[googley]

I got my first car (used). I am supposed to use it next week to move. I have owned it less than a month and I think the battery died. (and not just the you need to jump it died). The starter clicks but when I tried to jump it nothing happened. This sounds like the battery, right? Now I just have to figure out where to get coolant fluid and a battery (without being able to use my car to get it).

[Lost71]

This is prob a silly question, esp as I don't know where you live. There a car scrapyard nearby?

[googley]

Originally Posted by Lost71

This is prob a silly question, esp as I don't know where you live. There a car scrapyard nearby?

None that I know of, I hope you aren't suggesting that my car is only worth scrap at this point.

[Lost71]

No, I meant it's a great place to get cheap spare parts

[googley]

Ok, good. I was a little worried.

[susan888]

Googly, It does sound like the battery. When you turn the ignition in the first positon (where your radio and gages should work), does it do anything?

[googley]

Originally Posted by susan888

Googly, It does sound like the battery. When you turn the ignition in the first positon (where your radio and gages should work), does it do anything?

Yes, when it is in the first position the air turns on and I can turn on the dome light. The clock is always on, and still is.

[susan888]

Probably not your battery as all those things in the first position rely on the battery to work....Maybe your starter.

[susan888]

Does your car insurance cover a tow to a repair shop? I have Progressive and mine does.

[googley]

I know my insurance has towing. However, the car is still under limited warranty from the used car dealer so I will take it up to them tomorrow. I'm just frustrated as I was supposed to be packing it this weekend. I'm scheduled to move on Thursday. UGH!!!!

[VickiesPath]

If all of those accessories run, your battery is running them. If your key turn produces a click, it might be the starter, i. e. the ignition switch. That takes a mechanic to fix. You're gonna have to have it towed. Sorry for the bad news. I've had lots of cars and lots of repairs plus my dad taught me to repair cars. So I'm really kinda sure it's the starter.

[googley]

Thanks for the advice. It will be better going in with an idea of what the problem might be. Hopefully this is covered by the warranty.

[modelcarguy]

Dumb question but I went thru this with my son last week. Is the gear shift all the way in Park? There is a safety switch that keeps you from starting the car in anything but park. Other than that, check the cable connections on the battery.
My son drove my Taurus for the first time and when he came out to leave it would not start. I drove 15 miles to jump start it. I reached in and pulled the gear shift up and it started right away. Embarassed the kid but he learned.

[googley]

Originally Posted by modelcarguy

Dumb question but I went thru this with my son last week. Is the gear shift all the way in Park? There is a safety switch that keeps you from starting the car in anything but park. Other than that, check the cable connections on the battery.
My son drove my Taurus for the first time and when he came out to leave it would not start. I drove 15 miles to jump start it. I reached in and pulled the gear shift up and it started right away. Embarassed the kid but he learned.

Yes it is all the way in park and the cable connections are fine. I drove it last weekend and it worked. Now it doesn't. I didn't leave the lights on as that was the first thing I checked.

[AAAAA]

That sounds like the alternator. It's a relatively common problem and relatively cheap to fix (a couple hundred $) It's usually not covered under the warranty because you can blow it out yourself by plugging too much stuff into the cigarette lighter.

[VickiesPath]

The alternator keeps the battery from being drained once the engine starts. It manages the electrical flow. When it goes out, the battery runs everything until it's dead. If the accessories still work, then the battery is not dead yet, thus the alternator would not be suspect. It could be the alternator but I still vote for the ignition switch. It's that "click" that makes me suspicious.

Let us know what it turns out to be. If I'm wrong, I better hang up my wrenches........

Oh, ok, I'll give 50/50 odds on the ignition vs. alternator.

[AAAAA]

I see where you're coming from and I'll admit that I'm no expert, but that click click click is a familiar horrible sound. I had a chevy that ate them I swear. They wouldn't even replace it when it went out after a few days after they installed a heavy duty one. My cigarette lighter didn't even work for crying out loud so there was nothing that I was plugging that was blowing it out.

[eskielover]

Gee, maybe we can get a little bet going here....lol.

I'm going with the starter too......alternator/regulator keep the battery charged......unless it hasn't been used enough since that went out to take down the battery so the accessories wouldn't work, the logical option would be the starter.....especially since a jump woudn't get the car going either.......click click click is usually a starter sound.

