i need to know why my car won't start. When I turn the key there is a fast rachet type noise.?

Answer 1

Your battery is too weak to crank the starter. The sound you hear is your starter solenoid clicking.

You can jump-start your car to get it moving, but odds are your current battery is too weak to maintain enough power to turn the car over. Check your battery terminals for corrosion (if they're corroded, clean them). Make sure the cables are on tightly, especially the negative cable. (You shouldn't be able to wiggle them).

If the terminals are fine and the cables are tight, and after jumping the car the same symptoms occur, your battery is dead. Have it load-tested as a previous poster suggested. If it's too far gone, replace it with the highest-quality one you can find. A cheap battery doesn't last worth crap, and will give you more problems sooner than a high-quality one will.

P.S.: if the symptoms reoccur after you replace the battery, you have an alternator (AC generator) problem that should be taken to a competent mechanic to diagnose. Good luck!

Answer 2

Since the starter system contain several parts, it' s hard to diagnose the problem, but here are some ideas and this starts with the easiest part first. 1) Start at the battery, if your battery is more than three years old, chances are this could be your problem since high underhood tempratures in hot weather causes batteries to fail long before the actualy 5 or 6 year pro-rated warrantyhas expired. If the battery is over three years old, change it and don't risk depending on someone to give you a jump! 2) Check the battery cables and connections and terminals. If they have corrosion, pouring a little Cocoa-Cola on them will clean the corrosion off of the battery terminals. Then wash them off with clear water! Take the terminals loose and clean them and the battery posts with a terminal brush,available at any parts store for a few bucks. Stay away from using those quicky screw on terminals since they usually cause a voltage drop from the battery to the rest of the starting system components. If the cables are bad, replace them with new cables and use at lease 4 gauge cables. Reattach terminals to the battery posts and make sure they are tight, then spray them liberally with some terminal corrosion protector spray on the battery terminal connection, do not use grease as it will liquify with high underhood tempratures and work down in between the terminal and battery post and will insulate the electrical charge that needs to go to the starter switch to actuate the starter motor. 3) Check the starter switch located inline on the positive battery cable. Insure that all wires are connected and tight. This switch is usualy inexpensive and very easy to change so, if you done everything else up to now with no success, change the magnetic switch. This switch is actually a relay and over time wears out depending on how much starting and stopping you do, so, you might be doing yourself a favor changing it out, in any case. Make sure you make note of the wires and their location by making a small wiring diagram before you remove the old switch. 4) You only have three other items that could be your problem - the starter, ring gear or starter drive bendix. A rebuilt starter comes with a new starter bendix installed, however, a ring gear replacement requires removal of the transmission since the ring gear is on the engine's flywheel. My best guess is that the ring gear is not the fault unless you like to start your engine with the engine already running, alot! I think that following the above outlined procedure you'll find your problem fairly early-on! **** luck!

Answer 3

It could be a bad battery, loose connections from battery to starter, starter relay, starter solinoid, bendex in starter not fully engaging. If you are mechanically inclined, you will need to do the process of elimination. First have battery load tested and go from there. It is hard to really say exactly what it is without being able to to check it myself.

Answer 4

It's gotta be the ALTERNATOR. Chances are, if your clock/radio/emergency lights are messing around (turning on or off) when you hit the brakes, there's an electrical problem. Here, in Canada, that's about a $300 job including parts, labour and taxes

Answer 5

Either the battery is dead or the starter solenoid is bad, need to check both.

Answer 6

could be battery or starter but make sure you go to a auto zone or any parts place first and have them to test your battery

Answer 7

I agree with the battiery guy. Could also be Starter b ut not as likly.

Answer 8

sounds like a dead battery. Do you have a jumper and a good friend with a car?

Answer 9

Ford ? replace starter solenoid

Answer 10

yeah ya battery's prolly out. Or you just have a broken asss ride.

Call Xizbit and tell him to Pimp it.