Clicking sound when turning over.

My husband is trying to figure out what is going on with our truck. He's already replaced the battery, starter,fuel pump and put gas in it. When we turn the key over it makes a clicking/knocking type of noise and won't start up. What could be the problem??

My car has 156000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
What you are describing sounds like a faulty starter solenoid. A faulty starter solenoid will generally produce a clicking sound when turning the key. The starter solenoid is located on the starter and has internal electrical contacts that transmit electricity to the starter. As electricity is supplied to the starter a small gear comes out and engages the flywheel to spin the engine over as you turn the key. When this fails, it may cause a clicking sound and will not allow the starter to engage the flywheel when you turn the key. I would recommend having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :

It might be a battery or alternator problem.

A rapid clicking noise when trying to start your car could mean there`s something wrong within the electrical system. Perhaps your battery`s dead, or your alternator, which charges the battery, isn`t working correctly.

You hear a single click

Usually, this points to a faulty relay or solenoid, or a bad or jammed starter motor. Solution: Rock your car back and forth or tap the starter motor with a hammer and try starting the engine again. If this works, you are good to go!

If you don`t hear clicking when you start the engine, the problem may be a dead battery. If you hear clicking, but the engine doesn`t crank, the starter might not be getting enough electricity. Using your owner`s manual and a voltmeter, you should be able to test functionality.
If the vehicle won`t start at all, listen for a clicking noise when you turn the ignition switch on. If the click is missing, the likely problem is the solenoid. On the other hand, if you hear a click but no fuel is pushed through the injector lines, and nothing is clogging the lines, it`s time to replace the pump.
It requires a good deal of energy to crank the car`s motor, and if a battery is not replenishing its power properly due to a faulty alternator, it will become drained and ineffective. You will hear a clicking noise while attempting to start the car, and the engine will have difficulty turning over.
Something sounds off.

One of the symptoms of a bad starter is a clicking noise when you turn the key or push the start button. However, a starter can die without making any sound at all, or it may announce its impending death with whirring and grinding noise—so listen up!

Why won`t my car start but the battery is good? If your car won`t start but the battery is good, the most common cause is a faulty starter – though it could also be to do with your fuel. You may have insufficient fuel to get the car going.
That is a relay that is closing and opening. When it closes, it draws power, when it opens it stops drawing power. That`s why the lights etc are dimming. Once you identify the relay, check the terminals it plugs into and look for signs of physical and electrical damage.
Can you jump-start a car with a bad starter? Most of the time, NO, you can`t jumpstart a car with a bad starter unless you repair it. When the battery is dead, jumper wires or boosters are employed. You use a second battery to provide the necessary electricity to start the car.
Why won`t my car start but the battery is good? If your car won`t start but the battery is good, the most common cause is a faulty starter – though it could also be to do with your fuel. You may have insufficient fuel to get the car going.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

My 2003 ford explorer wont start up just get click click click click click click click click
ANSWER : If the battery is weak and the voltage is dropping to below 9 volts you will get the clicking without the starter turning the motor. Have the battery voltage checked and if battery cannot hold a load then replace it and clean the battery terminals and recheck system to see if it starts.

2011 chevy impala makes clicking sound when i turn on the AC. Clicking will continue even after car is turned off, and does not st
ANSWER : Hi, what you’re describing is a fairly common issue with Chevrolet and GM products. It’s most likely the actuator motor for the blend door in the A/C ducts behind the dashboard, especially if the noise seems to originate from somewhere behind the dashboard.

The connectors for the actuator tend to corrode and cause resistance that results in a bad signal to the control for the actuator. The control then continues to drive the motor, which can result in broken teeth in the actuator/blend door’s plastic gears.

There are probably two actuators, one behind the glovebox and one on the driver’s side. If it’s not the actuators themselves, it could be a relay, but the service history of Chevrolets suggests the actuators.

If you need assistance with this, feel free to schedule an appointment with YourMechanic to diagnose the noise you’re hearing firsthand and replace your Impala’s A/C actuators and blend doors as necessary.

Squeaking metallic sound when turning
ANSWER : Thank you for the detailed information, it helps! The front driver side is where the majority of the steering components are located. Start by checking the power steering fluid. The best option is to raise the vehicle and inspect that side of the vehicle. You will want to look at the steering gear box, the linkage, and on down to the wheel hubs. This should include an inspection of the control arms, and other suspension components as well. Steering and suspension are very closely related and have adverse effects on each other. If you see any power steering fluid leaking, look to the steering gear for damages or a failed seal. The control arms also have CV joints that make similar noises to what you described. If those are cracked, leaking, or crushed they will need to be replaced.

I hear a whooshing sound when I turn the steering wheel. If I make a sharp turn, I hear a grinding sound coming from the back. ???
ANSWER : Hi there. In most cases, the rear knocking sound is caused by the driveshaft, drive axles, differential gears, transmission mount, or the rear struts. The sound you’re experiencing is very difficult to diagnose, but could be caused by the power steering shaft, or you power steering system being low on fluid. It might be a good idea to have a professional mechanic complete a car is making a noise inspection.

Have a 2008 Hyundai Sante Fe and it starts when the key is in position II instead of III and makes a click sound when turning off
ANSWER : Hi There,
It sounds like you may have a faulty ignition switch that may be causing the ignition to send power to the starter inadvertently rather than kill the power to the ignition like it is supposed to when turning it off. When you turn the key to the start position, the starter relay sends power to the starter which then engages the flywheel and turns the engine over. When the engine is running the flywheel is already spinning at a very fast pace. When the starter relay inadvertently directs power to the starter when the motor is running, this causes the starter gear to engage the flywheel which is already spinning at a very high RPM, thus producing a grinding type sound. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect the vehicle.

When I turn the ignition over the truck just clicks once and it won’t click no more As if it gets stuck
ANSWER : Your problems may have its origin in either the ignition switch, or a current drain in the vehicle. Make sure the ignition switch doesn’t have a high voltage drop in the run or start positions. This would affect both engine start, and continued running. Replacing the ignition switch would be the resolution if this is the case.

Check also for current drain greater than about 50 milliamps on each circuit after the engine has been turned off, and all accessories are powered down. Any current drain greater than this will drain the battery quickly, putting a strain on the alternator, and making engine start difficult if not unsuccessful.

I would recommend having YourMechanic diagnose this issue, provide an accurate assessment of damage, and estimate the cost of repairs. YourMechanic can dispatch a mobile, professional mechanic to your location for a diagnosis of your starting issue and make the necessary repair.

Metallic click sound when putting car in drive or reverse from park, and another click (sometimes) when making a turn.
ANSWER : You may have damaged the axle or strut. I would have the entire front inspected and have the clicking diagnosed. When anyone hits something hard enough to pop a tire there is most likely damage to some component in the area where it was hit. A visual inspection may or may not identify the problem, but a good mechanic can road test and hear the sound and should be able to pinpoint the cause of the clicking noise and recommend a repair.

Engine turned off but inside of car still on, now engine won’t turn back on.
ANSWER : Hi there. The symptoms you’re describing with your boyfriend’s 2002 Grand Cherokee appear to be related to a broken or worn out ignition switch or relay. The ignition switch on the inside of the steering column is attached to multiple electronic connections that send signals to a relay box; which in turn, sends the signal to the individual components. The issue could be related to the ignition switch, the relay, or any of the components in between. If you want to have the fault pinpointed in person, I would have this starting issue inspected by a trained professional to ensure that the correct repair is made.