Starting problem

[Rollaluvr]

ALright here is my problem, my 96 has been starting pretty good so far, but today I was gonna go for a drive, but for some odd reason, my car did not start it just made a ticking sound, it was a very rapid ticking, but after a few minutes it started right up, could this be a problem or what


James

[Flashmn]

Might be starter/battery problem

[Tercel GTS]

Rapid ticking will most likely be a bad connection at the battery. Inspect the terminals thoroughly and clean/replace as needed.

[94_Rolla_Guy]

the other thing it could be is, the starter may have a shorted winding in it so when it tries to engage it shorts the battery then it losses power disengages then gets power again and this repeats very quickly hence the chatter. keep an eye on it if it keeps it up might need a new starter

[Tercel GTS]

Originally Posted by 94_Rolla_Guy

the other thing it could be is, the starter may have a shorted winding in it so when it tries to engage it shorts the battery then it losses power disengages then gets power again and this repeats very quickly hence the chatter. keep an eye on it if it keeps it up might need a new starter

As odd as that sounds it's a possability. In the 20years I've been building alternators and starters I've only seen that happen about 10 times. You are correct though, there's a tiny ground wire that on occasion breaks inside the solenoid and causes the exact same result.

[azcorolla]

All of these answers are correct. It's either the battery or the starter, and most likely is the starter going bad. Check the battery and connections first. If they're ok and this continues, the starter will eventually leave you stranded. Murphy will require this to happen in the worst possible place/time.