Grand Am Clicks when trying to start..Help!

[spraydu]

Heres the problem as it happened. First, battery light would come on while driving/idling. Now the light doesn't come on as much, but it wont start sometimes. All it does is click once when I turn the key to run. After a few minutes of trying, it will start fine, and when I cut it off and try again thereafter, it is fine. I listened to where the noise was coming from, and it was at the top of the engine, not the starter. Any ideas?

[Degtr]

Sounds like it could be the alternator to me. When the battery light comes on, that indicates a problem in the electrical system, and often the alternator is the culprit. When you try to start and hear clicks, it could be because the alternator is going and the battery is being drained. It may not have enough juice left to crank the engine.

[GTP Dad]

Check the belt that drives the alternator to see if it is slipping. Intermittant battery lights often indicate that the belt is slipping on the pulleys and the alternator is not turning properly. It is possible that the alternator is going bad but the belt is much cheaper to change. If you have more than 60K miles on your car and the belt is original change it and the problem should go away. If your belt is new then the alternator may be going bad. You can remove it and have it tested at an autoparts store. The starting problem is related to the battery being low.

[spraydu]

Thanks for the replies. It has 112k on it, and I had the alternator bench tested the other day and it is charging fine. I will check the tensioner pulley and change the belt if the pulley is fine. To add more to the problem, it started overheating today. I drove it about 10 miles and the temp. light came on (about 260 degrees). I turned the a/c off and it cooled down some. After driving it about 5 more miles and parking it for an hour, I tried driving it back home. The guage would go up to 260, then come down some, finally it stayed so I stopped on the side of the interstate to let it cool. To sum this up, the more I drive it, the less time it takes to get hot. I'm thinking thermostat, what do you all think?
If you agree, where and how do I change it? 1999 3.4L
Thanks Guys

[bcopeland]

Follow the top radiator hose and it will lead you to the thermostat,. Also when it clicks and its not the starter then it usually is the battery terminals are fully corroded and need to be replaced.

[doobiess]

well the grand am is prone to the actual ignition going and having the lock replaced is common.. it can get all messed up easy .. if you carry a pile of keys on your key chain if so.... thats a no no

[grfnkl]

i really doubt key's would have something to do with the car not starting. Honestly, if it's not what the otehr guys suggested, you may also want to look into, your neutral safety switch, and your starter as well.

[Degtr]

The '99 3.4L has a serpentine belt that drives the alternator, water pump, power steering, and A/C. Since you are having intermittent charge problems and now are overheating, I'd look closely at that belt and tensioner. Did the battery light happen to come on as the car was heating up? A slipping belt would not only cause your alternator not to generate enough juice to charge the batter, but would also prevent your water pump from moving enough coolant through the system.

[spraydu]

How should I check my tenstioner pulley? Also, I changed alternators before the overheating occured, so this may be the problem. Would all this happen because there is too much or too little tenstion on the belt?

[spraydu]

Ok Guys, I solved the problem. Try the simple things first. I refilled the coolant and had to bleed the valve to get the air out. The air was preventing the coolant to circulate. Hope this may help someone else down the road. Thanks for all your inquiries.