Thread: A new starter and clicking noise

I've had a couple of weeks ago a non starting car. Turning the key gave nothing. I was worried since I believed my starter should be in good shape but it was a reworked one so perhaps the relay was not renewed. But after ten minutes or so my car started. A hundred starts later, maybe even more then that, my car didn't start again. This time permanently. I was pushed and drove back home. My car wouldn't start any longer.

This reworked starter I tested passing the relay, it made a zooming noise and from there I started learning by doing, it could be the starter relay. Expecting a new starter would solve this and for fifty dollars more I decided not to replace the relay but to pay eighty dollars for a new one. Cheap I know it comes with a two year warranty because that is the law overhere it can not be less then that. Also, the other brands didn't tell me what I was buying so I decided to give it a go.

The starter came with a document showing something similar as a horsepower curve and telling it had been tested and passed this test. However, not surprisingly this new starter did not show signs of being tested so I wonder how they tested it and what might have been added later.

But this new starter gives a clicking noise I only could test by setting the car key to on position and connecting the cars battery mass. I have recorded this but I'm not able to figure out on my own what is going on.

https://youtu.be/c1jBRREAig4

Would you be so kind to learn to me what is going on, what can be concluded isn't functioning or what steps I have to take to investigate further. For the starter, I just ordered another one, even cheaper but it is saying it is from Mitubishi. This one is seventyfive dollars with free shipping. I'll post details on this starter later, probably after it starts my car

A lot of times poor starter behavior is actually due to poor engine grounding. Take some jumper cables and use them to ground your engine block to the negative battery terminal. Use both leads/wires to connect two points of the engine (by the thermostat area and by the intake manifold area) to the negative battery terminal. This might allow the starter to work properly. If so, you know your starter works fine, and the problem is the engine ground.

This is the first thing to try.

You might also inspect all of your engine grounds. There is one by the thermostat. This is the most important one for the starer. There is one on the exhaust (probably long gone). There are a few more I can't recall right now...


I'll also give you my general advice, which is to buy OEM (or equivalent) starters and alternators. The cheap stuff is extremely low quality, often DOA, and can't be trusted. At the least take it to an auto-parts store and have it tested under load. If it does work, it probably won't work for long.

The clicking sounds like the relay is going back and forth, probably because of what BenFenner said.

Grounding is sound. The old starter does nothing, no sounds. The new start clicks like in the youtube movie.

Could you please explain to me how this specific starter works technically? I was able to short both copper poles, both starters start zooming. But I wasn't able to test the bendix because I lack knowledge and maybe this starter won't allow this?

I get it buying a cheap starter can give issues, but now I have bought a third car for $200 a Nx2000 crusty rusty but with the parts I am looking for, I was able to get to work.

Could you please help me understand what is going on? I checked my masses but the old starter started with it without problem. The starter relay is suspected having total failure and if not, it might be wiring from the ignition key, but then again the new starter is clicking by itself, is that abnormal maybe? I understand the old starter never clicked with the iginition key in on position. The first and last click are from the car, that click-click is the starter. I'm puzzled but I also lack the required knowledge.

I'll let the old starter be tested at a shop as soon as I can, pobably monday. This new starter seems to be a Bosch knockoff. The replacement I ordered is a Mitsubishi knockoff. seventy dollars with shipping included. Maybe I'll be lucky.

After it works again I'll concentrate getting my original starter working again with original parts. It zooms, it just doesn't respond to a start signal. The other one does but it click-clicks. I'm sorry if my post is not so clear, I just have no car mechanic training followed.

The clicking sound coming from the starter itself is the solenoid engaging.

Here's how a starter works. First it gets a little bit of power from the starter relay, which engages a solenoid that does two things. The solenoid physically moves the starter gear outward to engage the flywheel, and it also acts as a relay to begin to draw HUGE amounts of amperage through the main/thick starter wires.

When a starter makes a clicking sound but does not turn the engine, this is almost always what's happening: the starter solenoid moves the gear into position with the flywheel (making a clicking sound) but then when the starter asks for that huge amount of current, it doesn't get it. This can be because of bad grounds, bad power connection, a weak battery, or some other problem like internal issues with the starter itself.

And another note. If a starter will spin on the bench, that doesn't necessarily mean it will spin when it encounters load. So your old starter spins, but does it do so with the load of an engine there? If so, it sounds like the solenoid on your old starter is the reason it won't work anymore. It probably spins in place without shooting out?

I've learned a starter is just a electro motor with a big switch, it is called relay what put me off I suppose. But this reply is short and without the analysis I would like to give when I got this sorted out. Now what, another Nx2000 is giving another issue with somewhat similar symptoms. Please read my other question, I'll be back here.

This car has a gained back a talking eccm. I will look in to eccm relay coming up or not. For the new starter, I'll try to hook the wireconnector that is soldered on the other side between those two big pins and route trough that one to battery plus. This should atleast let the starter attempt to start. I'm also after learning how to measure if some signals are there or not straight on the ecu connector.

Progress. Suspecting this would be a straightforward problem wasn't helpful. Lesson learned.

Because my digital multimeter read something non zero I believed there was a starter signal. Also Datascan could tell when the ignition key was turned. Now I think of this, a starter solenoid that gives up for one hundred percent almost directly isn't very logical. But a iginition switch that refuses once and happily starts over a hundred times before giving up in full isn't something logical either.

After asking around and reading I made sure I wouldn't fry something and soldered a piece of wire to a crocodile clamp. I've put the wire to the battery plus and the starter started quite powerful, noticable by me more powerful then my other starter that is in good shape. I'll just keep it as a spare and start using this el cheapo starter, a Bosch knock-off if the internet is correct about this and the first part from Bosch I can appreaciate.

Here is the box it came in


And here is the starter


Now I'm after how to test and possibly repair my iginition switch. I've never took one off a car. I did remove a steeringcolumn once but a friend that helped me big time before asked for it so I gave it him.

If you can tell me something about how to diagnose and how to repair, I'm all ears. Since I have two Nx2000's I would like to sell the rusted one running. Since Datascan shows the ecu registers the iginition key in start position or not, I believe I can make it work and tell the buyer that will sell it in parts anyway that the iginition switch is hacked. Or perhaps I can solder it again, I have to learn first how it is built and what is wrong with it.

And here is a Motor Performance Curve