I know there are a million threads already on this but none of them seem to help me. When i try and turn my car on it just does that machine gun type clicking noise. i can get it jumped but when i turn it off it barely or does not turn back on. is this the altenator. it cant be the starter because i can jump it right?? i guess my question is how do i tell if its the battery or the alternator. also i have this really wierd leaking occuring on the passengers side in the engine conpartment towards the bottom, it looks like a little spout and it is leaking a clearish fluid. i am baffled. any help would be tremendously appreciated as i need to go to work in a few hours ahhhh
thanks guys

 

I know there are a million threads already on this but none of them seem to help me. When i try and turn my car on it just does that machine gun type clicking noise. i can get it jumped but when i turn it off it barely or does not turn back on. is this the altenator. it cant be the starter because i can jump it right?? i guess my question is how do i tell if its the battery or the alternator. also i have this really wierd leaking occuring on the passengers side in the engine conpartment towards the bottom, it looks like a little spout and it is leaking a clearish fluid. i am baffled. any help would be tremendously appreciated as i need to go to work in a few hours ahhhh
thanks guys

 

I had a starter go. In the beginning seemed to be able to jump it, but eventually that didn't work either. Go to Sears and they can do an easy battery or charger check. that could guide to the solution to you problem. Hope it is a dead battery for your sake

 

Well first off, nice to see you're in bozeman, I'm here too. Attending MSU I take it?

Anyways I don't really know, if it were the altinator, your battery would just be dead. If it was the battery, it wouldn't turn over fast.

When the starter went out on my old truck, it did this for a while.

As for the liquid, is it oily or watery? If it's water do you have A/C on your runner?

 

it looks watery, and yes i have a/c on my runner, if you traced a straight line from the bottom of the glove box into the engine compartment, thats where it is leaking

 

also kinda funny, cause im in kirkland, wa right now

 

haha, what are the chances.

Anyways, it sounds like the heating core connection might be loose or something like that. When you get a chance, warm up your runner, and then turn the heat on full blast and see if it leaks more.

 

I think what you are seeing is the condensate drain for the A/C condenser......and that is very normal....as for the start/batt/alt question.....you can try this.....

start the truck and let warm up to a stable idle...then carfully remove the positive battery lead...if the truck continues to run with out dying then the ALT is good.....If the truck dies then you should take and have the batt and alt checked as it might be time to start thinking about replacing or rebuilding the alt.

 

Try tightening up your battery clamps, or spraying the poles with WD-40 if they're corroded. It's probably not your starter if it can be jumped and work every time. As for the leak, it's just A/C condensation draining out. If it bothers you, turn off the A/C. lol. Later...

 

aight man good lookin toykid

 

I cover almost every known starter problem on the following web page:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

 

If you turn your key and you hear just a loud click it is because the contacts in your stater have gone bad, the reason it is starting with a jump is because
you are feeding so many amps to that the poor internal starter connection you are getting, it will work for just a short while though