Car clicks but won't crank. Battery or Starter?
 

Guys,

So I have had this problem for nearly a year now. This does not always happen but rather a bit randomly. Sometimes after parking for a week, sometimes after driving 45 minutes on highway and parked for 15 minutes...

I have since taken the car to the dealership twice over the course of half a year with them telling me everything is fine. Symptom is when trying to start the car (push button start) the car clicks and lights flash on and off. Recorded this video last night. Tried even to turn off head lights, dome lights, unplugged dash cam...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsAiX_HSdQ"]VID_20180222_200420.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

Now I am not at all knowledgeable electricity but a few Google diagnosis appears that my alternator is fine since I can drive it around no problem once it starts. The battery's crank power appears fine too since 80% of the time it starts without hesitation. Sometimes the car starts on the second try all normal, sometimes it just won't.

Reason I am asking. Does this appear like a slow drain somewhere to you guys? Or could it be that somehow the car requires a really high crank power that even the slightest drop in charge disables the crank? The symptom is not very consistent so before I go to the dealership and get turned away again I would like some opinions.

Thank you all!

It is a slow drain and weak battery. This is known to happen with the BRZ but we have never really figured it out. Replace the battery and all will be fine.

+1, definitely seems like the battery

This was a huge issue I watched closely a couple of years ago. It has slowed way down from what it was since most of the batteries have probably been replaced. When I was keeping track there were about 10 BRZs with the problem for every FRS that had it. Since there were about 100 FRSs for every BRZ at the time that difference is much larger than it seems. They both had the exact same battery so there is something about the BRZs that was drawing amperage. Many of the cases showed the battery to still be at the proper voltage range but they simply did not have the cranking amps to turn the car over. In ever situation where the person updated after getting a new battery there was never a reported return of the issue. There were a few theories at the time but I don't think we ever came to a final conclusion.


My 14 FRS still has the original battery and after 4 Canadian winters still cranks the car like it did when it was new. A while back we had temperatures of -10F for a few days and even then it worked as if it was August.

something to think about as I was planning on going to a lightweight LI battery when the time comes...

This is why it kind of troubles me. I actually did have a battery replaced sometime early 2016. It is a different battery than the stock BRZ one IIRC than the stock one and supposedly has more cranking power at 750?

I have a feeling it is the alarm system and the keyless entry. From what I understand, the proximity key sensor is always on and when any key (from any car) comes near it draws a bit of charge to read it. When the car is parked inside beside another frequently used car with proximity key, that could be why it drains the battery?

My confusion of posting this, is that the battery seems to always have more than enough juice to power everything else but can't turn the crank... It's almost like the battery needs to be at least 90% full at the time of crank so it reaches the state of "still a lot of juice but just can't start the car" really fast... I find it very hard to accept.

Either way I will try the battery route first.

Don't recall anybody having an issue with them. At least nobody that said anything at the time.

Wouldn't they be more susceptible to small draw, if that is what is going on with the BRZ?

This is one of the most commonly stated and misunderstood things I have read on many car forums (and discussed before forums existed).
Your battery can indeed seem to have plenty of power for everything else and not be able to crank the car. All the lights and HU and everything else only draw a couple of amps so they will seem fine. The starter motor needs full amperage to work. When you try to start it and just hear a click that is the solenoid engaging the gear on the starter. There is enough power to push it up but not enough to spin the starter motor. Keep in mind that starter motor is trying to spin all of the internals in the engine from a dead stop. That takes more oomph that turning on the dash lights.
If you have changed the battery then perhaps it just needs a little maintenance. Check the electrolyte levels and make sure they are all up. Pull the cable clamps and make sure they are clean and tight. Even a small bit of corrosion can cause intermittent issues with starting. Have the battery checked for both voltage and amperage before you go changing it again since it could be a charging system issue (I doubt it is but check).

I would think so yes but don't recall anybody saying it happened. They may hold amperage better? I don't know a lot about them.

There are plenty of guys in NorCal that DD on lightweight stuff. There are even some that will hold a charge for about a week. Just get an appropriate charger if you're gonna leave it awhile to be safe.

Good to know, I leave for extended periods of time fairly regularly, so I am used to using chargers/conditioners...I just don't want to get stuck with a car that won't start when I am trying to leave work in the middle of winter.


I will keep one of those little jumper packs in my car as well, but speaking of which, can the 6MTs be push started if they have the push-button ignition?

Having met a bunch of the NorCal guys I have little doubt that many are experts on items involving lithium.

A battery may test fine, it depends on the tester. I've seen batteries that would test fine on a non-load tester then drop off a cliff at 9V draw. Not all testers are created equal.

From the video and what you wrote above, it looks to me like you just have a bad battery. It'll take a good surface charge and maybe even a somewhat deep charge but when a good load is put on it (starting is a huge load) it'll fail.

Have your alternator actually tested when you put the new battery in. Tested WITH the new battery installed.