# Failed start, rapid clicking: Battery or starter? Help!



## dlp0401 (Jun 22, 2012)

Hello! I'm trying to figure out why I'm having starting trouble and I would greatly appreciate the advice of people here. I'm a female college student and this is the first car (2000 Nissan Altima) that I own, and I don't know a great deal about cars; thus, if you could make your responses as DETAILED as possible, that would be fantastic. Here's all the info i can remember about the issue:

I noticed a couple weeks ago some acid build up on the positive battery terminal. I scraped it off and thought little of it (I now know that it is an indication of something amiss). I drove it back to Chicago, parked it, and didn't start it for about a couple weeks. We had a number of record hot days (mid-90's) in that time. Then I jumped in it to drive it two days ago and it would not start. The windows, radio, headlights seemed to work at full strength. However, the car would not turn over at all. The second time turning the key produced a rapid clicking noise. My roommate came to jump start it, though we may have done it incorrectly: we did not wait for a couple minutes after connecting the cables to the terminals, just tried to start it, and he was not revving his engine. Well, same rapid clicking sound after about one second with the key turned all the way. No turning over at all. I tried to jump it again later that night, with another car, after waiting a few minutes with the other car running for a while and revving its engine and same response. I also noticed that the lights and windows appeared to be weakening at that point. This afternoon, I went to get something from the backseat and now even the electronic door locks are completely dead, not a thing happens with the key in any position. I'm fairly certain at no point did I ever leave any light or battery-draining device on in the car. Total number of times trying to turn the key was between 10-12. 

Given all this evidence, is it more likely to be a faulty battery, or faulty starter? I suppose I could schlep the battery into pepboys tomorrow to get it tested. Though, what exactly am I looking for in this test? All this 'voltage' and 'power' and 'charge' and 'drained' terminology I find very vague and/or confusing. Any thoughts would be appreciated, as I know little about cars, have a crucial trip to new york coming up in a week, and I have an extremely tight financial situation at the moment, without the cash lying around to have a starter installed. Based on personal experience, I do not trust mechanics whom I don't know personally, and would prefer to solve this problem myself. 

Thanks guys (and gals)!


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## LvR. (May 26, 2010)

That acid stuff you removed from the positive terminal could very well be the answer - iow the terminal and cable may be so gunked up that its not making proper contact any more - externally they may seem to be fine after your "clean" but in reality there may be very little contact happening between the inside of that positive terminal (also the negative terminal) and the battery post. Problem is you may have killed the battery in the process because its not charging in this state and you could also have killed the alternator in the process. You need to separate the battery and the cable connections - brush the loose gunk off, then wash with lots of water and bicarb powder (wet the terminal and posts and top of battery then sprinkle bicarb on it in copious amounts) - leave a few minutes then wash with lots of water while brushing the gunk away. Dry everything. Check and replenish battery water to proper levels. Get a file or scraper and clean up the terminals and posts till they look like they are nice and shiny. Cover all the exposed terminal and post surfaces with Vaseline jelly (I am sure you have that what with being a girl and all) - refit terminals and tighten properly - Now get a friend to come park next to you for about 10 minutes with his car only idling (having the jumper car rev its engine could/can damage their alternator and then you lose a friend in the process) while the jumper leads are connected to your car. After 10 minutes you should be able to start your car and immediately take it for a battery and alternator/charge inspection - replace anything that is found to be wonky and keep the battery and all terminal surfaces clean with water and bicarb washes on a regular basis - make sure you keep the exposed terminal and post surfaces covered with Vaseline when its dry


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Good advice ^^^^ Only thing I would advise is that you wait and find out if the battery and charging system are any good before you start applying the vasoline in case you need to take the cables back off to replace/repair anything. If the battery is that low, it should really be put on a trickle charger for at least 8 hours and then tested. An alternative to Vaseline is Permatex #80370 Battery protector, which comes in a 6 oz. spray can and can be picked up at any auto parts store.


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