To put it bluntly I am a complete numpty when it comes to car repairs.

So here’s the problem – Ford Fiesta won’t start. If I turn the key, it’ll turn over once as if its going to start then just starts to “click”.
I’ve done the checks for battery – dimming lights and all that, but they stay bright through the key turn and clicking. Spark plugs have been checked for moisture, but that’s about it for my technical know how regarding motors.
The car hasn’t moved at all since before the bad weather, and someone has suggested a stuck starter motor.
If it is stuck, is there any way of freeing it easily or is it a case of paying through the nose for a garage callout?

Cheers in advance.

Bump it.

Can’t get it out of the drive to bump it – drive is on a gradient and there’s no one around to help. Looks like it’ll have to wait until after work tomorrow.
Will bumping cure it or is it still a garage visit once I’ve got it running?

More likely a solenoid problem. It’s basically a big heavy duty switch. When you turn the key, and just get a click, that’s the switch operating. If the engine doesn’t turn it’s either because the switch isn’t conducting power to the starter motor, or the motor is seized.

Make it ‘click’ with your lights on. If they dim a wee bit, then the solenoid is not sending power to the starter. If they go very dim, then you are sending power to a seized motor – Don’t hold the key in that position too long if this is the case.

If the starter is seized, try sticking the car in top gear, with the ignition OFF, and rock / push the car forwards and backwards a few feet.

If the problem is the solenoid, you can test this by shorting it out with a spanner – but I would strongly recommend that you don’t if you are a complete numpty in this area as reported!!

Assuming that the lights don’t dim mutch when you are ‘on click’ as it were, try repeatedly turning the key to the start position, so you get a click-click-click-click-etc. If it tries to turn on one of these clicks, then you definitely have a burnt out solenoid contact.

If it was me, I’d whip the starter out, strip the solenoid and clean the contacts – or replace them if they are bad (and if you can get spares). I have just done this on a 1999 Hilux, which has this as a weak point. Sounds like this may be the point when you need to reach for the phone and the credit card.

The good news is that Fiesta’s tend to be simple (and cheap) to fix.

Good luck.

Cheers for the advice, I’ve done the sticking in gear and rocking, with no improvement. The lights aren’t dimming at all on click, so it looks like I’ll be giving the garage a ring tomorrow as I doubt I’ll be comfortable stripping a the starter motor down to get at the solenoid.

Bugger.

If a battery is suffering and drops below a particular voltage (11.7v or something) then it’ll “look” like it’s healthy via the lights etc, but won’t have enough gusto to actually fire the motor. Crank -> starter motor draws -> battery struggles -> nothing fires -> battery gives up -> srater stops -> clicking of solenoid.

Crank sensor? Starter soleniod? Both can give the same symptoms too.

And give the starter a smack with a rubber mallet/handle of a big screwdriver: this can sometimes (temporarily!) aleviate a sticking soleniod.

open bonnet, locate the ticking noise, hit it with a piece of wood (quite hard)

that actually might just work, I can recall doing that on a friends old honda (years ago)

Sounds like the Whitworth Click Clack Bobbins to me.

Get your engine conbobulated with a Ferkins Half Wankle Fudgewokka. That’ll redangle those bobbins and should also sort out any potential side shooby.

Tell that to the garage word for word, wink and tell them ‘Big Vern’ sent you. That should garner a favourable response.

Sound like flat battery. Charge it up or jump leads.

Had a similar problem on my fiesta, it was corroded battery contacts.
When I turned the key I got a click and a half-hearted murrrrgggh sound.

Almost definatly a battery or connection fault.

The clicking is the solanoid working – so thats ‘probably’ fine

Take the battery terminals off and give them a clean, make sure they’re not corroded.

If this doesn’t work, try jump starting it off someone elses car with jump leads and their engine running.

If this doesn’t work it’s time to get the battery tested and if it’s fine then the fault is probably in the starter motor.

But it does sound almost definatly like a low Battery.

Ps, i’m a mechanic

I’ve had a garage take a look see today, and it seems the battery was flattened by a short somewhere in the circuit, although the starter motor has been checked and found to be okay. Going to leave it for them to sort out.