mainly comes from any part of the engine.

Car Makes A Series Of Rapid Clicks

If your car makes a series of rapid clicks when you turn the key in the ignition then you should know that it is not a big issue. This issue can be easily fixed, this type of issue indicates that your starter motor is not getting engaged with electric current or we can say that your solenoid is not making a proper connection.

While diagnosing the issue, you will get to know that your battery is not getting a good connection and your battery needs to be replaced or can also be resolved with proper cleaning.

Car Makes A Single Click When Trying To Start

If your car makes a single click when trying to start then you will be able to listen to a loud noise click. Then there might be some mechanics, which is playing the role of culprit here by jumping to the starter engine. The drained battery can also be a reason for this issue or your battery is not getting the proper voltage to charge, as it requires 12 volts to charge the battery.

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What Are The Common Causes Of Car Clicks When Trying To Start?

 When you try to turn your key in the ignition and your car won’t start but light comes on clicking noise. You will understand that there is some issue with the car but it can be fixed by jump-starting or simply tightening the cable. But knowing causes is also necessary, let us go through it –

• Drained Battery

If the other electric components of the car are running perfectly, it doesn’t mean that car is in perfect condition. Generally, those components require less power while starting an engine requires power of up to 300 amps.

If you have left your headlights in for a long time then your battery will get drained quickly or there is some wire loss in the car could also be a reason for the car clicking when you try to start it.

• Starter

When your starter gets faulty then the car will start clicking once you try to start. It might be possible that your car’s starter is broken and you need to call a mechanic to fix this issue

You will be able to see the smoke coming out of the engine and some oil will also start leaking out. If the starter is damaged only then it will not make a clicking noise but if it is making then it means that the starter of the car is broken.

• Fuse

If there is no issue with the battery, you can check whether the fuse is blown out or not. If you don’t know where the fuse is then you can check the manual and locate it accordingly.

Now you have to start inspecting the wire inside the casing, if it is burnt then this Clicking sound may arise. The power is not reaching the starter because the wire is burnt and the car won’t start but the lights come on clicking noise.

• Alternator

There might be some fault with the alternator, which mainly recharges the battery, and generates power for it. When the starter doesn’t get enough power, it rapidly starts turning on and off and starts clicking noise.

In this situation, you can blame only your electrical system and it needs to be repaired timely. A normal jumpstart is just a temporary solution that can make your car move. A qualified technician will diagnose the alternator issue and will replace it for better results.

• Bad Wiring

Whenever we face an issue in starting a car, we just think that there is a battery issue but sometimes we are wrong. Many people ignore that it can also be an issue of poor or bad wiring.

So, we need to check whether there is a burning smell or not, if it is then there is some serious issue with the car’s wiring. This burning can completely damage the wire and this problem arises when the wire is too old. The wires will Ron down and will not make a proper connection and that’s why it starts clicking noise.

• Ignition Switch Damaged

If all things are fine then the ignition switch may be the culprit, which is making hassles in front of you. Some people think that the Ignition switch is a mechanical part but it is an electrical one, which silently operates the mechanical part.

This issue can be diagnosed only through a professional mechanical. This is the thing, which almost ignored by many people and it is a big mistake. But if you want to check whether the ignition switch is a fault or not, you should check your dashboard and panel.

Just move the ignition key into the second position, now if it is not bringing up the light then the ignition switch is faulty and you need a proper solution to it.

Car Won’t Start But Battery Works

This is a certain situation when the Car Won’t Start Just Clicks But Battery Is Good. In this situation, users should check the ignition switch, some problems should be there. For more confirmation, just turn on your car’s headlights, now if the headlights are running properly then definitely there is a problem with the ignition switch. If there is no issue with the battery then the ignition switch can be the issue in your car.

Frequently Asked Question

Q1. What Does It Mean When You Turn The Key And It Just Clicks?
Ans. Well, if there is a single click then there should be some fault in the car’s starter. While if there is rapid clicking then there might b some battery or alternator problem.

Q2. How Do You Tell If It’s Your Starter Or Battery?
Ans. If there is some issue with the battery of a car then it starts single-clicking when you turn the key but if there is an issue with the starter then it starts rapid clicking.

Q3. How Do You Fix A Fast Click When Starting A Car?
Ans. The best solution would be to jump-start the battery. Yes, it can be risky but you should take all the precautions with you while starting a car to avoid uncertainties.

Q4. Why Is My Car Not Starting But The Battery Isn’t Dead?
Ans. If your car won’t start just clicks but the battery is good then there should be some issue with the starter or ignition of the car. You can easily check it by turning on the headlights.   

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