Engine doesn't start, clicking from under the hood.

[reiinitial]

my car was working fine, but lately it started making clicking sounds when i tried starting it. it would just click a few times before turning over. i haven't had time to take care of it, and now it won't start at all. it just clicks in about two to three different places, everytime i turn the key to try and start it. the clicking sounds like they're near the following places:

1. Ignition Coil.2. fuse box near the battery.3. close to the firewall between the Ignition Coil and the Ignition Switch.

the sounds just echo really loudly throughout the engine bay, so i can't pin point the exact location. i replaced the Ignition Coil to see if that was it, made sure the Battery Terminals were clean and nothing in the way of connection, checked all the fuses, and made sure every connection is secure. i tried jump starting it, push starting it (which got it to turn over barelythe last few times, but not enough to start) several times to the end of my street. jiggling the key while it was in the Ignition Switch, seemed to have helped the past few days, but now nothing. the weather has been very hot and humid lately if that helps...

could anyone please tell me what i could do to fix this? i'm going to take apart the Steering Column when the sun comes back up to see if the everything is okay with the Ignition Switch itself, but is there anything else that could be the problem?

[reiinitial]

forgot to add, that my car is a 1990 240SX SE with a KA24E. just in case you couldn't tell by my car description under my username.

[positron1]

Sounds like your starter is going out.

[gumby74]

My car did the same thing. Your starter has left the building. A replacement is kind of expensive at $120, but hey I gots me a warranty! Thats what I paid for a remanufactured one, a new unit is closer to $200.

[vancouverbc]

look up starting in tutorial link in my signature. hit the starter and starter solenoid

[Florida240sx]

Actually to me from experience... sounds just like a simple battery connection... Have someone give you a jump so the cables are on your connectors. If your car starts fine then you either have a dead(out of life span) or just a bad connection on either your ground or positive or both. If it's connection you cna have someone tap the connectors gently with a hammer vise grips whatever GENTLY whiel you have to key turned to make your car start and it may be fine for weeks or have to do it again next time you try to start.

[ry_an_]

Actually to me from experience... sounds just like a simple battery connection... Have someone give you a jump so the cables are on your connectors. If your car starts fine then you either have a dead(out of life span) or just a bad connection on either your ground or positive or both. If it's connection you cna have someone tap the connectors gently with a hammer vise grips whatever GENTLY whiel you have to key turned to make your car start and it may be fine for weeks or have to do it again next time you try to start.

This is most likely the problem. This happened to me the other day when i disconnected battery to install sleepy headlights. Just disconnect and reconnect the battery as tight as you can. Thats all i had to do.

[desiman76]

poor battery connection can do it. Can be at the starter or at the battery. Likely at the battery. Check for batter power make sure you have enough juice to crack the starter. This might happen if you alternator is not charging well.

If not battery then starter ...

[SturgeonGeneral]

sounds like starter is hanging up. Hit the starter with a hammer while someone cranks it. if it fires up, you got a bad starter

[reiinitial]

the Battery and the Battery Connections are all good and in proper order. i did some searching, but i wasn't sure if a KA24DE Starter fits/works on a KA24E engine. if so, that means i have a replacement Starter. i'll check and see if it's the starter. i'll report my findings when i can.

[mikenike016]

also try checking your ground on your ignition coil that mite not b gettin a good connection

[whyteboy]

i have had the same problem my my batt was new and i replaced the starter earlier already it ended up being my lock cylinder for the ign key went bad i would have to push in the side piece and then it would start so i replaced that and started awesome after that but evryonce in a while i have to click it a couple of times to start it i heard it was a relay but not sure

[reiinitial]

it wasn't the starter. i replaced it with a new one, but it still didn't start. well, the starter was going out, so now i don't have to worry about that now.

[nu_born]

a really rapid clicking noise when you try to start the car, and all the dash lights flicker really fast too yeah?

...sounds like a battery to me...

[Florida240sx]

I've been told it's NOT the battery/conections, but when I open the hood and move the cables it turns out to be a connection problem.Did you do What I told you to do? Another vehicle with jumper cables, hook up to your car. If it's a connection problem that will let you know.

[hillrya]

So I hit my starter with a hammer, and it turned out to fix the problem. Thus, I know my starter is bad. However, how long until it ABSOLUTELY must be replaced. I am living out of town for the summer, and would prefer to work on it once I travel back home. Is the "hammer fix" good for a couple of days, or could it be stretched out to last a couple of weeks?

[Kalypso]

The hammer fix might be good for a couple of weeks.

I was having the same problem except for mine wouldnt click at all,

I would turn the key and hear nothing,

and then one out of five times it would crank,

but i took it to a shop they lifted the car, removed the starter and after failing to find a replacement i just put it back.

mysteriously it works fine now.

if you are running an SR motor you can take the starter out and rebuild it using a KA starter.

it requires opening the housing and carefulyl inspecting the parts. then testing it using jumpers cables and a battery, but you can alsu take it to a starter specialist and they will rebuild it for you.

good luck.

[reiinitial]

well, it turned out that the battery was so bad, that when i jump started it, all it did was just drain power from the other car's battery. all it was, was the battery. i was working on the car with my brother, and he was the one who got the battery. he was so sure the entire time it wasn't the battery, but before i was about to have a shop take a look, he decided to take the battery to get checked out for me. i go angry and yelled at him, because i told him that he should just switch the battery from his car to mine while i was at work, to see if that was it. he didn't. sorry... i'm ranting now, but this illustrates the importance of checking everything. Ignition Coil, Starter, Battery, Battery Connections, Ignition Switch, and anything else there might be.

[vancouverbc]

well, it turned out that the battery was so bad, that when i jump started it, all it did was just drain power from the other car's battery. all it was, was the battery. i was working on the car with my brother, and he was the one who got the battery. he was so sure the entire time it wasn't the battery, but before i was about to have a shop take a look, he decided to take the battery to get checked out for me. i go angry and yelled at him, because i told him that he should just switch the battery from his car to mine while i was at work, to see if that was it. he didn't. sorry... i'm ranting now, but this illustrates the importance of checking everything. Ignition Coil, Starter, Battery, Battery Connections, Ignition Switch, and anything else there might be.

Why yell at your brother? you jump started with a good battery. Something is fishy here.

[reiinitial]

Why yell at your brother? you jump started with a good battery. Something is fishy here.

i don't understand how something could be fishy.

i yelled at him because i had told him to get the battery checked or use his battery in it, but he was just "so sure" that it wasn't that when he finally decided to check it that we found out that was the problem. he was the one who got the battery for me. i don't have the time to work on my car sometimes. i sleep during the day, because i work at night. besides, i don't have him work on it for free.

i've also had to tell him that the sileighty look is nice, but i personally don't like it about 15 times, literally. the last time it made me look somewhat like a douche, because i spoke loudly telling him that i don't really like it, when he asked me if i liked the sileighty look, in front of someone with a sileighty. he's older than me, so just doesn't listen to me. besides this a Tech Forum. not some place for ranting.

and because of the failure of the battery, not being able to hold any charge, that using a good battery just to jump start was just not enough. the effect is equivalent to: example. two AA batteries in a portable CD player. one battery is fully charged, one has no charge left. just because you use the good one to create power, and the bad one to complete the circuit, it doesn't mean that you'll get power. the bad battery just absorbs the charge from the good battery, but is still unable to use that charge to send enough returning charge to the good battery. why? well, i could go into details about "why" and "how", but it's not as important as just knowing the "what".