i just went to go start the car, and it doesn't turn on... i live in ottawa, ontario, canada so it gets pretty cold. i try to start up the car every day or two just to get the engine going and if there isn't to much snow outside drive it around a bit.

when i went to go start the car today it didn't turn on, all the indicator lights came on as usual then when i turned the key to start it, i just kept here a clicking noise and all the indicator lights in the car kept flashing until i stopped trying to start the car...

could this just be the battery? or something else... the car is well taken care of and maintenance is always done on time.

 

Sounds like the battery. Also Just turning on the car and letting it idle is not that good for the car, In order to heat it up properly you need to drive it.

 

if i can't drive the car, should i just disconnect the battery? thanks for the quick reply.

 

talk to her, let her know you wont cheat on her again..lol


no advice here.

 

yea clicking noise is battery... check to see if your battery needs water first.. I live in a desert and the water in my battery always evaporates real quick and when its gone my car dies really fast. So check your water levels in there I think disconnecting your battery is a bit over kill IMO

 

You should buy a battery Tender so that the battery will stay good.

 

Could it be a bad starter?

 

Starting the car drains the battery and idling won't charge it fast enough or charge it to 100%. Definitely get a battery tender. Starting in cold temps causes a lot of wear on the engine. Also, water vapor will form in the crankcase and then settle in the oil. To burn it off you have to drive the car for 20-30 minutes to get the oil temp hot enough to evaporate the water. Its not a bad idea to change the oil before you store it for the winter either.

 

Yeah if the battery is too low in lots of cars, all you will get is a clicking sound and the lights on the dash usually flicker with the clicking sound.

 

Cold weather just took out my starter last week FYI, and my battery is perfectly fine. The click is indication of the starter not activating as well. Was told best indication is flickering panel lights while attempting to start to distinguish if its a battery issue. I was having one click at key turn

 

ye the lights flickering is exactly what i was getting along with the clicking, gonna pick up a battery tender this weekend, should fix things up.

 

I had the same clicking noise as you. All dash lights would turn on, but when the key was turned to start it just kept clicking. No cranking. Ended up being a dead battery. I just jump started it and drove it to a shop to get the batt changed.

 

Yeah the continual clicking with dash lights flickering = dead battery.
One click with the lights all staying on is usually the solenoid or starter itself.

 

I am having starting problems also. My battery shows full power, thought issue was key and had all keys updated last week. Now it won't crank. I hear a "Fluttering" sound when I turn the key over to start, but I suspect that might be a fuel pump noise.
Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Hoping to have minimal expense, but might need new starter.

 

This happened to me in July. If the battery has full power and you can't start it, more than likely the starter is bad. How many miles are on your car David and Roh? Mine went out around 85,000 miles. Its common but yeah my bet is on the starter. I took mine to an import mechanic, who installed it for nothing and got the part at discount. Dealer was going to charge me um to $1500 (diagnostic, part, labor, over night storage) which is bs because the part is $180.


Hope you guys get lucky and have it be a shortage in your battery, this one had me stumped too, but I bet its the starter.