Rapid clicking noise when I turn the key...

[firstascent2002]

It is the little black box by the starter motor that is doing it....any simple things to check before I take the said little box off and send it away for a replacement? Is is a solenoid or a relay? I think a relay but I know someone will help me!

 

[BrendanS]

whenever I've had that sound, it meant battery was on the way out.

 

[Marsupial]

yes, check the starter battery is charged and all the leads have good connections including the earths, it sounds like a lack of electricity getting to the starter motor.

 

[ProDave]

Check the battery.

A flat battery will cause this (my motorbike does it regularly if the battery is flat)

What happens is you turn the key, the solenoid engages to energise the starter, the load of the starter causes the voltage to drop due to the flat battery, voltage drops too low so solenoid releases, voltage increases, solenoind engages again.........

Could also be caused by a siezed starter drawing too much current, or a poor connection, particularly an earth connection.

EDIT three of us said the same thing in the space of a minute.

 

[Ron Dean]

It is the little black box by the starter motor that is doing it....any simple things to check before I take the said little box off and send it away for a replacement? Is is a solenoid or a relay? I think a relay but I know someone will help me!

Sounds like the starter solenoid not making a good contact. You could try giving it a "gentle" tap.

 

[alan17]

Starter/battery prob

Before you do anything else borrow a battery jump pack (fully charged) and connect this to your starter battery. Try key if all OK you have a naff battery. If battery naff check charging circuit. If this OK fit new battery.

 

[conor54]

If the batteries are all ok then sometimes you get just a click if the bendix on the starter motor is jammed. Try turning the engine by hand to move the flywheel round a bit. As suggested above a delicate tap with a hammer on the starter can sometimes free it up.

 

[Ceirwan]

Agree with above.
Insufficient battery voltage, check all your connections and if that doesn't work, jump start it. If not could be a starter motor problem.

 

[KevB]

Either flat battery or stuck solenoid or loose cable on battery or solenoid. If you are brave enough someone could put a spanner between the two terminals on the back of the solenoid and 'shock' it into action. actually you are by-passing it but it generally gets it going if it's stuck. Beware of touching earth with the spanner at the same time as it'll probably hurt A LOT.

Done it myself lots of times and still here with all 10 fingers.

Oh - and shorting the solenoid will cause a lot of sparks so don't use a good spanner..

 

[jbweston]

I had this problem a year or so back. It was loose contacts in the battery isolator switch.

Everything was fine when there was a low load on the battery - voltage fine on my meter and enough current for, say, a light. But clicking when I tried to start the engine.

I thought it might be the batteries or battery contacts. The batteries were old (one used to lose charge) and due for a change anyway. So I replaced them. Still the same problem.

It can't be the battery, it can't be the terminals. Then I realised, there could be a problem in the rotary off-1-2-both switch. Investigated. It was a loose connection, good for a low current but not for high, proably come loose from vibration. Tightened it up and everything was fine.

Moral of the story is to check all connections in the relevant wiring and not jump to the conclusion that if the battery terminal conections are OK it must be a battery or solenoid problem.

Also it could be corroded or rodent damaged wiring so worth checking the whole run.

 

[oldharry]

Rapid clicking means the solenoid is cycling on and off as described earlier - voltage rise and fall as load comes on and off. That means the solenoid is switching correctly. To double check, disconnect the connection between it and the starter if you can, then see if it functions normally 'off load'. Otherwise take it off, and connect a 12 v source to the coil terminals (the ones connected to the ignition switch, not the battery to motor terminals) for off load test. Use the resistance range of the DVM to see if the batt/motor contacts are good, It should give a straight zero when switched on, and infinity when off. Anything more than afew ohms, the contacts are supect.

Battery is the first suspect, as described above. Check the voltage across the terminals.

Wiring is the next. Check the voltage at the solenoid battery terminal. Should not be more than .2 volt drop at most.

Now check the negative return: check the voltage between the engine block and the negative terminal of the battery. (DVM + to engine, - to batt neg). With ignition switched on there should theoretically be no voltage, but you may find several volts. If so - thats your problem, the earth return has a bad connection, usually on the engine.

If all that shows up good, then the problem is the starter itself, jamming, overloading , internal damage and needs specialist attention/replacement.