Is my starter bad? Battery has 13V & it only clicks...

Car is a 2006 GT - I'm the original owner and it has 60K miles. Only a few parts on it - shifter, 4.10 gears, tune, suspension, brembos, etc.

A few months back I'm leaving work and the car randomly won't start. Just hear click..click..click. I waited a few seconds, tried again and then it fired as usual. It was fine for a few days then suddenly it did it again. I was actually leaving a job interview but luckily parked on a hill and roll started it! When I got home I cleaned the negative battery terminal as it had some corrosion on it and the issue went away.

Fast forward 2 months later - I haven't driven it in a week and now it is doing the same thing. Tested the battery and it has 13.1 volts so no issue there. I charged it anyway and no dice, just the click..click..click.

Do I throw a starter on there?

Set your digital multi meter to min/max(to observe the minimum voltage) Check the voltage while cranking, if it drops below 8-9VDC the battery is the problem. If the voltage doesn't drop and you hear clicking check voltage at the starter motor solinoid (smaller 12awg wire on the starter) and work you're way back from there. You could also check the specific cell gravity of each cell in the battery if you have a refractometer. This will indicate if the battery is holding a charge. Further you could load test a battery by bringing to most parts stores. Dont forget to check your charging voltage while the car is running as well.

Thanks fellow Chicagoan. I'll do some testing with the voltmeter.

I'm actually on the original battery. Never had an issue with it even in the dead of winter and never slow cranking or any other signs. Figured it was something else given that it would not start one minute then all of a sudden be totally fine.

Do you have long tube, or aftermarket headers?

phorty said:

Thanks fellow Chicagoan. I'll do some testing with the voltmeter.

I'm actually on the original battery. Never had an issue with it even in the dead of winter and never slow cranking or any other signs. Figured it was something else given that it would not start one minute then all of a sudden be totally fine.

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06 and original battery????? so it's 9 - 10 years old.... replace it for good measure.

Stock headers

I took delivery in August of 2006 so 11 years running on the battery! Been through at least 10 different wheel/tire set-ups and muffler configs in that time though...

Just get a new battery. The voltage can show good but it doesn't have enough amps to turn the starter. Battery's are usually good for about 5 years, you have definitely gotten good service from that one.

stkjock said:

06 and original battery????? so it's 9 - 10 years old.... replace it for good measure.

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This and don't forget voltage is what is used to run the car. Cold Cranking Amps is what starts the car. Voltage test does not give you all info needed on the battery health.

Also you can suspect the cables. They are know to corrode and the corrosion goes down into the cable causing a dead spot in the cable.

My positive cable looks mint but the negative has gotten the blue corrosion on it that I clean periodically. I'll see if I can find a replacement for that when I toss a new battery in

Check the water level in the cells, add distilled water to the cell if the plate isnt fully submerged under water. Verify the voltage is not dropping low while cranking and make sure your terminals are tight. The standard opertional life span of a deep cycle lead acid battery is 3-5 years, So you should buy a new battery. But avoid 2 trips to the parts store by troubleshooting it first.

Heaten m90 said:

... and make sure your terminals are tight.

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This is always something to check when your battery has full voltage but does not crank. Still think you should replace a 10 yo battery though. If it isn't bad now it will be soon and usually happens at the most inopportune time and place.

Heaten m90 said:

Do you have long tube, or aftermarket headers?

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Why would this matter? Does header heat shorten starter life?

Heat from long tubes can cause issues with the wiring but more so If the engine is shut down hot and immediately restarted it will damage the starter motor windings and or the solenoid coil. Large amounts of current passing through a hot conductor will cause insulation deterioration. Starter motors are rated for intermittent duty cycle to begin with to deal with the large amount of starting current. The Initial inrush of current needed to turn a dead rotor can exceed 700amps once turning current will lower, But tempature will start rising especially with an excessive crank time. If its hot to begin, all the additional temperature generated during cranking will start from that point and with the additional resistance it will rise exponentially causing failure over time

retfr8flyr said:

Just get a new battery. The voltage can show good but it doesn't have enough amps to turn the starter. Battery's are usually good for about 5 years, you have definitely gotten good service from that one.

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If the battery can't provide the Amps needed, the Voltage WILL drop. Your battery should maintain 9.6v or better WHILE cranking.

If the starter just clicks AND batt voltage is good, it is probably the starter going bad. If the battery is bad or you have a battery cable issue, and starter just clicks you probably have other indications of a voltage issue like the clock/radio losing settings.

I've gotten 10+years out of batteries in the past. Don't let a battery get a deep discharge or go dead. A automatic trickle charger is your friend.

If it is the starter going bad you can test it. Have someone keep the key in the start position then whack the starter with a chunk of wood. May take a good strike or two. If that works you definitely know it's the starter. Have had several cars where this happened and striking the starter got them running.

Same here,2006 Gt 31.000 miles on it. Sometimes it just clicks when starting. New battery is installed. 9 out of 10 starts its good. Its the starter for sure.

RedGT