Click, Click, Click! Hmmmm? Starter Bad?

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Skipper (Eric)

Hmmmmmm? Now I have a whole different problem!! I go to turn the key and all I get is a loud click noise out of the starter. Hmmmm? I cleaned the battery, charged it up, made sure the connections were good and clean at the battery and still, """"Click, Click!) Hmmmmmm? I figure this one is electrical. I hope my starter is not bad. The dealor says it is probably a bad connection some place. Did any one else have this problem or if not, does any one have any ideas? Your Friend, Skipper (From Ohio....Eric Stanson)
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Clean terminals.

Eric: You want to be sure that all the terminals are clean (battery, starter and ignition). These starter buttons (assuming that is what you have) can get corroded. You will also want to check the charge on the battery and be sure that it is also good. Just because it is charged up does not mean that it is putting out enough juice.
 
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Ed Schenck

Click, click . . . .

is almost normal if you follow the starter problems on HOW. A very common malady. Easiest way to eliminate all the connections as the problem source? Just take a heavy screwdrive across the posts of the solenoid. It will arc a little but if the connections are the problem it will turn right over. You do not state whether these are loud clicks or barely audible clicks. Barely audible suggests that the problem is the wiring through the starter button or key to the solenoid. But run the jumper test first then we can pursue it further.
 
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Terry

Hi Eric, Steve and Ed have good suggestions...

You should have 12 volts at the starter before cranking. Then with the starter switch engaged, also 12 volts at the solenoid. If, by crossing the solenoid terminals the motor spins, then it could be a bad solenoid. If the motor does not spin, it could be a bad motor. Usually the clicking is an indication of a weak battery. The solenoid and starter motor are pretty dependable units. Make sure you have 12 volts a the motor. Terry
 
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Skipper (Eric)

Off to Auto Zone with Steve's Adivice!

Thank you Steve! Off to AutoZone to check on my battery to see if it is good. I was told it needs around 45 amps or so to get the starter to go. Funny thing is that this problem is intermittent. Your Pal, Skipper (The All Powerful One!)
 
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Skipper (Eric)

Hair on end & on fire after trying Ed's suggestion

Hi Ed, They are very loud clicks! I am a bit afraid to put a screw driver across the silinoid! Hahahahaha. Do you promise I will not become some sort of mutant that is able to throw bolts of lighting at people at will? Hahahahaha. O.k. I will try this thing! Man....What I do for you guys to entertain you!!!!! hahahahaha....After I do this and end up with my hair on fire, I suppose I will be the laugh and the butt of conversation and jokes,,,,,Huh? Hahaha! Skipper
 
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Skipper (Eric)

Ship Wrecked but Pleanty to do with Ginger &....

thank you Terry! I will check with a volt meter. Or I will stick my wet tongue to both leeds on the silinoid. Us All Powerful Skipper types is a tough sort! Arf Arf Arf Arf! Or I will have my little buddy Giligan do it for me. Yeah, maybe I will have him do it while I turn the key!......" Hey little buddy!!! Come on over her!" Your Pal, The Skipper (Ship wrecked and marooned on a desert Island with not too many mechanics but two beautiful chicky babies...Ginger and Mary Ann!)
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Try this too.

Eric: Open the decompression lever on your engine and have someone hit the starter. Without the compression load the engine will probably spin freely if the starter is good. If the engine is in running order, you can close the compression lever and the engine will sometimes fire right up. This is a good trick if you ever have a weak battery and you need to start your engine away from shore power.
 
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Don Alexander

Brushes?

It is not unknown for one or both of the starter brushes to be making bad contact or be stuck slightly off the commutator. If nothing else works, and before removing the starter, get a 2' long piece of 2" square timber, place one end against the starter body and give the other end a good whack with a hammer. This will often jar the offending brush free and then the starter works again. I carried such in my car for years and it never failed to get me going.
 
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Skipper (Eric)

Great Advice! Here is some from me!!!!!!!!

Steve my friend! Wow! Great advice! I will always remember that trick! I will try this tomorrow morning and see if it works. Tonight, however, the starter seems to be working! Hmmmm? For a while there, it would just click. Now, just about every time, it works again. Every so often, I get a click and not start but all and all, these evening, it has been working...Hmmmm? I hate when things go right! When things start working, it is very hard to figure out what is wrong with it. Once, my car did that. All of a sudden it started working. It was like a free bee. I did not even need to take it to a mechanic. So, I figured this one was for me and my life was going to be improving from now on. Yep. This were good! That is till I decided to drive 100 miles away from home. then I ended up stranded in some hick town with these really strange people that all looked like they were in that movie, "Deliverance"! Ever hear of Dueling Banjos...Well, I did and I got to tell ya, keep your car fixed. If you dont, don't go far from home expecially if you decide to drive to a place that has lots of people that seem to be related to each other, live in the woods and have no front teeth!
 
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Skipper (Eric)

Ah! Another use for a 2 by 2.....Thankx Don!

Thank you Don, I was thinking up your alley tonight actually. I started tapping on it with my socket wrench. It seems to be working a bit better since then. I will try to 2 by 2 tomorrow. Shoot, if bonking it over the head with a 2 by 2 works, I will have found one more thing a big stick fixes. Shoot, just last week my wife found that a big stick often works good at getting my attention. I wasn't listening to her till she bonked me over the head with that big stick. Now, every time she yells, I run to her right away. This way, I avoid "The Stick"! So, Shazam! Another use for a 2 by 2! Today, I decided to wash my new Hunter 27...A sure sign that I am less stressed about the motor and starter. I figure I may as well make her look pretty now that I got the engine running. Just because the engine runs, does this mean she will perform well? I suppose not. I guess I will just have to wait till I put her in the water before I find out if the motor actually runs well. Your Pal from Ohio (The Skipper) Eric Stanson
 
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