i have a 99 pontiac grand am. i've never had any major problems with it except the alternator. when i turn my car over, all it does is make a clicking noise. if i leave the key on,,,in the on position my radio works , my dash lights light up, my door will ding. what is the problem? could it be my starter? i've had 2 people tell me that it's probably my battery. please help me.
2006-09-26 08:07:16 · 16 answers · asked by April P 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It does sound like your battery is the "root-cause" of your problems.
It does not have enough "juice" to turn your starter over. The dash lights, and door ding do not need many amp's to function.
For about $5.00 you can get a "battery-tester" and check the battery. They are easy to read and it uses LED lights to show the amp's(charge) of your battery. Also if you or a friend has an Ohm meter that reads both AC & DC(set to read DC) voltage you can use it to see how many amp's your battery is holding.
A proper and fully charged battery(car) should have 10-12 amp's, also the battery tester can also check your alternator once you start your car, it should be pulling 12-15 amp's while the car is running.
A battery is cheaper than buying a "starter & alternator" and both will not do you any good, if the battery is bad to begin with!
Seven years is a long time for a car battery, and usually do start getting bad "cells" in them.
Your neighborhood "Autozone & Checker Auto" will check your battery for free, if you take it to them.....
Good Luck!!!
2006-09-26 08:29:37 · answer #1 · answered by 1moe4u 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would not condemn the starter just yet.
Start by removing each battery cable from the battery and clean them thoroughly. Use a heaping tablespoon of baking soda in a big glass of water. Pour the mixture slowly over the terminals and cable ends and scrub with an old tooth brush.
Reassemble.
second, check that battery cables are connected tightly at the battery, starter and ground.
If these things do not help you probably do need a starter.
Always try the inexpensive stuff first.
2006-09-26 15:17:42 · answer #2 · answered by cb 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like your battery doesn't have enough power in it to turn over your starter. You can check this by trying to jump start your car. If it starts fine with the jump, it's your battery.
Starter motors usually fail dead, so you end up with it either working or not working. The clicking noise usually indicates a low battery.
2006-09-26 15:34:13 · answer #3 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, it's your battery, it has probably died as a result of a bad alternator, most rebuilt alternators only last a year or two, replace them both, (or at least have your alternator tested, but that's not always fool proof, the alternator could be starting to go, intermittent charging, this will give a false reading) either way, your battery is toast, probably a burnt out cell, still enough juice for the radio, but no cranking amps. problem solved
2006-09-26 15:14:44 · answer #4 · answered by mikel b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any auto parts store will check your battery for you free. Your battery posts may also need to be cleaned. You may have a bad starter or it could be the solenoid. Even though you replaced your alternator it could be bad, the auto place will check that too at no charge.
2006-09-26 15:16:37 · answer #5 · answered by Thomas S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check your battery connections. If they aren't clean and tight, you will get those symptoms. Still no go? Find a friend with a set of jumper cables. It that does it, it's either your battery or your alternator. To find out, after it starts take the jumper cables cables off. If the car continues to run, let it go for a bit and see if it dies. If it continues to run, your alternator is okay, but your battery may be dying. If it immediately dies, or dies after a few minutes, the alternator isn't charging the battery.
2006-09-26 15:14:01 · answer #6 · answered by oklatom 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yea it could most likely be the starter but check if the battery is charged fully 2
2006-09-26 15:11:57 · answer #7 · answered by supraknuckles 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like the starter to me...If it was your battery then your stereo & lights would not work..
2006-09-26 15:18:35 · answer #8 · answered by princessn678 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is your battery, it does not have enough juice to turn the engine over
2006-09-26 15:11:08 · answer #9 · answered by Bud 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
definately the starter
2006-09-26 15:16:26 · answer #10 · answered by scguy89 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