Weird Engine noise!!!

Ok when i start my car up in the early morning it is freaking cold outside my car makes this weird cicking jolting noise and then it goes away after it warms up. what is that dreadful noise and how do i fix it? also my car sounds like a belt is loose how do i check to see which one it is? also another problem that i have with this damn car is that i only have life half my battery power eventhough i just bought a new die hard battery. when i start the car up its half way and when i rev the engine up it will go up to almost full then goes back down to half again. i thought if i bought a new battery it would get rid of this problem and give me more juice. and also one time i was at a red light and had my bass up to 12-14 volume and it was thumping pretty good and all of a sudden it cut off and went back on again weird.

well if you wired up a system, then your alternator might be going bad...what amperage is your battery at when it's idling?

i dont know its half way mark.

your battery should never be "full" on that meter, it should sit around 13-14 v at idle. Your system is probably pulling more power than your alternator can deliver, at which point your voltage drops below the minimum that it require to stay on. It shuts off, then the voltage goes back and up and the systme turns back on.

ok so what do i do about it?

Whoa, I have the same problem when starting up my car in the cold mornings! It makes the same sounds you mentioned. I have a system, so I guess I'm gonna have to see if my alternator's going bad, I guess.

well it should be at about half or a little higher...when you have a system you need to either buy a capacitor so that it doesnt constantly drain your electricity or a high amperage alternator, otherwise your alternator will get overworked and die, then one day you'll go to start your car and you'll get nothing. I've had a lot of systems, and in every car the same problem, alternator went b/c I didnt bother with buying a capacitor.

ok so how much do these capacitors cost? and are they easy to install? also do you know what the clunking ticking noise could be? your input is appreciated.

Just wanted to make sure and point out that the alternator or voltage problems have nothing to do with the sound on cold starts. That sound is most likely from the lifters (engine doesn't have oil circulating, plus oil thickens when it's cold so when you start; our lifters are notorious for ticking but once the engine gets warm and the oil gets circulating well it stops).

Some places can also build alternators to handle more pull. Or you could always wire up another battery just to run your system (the route I'm taking.... one battery wired only for start-up.ignition then once I start the car, switch the relay and the car and system run off the other battery. Can have the car off and completely drain the battery with the stereo on then just switch over to the other battery and start the car right up :grinyes: ) You can get capacitors at any store that carries car audio equipment. Best Buy, Circuit City (although those wouldn't be the first places I'd go to get one). They range in price depending on the size, etc.

ok great thanks for the input so tomorrow i will be looking for a capacitor for my alternator? know that cold oil problem there is basically no way of getting around it right?