One click and then silence usually points to the starter circuit. We test it in your driveway or parking spot and replace the starter there if that turns out to be the problem.

Call 817-709-1357 Text us Request a work order

Call hours: Mon to Fri 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM · Sat 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Alternator and starter in Keller

What a single click is telling you

You turn the key or press the button, the dash lights come on, and you hear one solid click from under the hood. The engine never turns over. That click is the starter solenoid doing its part. It closes, sends power toward the starter motor, and nothing happens after that.

There are a few reasons for it. The starter motor may have a worn spot or failed windings. The main cable or its ground may be corroded enough to choke off current. Or the battery may have enough charge to light the dash and too little to crank. We check all three before anything gets replaced, because a new starter on a bad cable will click just like the old one.

Quick facts

Where

Your home, work or roadside in Keller

Price

Given before any work starts

Call hours

Mon to Fri 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM · Sat 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Reach us

Call or text 817-709-1357

Warning signs

Starter trouble usually shows up like this

One loud click and the engine stays still

The solenoid engages but the starter motor never spins.

Works some days and not others

A dead spot in a worn starter can stop it at random.

Slow, labored cranking

The starter may be dragging, or the battery and cables cannot feed it enough current.

Grinding when you start it

The starter gear may not be meshing cleanly with the flywheel teeth.

Rapid clicking like a ticking clock

That usually means low battery voltage rather than a failed starter.

Engine work in progress under the hood of a truck

Why Day's

Shop-level work, where you park.

We bring dealer-level diagnostic tools, including a lab scope and a thermal camera, to wherever your vehicle is parked.

Fords are our specialty, built on years of maintaining a construction company's fleet, from cars and light trucks to heavy-duty work trucks.

About Day's

See us on Google

How it works

How the starter gets tested and replaced where it sits

Call or text and describe the sound, even if it feels silly to imitate a click over the phone. That detail narrows things down before we arrive. We come to the car, in your garage or a parking spot, and test battery voltage, cable condition and what the starter does when you turn the key.

Once we know the cause, you get a price before any work begins. Many starters come out and go back in right there. A few engines bury the starter under other parts, and those jobs get scheduled for a time that gives us room to do them properly.

Questions

Alternator and starter questions from Keller.

Can a starter be replaced in my driveway in Keller?

In most cases, yes. The starter bolts to the engine and is reached from underneath or from the top, depending on the vehicle. We do the work where the car is parked. If yours is one of the harder ones, we will tell you up front and set a time. Text us the year, make and model to start.

Is it the battery or the starter if I only hear one click?

It can be either, and sometimes it is the cable between them. A battery that reads fine at rest can still fall apart under a starting load. We load test the battery and check voltage at the starter itself, and that separates the two. Call or text and describe what you hear.

Does tapping the starter really work?

Sometimes it does for a start or two. A light tap can jar a worn starter past a dead spot. It is a sign the starter is near the end, though, and it will leave you stuck again. If tapping got you home, call or text to set up a replacement before it quits for good.

What should I tell you when I call about a car that only clicks?

Tell us what you hear when you turn the key, whether the dash lights come on, and whether anything changed recently, like a new battery. Include the year, make and model and where the car is parked. That gives us enough to plan the visit. Send it by call or text whenever you are ready.

Around Keller

Before you try the key again and again

If you get a click and no crank, avoid trying over and over. Repeated attempts heat the starter and drain the battery further, and that makes testing harder. Note whether the click is single or rapid and whether the dash lights dim when you turn the key. Then call or text with the year, make and model. A car that will not start is safe where it sits, so leave it parked.