My car is making a clicking noise and all the lights work, my mechanic thinks its my starter and my grandfather who is a mechanic thinks it could be the alternator or the starter which is it more likely to be? It just died while I was driving down the road
✅ Answers
Answerer 1
Is ths battery dead. if so the altenator is bad. To check. charge the battery. try to start car. if it clicks then replace starter. if it starts remove positive cable while car is running. if it dies its your altenator. check all fuses and wires first
Answerer 2
Knowing what kind of car this is would help. Here’s the deal. It could be a starter, starter relay, battery or alternator or voltage regulator. Any of these will cause the clicking sound. The make, year, model, engine and transmission would help a lot.
A bad battery will kill a good alternator. A bad alternator will kill a good battery. Most cars now a days have voltage regulators built into the alternators as well. Lack of 12 volts to the starter will not engage the solenoid to spin it. If the solenoid is bad the stater will just click. If it has a relay which has failed then the starter will simply click as well seemingly.
Answerer 3
well it would defanatly be the alternator if it died while driving – recharge battery – start car – dissconect the battery while car is running – if the alternator is dead the engine will die – turn on radio – lights and what ever when car is running with out the battery hooked up – you will know for sure – also check all fuses wiring to the alternator
Answerer 4
either a bad solennoid (one would replace the starter as a whole unit), or,
the battery is lacking cranking amps or the connections/cables are corroded. serviceable connections, neg & pos, all the way down to the starter. check the little wires on the starter itself. make sure they are secure. charge battery.
in the end, batteries, starters, and alts if needed, can be tested at most any auto parts store for free!
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FYI,
that still leaves you with this issue,
“It just died while I was driving down the road”
which *likely* has nothing to do with your starting issue.
can’t help you on that unless you “add details” regarding yr/make/model/engine and trans options on the vehicle in Q.