Let us know......I get so frustrated with car problems.....so far so good with my truck.....only strange sound was after I had my breaks done....really scared me...wondered what in the world they had done to my truck breaks....I stopped & parked it at my next destination & the sound continued......it was the weather warning sirens for the bad storm that was about to hit (duh...not used to that sound being from California). I always think the worst of my autos even when it has nothing to do with them.....lol.

My favorite problem with my truck is my emergency flashers......my dog likes to turn them on when I leave him alone in the truck.....if I don't catch it soon enough.....DEAD BATTERY.......DEAD DOG!!!! especially when I was at my friends house in the middle of the winter in a snow storm.......was ready to throw him out in the storm & make him walk home.

Debbie

[VickiesPath]

Originally Posted by AAAAA

I see where you're coming from and I'll admit that I'm no expert, but that click click click is a familiar horrible sound. I had a chevy that ate them I swear. They wouldn't even replace it when it went out after a few days after they installed a heavy duty one. My cigarette lighter didn't even work for crying out loud so there was nothing that I was plugging that was blowing it out.

I had a '65 Mustang that did the click, ckick, ckick thing when the alternator went out. So I know what you're talking about. And guess what? It had to be replaced a few times, too!!! The click that she was talking about was when she turned the key to start the engine. It went click once, then nothing. I've heard that one before, too.

Hhhhhmmmmm. Wish I still had that '65 Mustang. I could probably sell it and retire........

[googley]

I'm getting the car looked at tomorrow so I will let you know. Hopefully it isn't too expensive, whatever it is. I just want to get back to packing it so I know how much I'll have to ship.

[AAAAA]

Yeah, the difference was it took a few bucks and an hour to change an alternator. I remember the day when my father could listen to a car and dx the problem and fix it himself. Now it's a minimum of an hour on the computer. I'd like to go back to the easy cars. One that the service engine soon light didn't come on if the gas cap isn't on tight.

[googley]

Hi,
So it was the battery that was the problem. Along with the front and back breaks were having trouble. So have to get those fixed. I just wished I would know exactly how long it would take (waiting by the phone).

[eskielover]

Well, battery is the least expensive of what it could have been....lucky there. Front & back breaks can be expensive, but better to get them fixed.....if they wear through, it costs even more & can be dangerous.

Just had the breaks done on my truck since I haul horses with it, & didn't need them to get worse, I decided to just grin & bear the $200 it cost......truck/4x4.....think added to the cost.

Always something with auto's.

Hope it all gets taken care of soon & you have a safe move,
Debbie

[VickiesPath]

Originally Posted by eskielover

My favorite problem with my truck is my emergency flashers......my dog likes to turn them on when I leave him alone in the truck.....if I don't catch it soon enough.....DEAD BATTERY.......DEAD DOG!!!! especially when I was at my friends house in the middle of the winter in a snow storm.......was ready to throw him out in the storm & make him walk home.

Debbie

I just have to tell you about my mini-schnauzer, first dog I've ever had who has to be groomed regularly. Never took a dog in the car much before. She always insists on sitting in the front passenger seat. Once I casually looked over and she had put her paw on the electric window button and the window had gone down and she was hanging out the window, not even realizing what was going on! Thank GOD I always use a doggie restraint attached to the seat belt thingy. Scared the peewoddin outta me! Ever since then, I lock the Child Windows Lock on the driver's door.

She always tries to escape from her little doggie run and goes on "walkies" all by herself. Thank goodness we have good neighbors. We live on a mountain and by the time she goes down and crosses the street () she's ready to be rescued, especially when it's 112 degrees. We have our phone number on her collar. She surely can be a handful when she wants to be.

By the way, we have an old Mercury Grand Marquis with relatively few miles on it. Bought it cuz the old fellow who owned it never drove it. Well, we learned VERY QUICKLY that you cannot leave a car sitting in Arizona without driving it. We had numerous repairs that were simply due to heat wear. And one of them just happened to be the EMERGENCY FLASHERS. One evening, my husband pulled up to the curb and left the car running to run in to a restaurant to pick up something we had left there and I punched the flasher button and the entire flasher circuit blew out! Only cost us $240 to replace it on the steering column. Geez.......