One thing after another....

[atdc94]

Went upstart my car up this morning and all their was was a clicking noise. I was hoping battery was just dead so I jumped it and same thing...click. I'm guessing either starter or alternator? Any thoughts. How bad is this going to eat up my wallet if I do it myself?

[Dantilla]

Could be the ground strap. Simple fix.

[michael944s900s]

hope its not youre valve lifter's....ha ive had a 944 4 days n i think im a pro ..loser i am lol

[atdc94]

What's the ground strap? And I'm pretty sure it's not valve lifters

[Fara]

The ground strap is the woven copper/metal lead between the negitive terminal of the battery to the nearby grounding point. If this is loose or frayed, it can cause problems like this.

It is extremely unlikely to be a problem with your lifters, however it could be your starter motor, if the engine is not turning over. It might not be getting enough voltage (you can check it with a multimeter while turning the key easily enough)

[atdc94]

That's what I was going to do. And its not the ground strap. They were tight on the battery cause I took the battery out

[Fara]

If the starter is getting enough voltage, it might be worth removing the starter motor and testing it - for how to remove the starter motor, check out Clarks Garage's guide

*EDIT* You can test the starter while it's still mounted on the car, but I agree with Clark's garage and don't recommend it.
It's also worth seeing if the engine is actually turning over at all while turning the key, though I assume you've already done this.

[Slam]

Sometimes jumping alone won't give you enough jam to turn the engine over. Get a charger going on that battery for a couple of hours and then try jumping it again. If you can voltage test the battery after 2 hours, even better.

Have fun!

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by atdc94

That's what I was going to do. And its not the ground strap. They were tight on the battery cause I took the battery out

Give your starter Bendix a tap & see.

[Slam]

^ +1 Good point. You didn't say where you were located, but if you're somewhere where the temps are starting to fall you may want to suspect the the starter solenoid. When it gets cold it can stick if it's old. The lube in it dries out and it binds up. Fix is easy, though. Remove the starter, remove solenoid from starter, give the plunger a good clean and a very thin film of grease and reassemble. In fact these go bad far more often than the actual starter.

[alan6272]

Ernie gets my vote, I would check to see if you have good battery volts at the starter main lead"big wire" and if so I would jump that to the small lead solenoid trigger wire and if you only get a loud click try tapping the solenoid to see if it turns the starter, Now make sure the E-brake is on the trani is in neutral the rear wheels are off the ground etc. Be CAREFUL. The solenoid is a big switch and sometimes the contacts get dirty or worn out..

[Cocacolakidd]

Your Ground Strap/cable may be good at the battery, but what about at it's other end. Check and clean the grounds completely. There are three grounds coming off of the battery; 1. to the starter Motor, 2. Top of the bell-housing for motor 3. the small one that grounds to the body close to the battery.

Clean all grounds - Check/charge Battery - Check Alternator for complete function.