I bought a used 97 Saturn, and I was heading out for work tonight, but it wouldn't start. It just made rapid clicking noises, like a playing card placed in the spokes of a bicycle. It worked perfectly fine yesterday, and gave me no clue that there would be trouble tonight.

I work a night shift, and the only thing I could think of doing at this time was to check the battery. I loosened the battery terminals, worked them a little, and tightened them, and put a charger on it, and the battery looks fine. But the engine still won't start, and it still won't turn over. It just goes clicky-clicky-clicky.

What should I do next?

 

Although a battery may look fine, appearances aren't everything. Another way to check whether its the battery, cables, or the starter would be to try a battery boost from another car. The battery cables must be free of corrosion especially the side termnal types as they are prone to failing by a cracked terminal leaking battery acid under the cable connector bolt ruining the wire strands underneath the heavy insulation. Only by removing the battery cables and closely inspecting the cable terminals will corrosion be revealed. Wetness and the blue powdery deposits at the terminal is a sure sign of a leaking battery side terminal. Replacement is the only option for either the battery or cables. Remember its a '97 and things won't last forever.


If the battery boost does work to get the car started then the next thing is to have the battery on the car tested, either driving or carrying the battery to your favorite auto store for a free batttery test. Generally a battery over 4-yrs old is on its last legs and may not last through a winter.


If the battery/boost combination doesn't get the car started then the starter may be worn out. If its the original one from the car then you might as well remove it for testing, also at your favorite auto store equipped for testing it. A worn out starter would either have worn/burned out contacts that typically clicks because the contacts won't conduct the large currents to power the starter motor. A click followed by dead silence would be a starter motor's brushes completely worn down. Either case requires replacing the starter.

 

Thanks, Ducky. It was the battery, after all. Day broke, I got a jump, and it started right up, didn't even hesitate. So I drove it to the dealer and gave me a new battery and cables. And found a nail in one of my tires.

Turns out Saturn tracks the maintenance they do on their vehicles, and has a schedule of recommended maintenance. I have quite a list-- flushing this and turning that. Some things I know the used dealer did, like change the fluids, but I'll go through the list paycheck by paycheck. I want to keep the car working.