I just recently replaced my air filter (2010 ralliart) and now my car wont start. Every time I turn the key over, it makes a rapid "click click click" sound and all dashboard components will start flickering. Any ideas on what happened here?

 

Battery dead

 

I think I've had that clicky thing happen with a dead fuse. Perhaps something got shorted out while moving stuff around. I'd check the in-cabin fuse box - see if there is a blown fuse.

Rich

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Thanks for the replies. I will check the battery to see if that is the cause. Its strange because when i turn they key over and try to start it, the clicking is so rapid, it sounds like a machine gun going off. I've never heard a sound such like it.

 

The starter will make that sound when the battery is so low it might as well be dead. It has enough energy to power your dash, electrical bits, and ~engage~ the starter, but lacks the energy reserves to turn the engine over. It makes that sound because the starter engages the fly-wheel, but then when the circuit to spin the starter connects, the battery is too low to do it, resulting in a voltage drop and the starter disengages. As soon as the starter disengages, the voltage pops back up, the starter re-engages, attempts to turn over again, voltage drops, starter dis-engages. Repeat that about 60 times per second...

 

There must be something more to this - it is only a less than three year old battery...

Check all battery connections first - especially bat cables to starter and to ground. Any wires or other components you disturbed doing the air filter? Was it 'easy to install' - or ''hard'?

(please forgive me - i don't know your level of expertise - i just want to help if i can...)

 

Have u tried boosting the battery yet?l

 

Yea sounds like a weak battery.

 

I jumped it last night and it started, let it idle and drove around for a little while. I turned it off and it wouldn't start on its own. Going to get the battery tested today.

 

Personally, I'd double check the connections to make sure there is good conductivity between the cables and the battery terminals before that. Mainly because there's less effort involved in doing that than taking the battery out to have it tested. Loose connections lead to charging problems, of course so does a battery with dead cells.