soundsuper

Went to start the SC today after it sat for 5 days. No power at all. Jumped it and all I get is a clicking sound. Battery is only 1 year old.
Any ideas of what the problem is?
Thanks

jzwu

Dead battery.

VVTiBob

Dead battery and dirty/oxidized battery post producing a very poor, or non existent connection.

Poqman

Yep, low battery. The first time my battery was low, I was shocked at how the car reacted. It was discharged below the allowable voltage so the car shut off the accessories (like the radio) and would not even try and bump the starter. I thought much more had gone bad, but a 10 minute charge and all was well again.

barncat

Clean the terminals too! It really helps!

gripau1

I use a trickle charger as my car gets driven only once per month or even less.

soundsuper

Thanks all.
Had to jump it with ground wire to body bolt not to negative terminal.
Cause: some dummy (me) left the trunk ajar for 5 days.

barncat

It's good to fess up! LOL!

tfischer

I think the clicking is the solenoid clicking the starter motor into the car's engine. The fact that it does not turn the engine over means there is not enough juice (excuse all my technical terms) getting to the starter motor. This happens when the battery is low but not dead (dead=no clicking because there is not even enough juice to move the starter into position), If you get this when jumping, then either the jumping battery is low, which is not the case if that car is running, in which case, as mentioned above, there is probably a problem with the connections between your battery and the car, such as they are not tight or there is serious corrosion.
I'm no mechanic, and the above is based on my experience in fiddling around with cars, so I might be wrong, but if I had those symptoms, I would see a mechanic whose specialized meters and tools would find the cause of your problem pretty quickly.

Jabberwock

You can also get the clicking sound if you are jumping using a flimsy set of jumper cables or the connection points on the jumpers are not very solid or robust. When buying jumper cables always buy the largest most heavy duty set available. Costs more but is worth every penny. The thinner, shorter, flimsy stuff is junk and not worth the lower price.

JohnnyCake

I was taught to always jump that way to avoid possible spark near battery.

tfischer

I agree with the above comments. I always keep a set of hearty jumper cables in each car. I only had to use them once in the last 20 years, but having them saved me an enormous amount of trouble. It is never wise to depend on someone else showing up with jumper cables.
Although I have done it both ways, I believe that the preferred way is to connect the ground (black) jumping cable to the engine block of the car with the dead battery, rather than to the terminal. I think it is also recommended to always connect the reds first, then the ground to the battery of the jumping car, then the ground to the block of the car to be jumped. The danger of a problem is slight, but batteries can emit a flammable gas, and a spark can jump to the cable when the circuit is being completed (when the fourth clamp moves to the terminal), causing an explosion. I think this is rare, but I also think no good can come from such an explosion. I'd rather not find out first hand.

barncat

Years ago I was jumping a small tractor and the wind slammed the hood shut. The battery exploded and sent battery acid all over the place. The only thing that saved me was that the hood kept the acid contained under the hood. I quickly grabbed a hose and washed off everything I could. The tractor still has places where the acid ate away paint and discolored hydralic lines. That was a lesson learned!