My car died and i needed a boost. I checked the battery and it was perfectly fine. what could be wrong??

my car doesn't crank but makes a rapid "tick-a-tick-a" sound when i try to start it.





it will start with a boost so i don't think it's the alternater.





could it be the starter?





radio, lights work fine...wipers and a/c are fairly weak for some reason.





thanks

My car died and i needed a boost. I checked the battery and it was perfectly fine. what could be wrong??
"contacts" ....


maybe the baterry cable connectors are loose / corroded?





that way, when you grab with jumper cables, it might make better contact with the batt-posts





maybe?





or where the batt-cable connects to "ground" ... if there's corrosion / looseness there, it would have same symptoms








((it fits ALL the symptoms tho )) you might not notice that radio-recep is weak since it draws very little current and "lights", might not be a 'bright' as normal, tho it's hard to tell in daytime
Reply:I am not sure how you checked the battery. Batteries can seem OK but still be too "dead" to start the car. A car will start with a boost whether the alternator is good or bad...but a bad alternator will not charge up your battery. A bad starter would likely not start with a boost. Loose or dirty battery connections could also be a problem.





Have the batery checked first
Reply:it is the starter solenoid that is where the clicking sound is coming from.
Reply:battery cables could be corroded. May need just a good cleaning or possibly a replacement.


If you clean them mae sure you clean both ends of each and have secure connections.


I used to sell a lot of batteries because of the connections and then would get them to buy new cables.


Pretty sneaky /Huh????
Reply:could be the starter
Reply:the starter soleniod does make a click click noise when defected.

liama-song