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I've a 2007 honda civic. The radio and everything work fine, but when i try to turn on the engine it makes clicking noise. I thought, it could be a battery problem. I also try jump starter to start the car, but same result. The headlight also works fine. I feel like the clicking noise comes from under the dashboard, but i'm not certain. What could be the possible problem?

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  • Do the lights/radio die when you try to start it?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 12:55
  • Radio dies, but lights seem to be okay.
    – Zihan Ibrahim
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 12:56
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    That's right, the radio is going to die because it is switched off during starting to ensure as much power as possible goes to the starter. This sounds like a solenoid problem on the starter. Put a multi-meter on the battery and see how much voltage you are getting out of your battery. Should be around 13.1+vdc. If you are seeing something like 12v or less, it's probably the battery. Also, check for corrosion around the terminals: clean them if they are dirty. If all else checks out, you should pull your starter and have it bench tested.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 13:01
  • As @Paulster2 said, this is either a starter solenoid going bad, or a power issue. If it ends up being a power issue, and you find that the battery is dead, you should ask yourself "why"? If the battery hasn't been replaced in 4+ years, then it's simply done. If the battery is newer, then either it prematurely failed, or it's not being recharged correctly, and you actually have a charging system issue to deal with, too.
    – Lynn Crumbling
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 13:38
  • So what was the problem I have a 98 Honda accord that just clicks when I turn the key. I bought a starter put it on but did not start it just made a click sound. Now I'm thinking the solenoid but as I flashed through I saw that the soliniod is connected tto battery I do reamber attaching somthing to the new starter but could be misunderstanding I will need to identify what the solenoid looks like. I also have though about the ignition switch. I removed the main relay but looked OK no apparent cracks. I have gather up the possibilities for why my Honda accord won't start got any ideas?
    – Phillip
    Commented Jan 18, 2017 at 20:15

3 Answers 3

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As discussed in the comments already, the clicking you hear is probably the starter solenoid. You have ruled out a weak battery being the probable cause by attempting to the jump-start the engine. This means either the power cable running directly from the battery to the starter motor is too resistive/poorly connected, or that the starter motor itself is no longer functioning. You don't specify how many miles are on the vehicle, but this is a real possibility, even on a 2007 vehicle. The failure of the starter motor could be due to the brushes making poor contact, since they wear each time the car is started.

If you're willing, you can try tapping on the starter motor housing with 2x4 piece of wood, a broom handle, or something similar. I was able to squeeze a few more starts out of my old starter this way. This would also pinpoint the probable cause to the starter motor. To test the power cable, you need to find a way to measure the voltage seen at the starter motor terminals, not just at the battery. It may be as simple as a loose connection on the starter motor terminals.

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    This happened to me about 3 weeks into my ownership of a then ten-year-old 2003 Civic. I had to push-start it for a few days until I could get it fixed. (Mine has a manual transmission.) I took it in to a mechanic, who said it was the starter. Replacing that fixed the problem. Afterwards, I learned that there are places that repair starter motors; a full replacement may not be necessary.
    – Mathieu K.
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 6:48
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If you have a cliking noise when starting car and engine wont start IT MIGHT JUST MEAN THAT YOUR BATTERY IS TOO LOW TO GET IT STARTED. So before going in deeper just GET A JUMP START FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES (DONT TRY TO START) and after 10 mins of battaeries attached and other car reving a little THEN YOU CAN TURN KEY TO START AND ALL WILL BE OK if youré lucky.

Don't let unscrupulous mechnics lead you into changing starter, solenoids whatever, before you try the above! After a couple of months of no use, batteries wll go down - JUST REMOVE THE NEGATIVE PORT.

CHEERS, Lyn

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    Did you actually happen to read the question? They said it was still doing this even with a jump start, plus all of the accessories are working ... this would lead one to believe the battery is not the main culprit.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 0:59
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Timing belt. My 2002 Honda did same thing. 30$ part bout 2 hours work

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  • That would explain a ticking noise once the engine was running. I'm not convinced about while trying to start the engine though - which is what is asked in the question.
    – Chenmunka
    Commented Mar 29, 2016 at 12:43
  • Do you mind going into further detail why your answer should help the OP.
    – Hᴇʀʙɪᴇ
    Commented Mar 29, 2016 at 15:14

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