Why won't my car start?

Sounds like the battery. It may have had a small bit of juice left for the doors to open. You attached the cables and power started flowing. It may have just made that clicking sound because you didn’t let the battery get rejuiced up enough before attempting to start.

If you happen to get it started, while running, disconnect the negative terminal from the battery. If the engine dies, you have a bad alternator. If it stays on, your battery was dead and may need replacing.

Of course this is a lot of guessing based on experience and what you offered as a description to a problem. If I were you, I’d try the cables again, letting the stay connected for like five minutes before attempting to start the car. Good luck. :-)

Has the battery struggled to turn the car on recently?

How long since you last started the car?

What is the year, model, and make?

Do you have an alternater gauge on the dash?

Did you park your car in park? Your car will not start unless it’s in park. Both my daughters have called AAA only to find that when they stopped the car and turned it off, they did so in drive, and when you get in to start the car, it won’t start unless it’s in park.

It sounds like your battery but there may be a reason that it’s not charging if you didn’t leave any lights, etc. It could just be old. You need to let the cables stay connected a little longer for the jump but do you know anyone who has a battery charger? If the battery is not charging for some a reason a jump is only going to get you started, not keep you until monday. Or if someone can take you somewhere like Pep Boys or any auto parts store or even Target might carry them, to get a car battery charger that would be good too. You can get a decent one for under 50$ and they’re good to have around. I’ve had batteries die a couple of times and the charger saved my life, as long as the battery dies when your car is in the driveway and you can just get it out of the garage and plug it in. Then it is a life saver.

@12Oaks, thanks for the info, I will try that. I did try it as soon as I hooked it up.
@filmfann It did have a strange start up the last two times I started it, yesterday night. Like, it only started “half way” at first, but when I tried again it started. I meant to mention that in my description It is a 2001 Dodge Stratus. You have to take the tire off to change the battery.
@BarnacleBill, I did that in the past…lol. I did put it in park before I cut it off.

Go to your local Advance Auto Parts or Autozone when you call for a tow. They do completely free electrical tests.

You also may want to check the battery and make sure the cables and connections aren’t corroded. If they are, you can clean them with a solution of baking soda and water.

Loud clicking noise when ignition key is turned to start position. Starter does not operate but lights and windscreen wipers work. Starter motor problem, possibly a stuck gear in the starter. Try rocking the car back and forth in top gear with handbrake off to free the gear.
If you can locate the starter motor sometimes a sharp tap on it with a spanner does the trick.

If nothing happens push start a manual gearbox car or call for help if the car has automatic transmission.

No sound from engine. Lights and windscreen wipers work O.K. Faulty ignition switch, wiring, solenoid or starter motor. Try jiggling ignition key whilst turning it.
If you can locate solenoid (by battery) check if there are any loose connections, if so tighten them.

If this doesn’t work push start a manual gearbox car or call for help if the car has automatic transmission.

Starter motor turns engine strongly, but engine doesn’t start. No fuel in tank.

Moisture in the ignition system
Disconnected or loose wires in the ignition system.
Petrol hose broken or disconnected
Don’t rely on fuel gauge. Remove petrol cap and rock car you should be able to hear a sloshing sound if there is any petrol in the tank.
Disconnect the spark plug leads one at a time to avoid confusing their positions. Wipe with dry cloth or paper towel. Wipe top of each spark plug before refitting lead.

Wipe moisture from top of ignition coil.

Remove distributor cap (fixed with either spring clips or screws) and wipe both the inside and outside of the cap.

If possible, spray the whole ignition system with a moisture repellent aerosol e.g. WD40.

Check leads from the ignition coil to the distributor and from the distributor to the spark plugs.

Check all petrol hoses.

Starter motor turns engine strongly; strong smell of petrol after repeated attempts at starting. Engine flooded with petrol. Wait 15 minutes for excess petrol to evaporate, then try again without using manual choke.
Depress the accelerator pedal slowly to the floor and keep it there. Don’t pump the pedal, you will flood the carburettor again.

:-/

Welcome to the world of dead battieries. You have a dead cell in your battery. Time to dump it and buy a new one. Everything you described indicates a dead cell in your cars battery. I just changed mine out and had the same symptoms as you.

Starter motor issues or other short in ignition circuit.
Maybe as simple as a loose earth lead on starter.

(why are all you guys saying battery when the OP stated it would not start with jump leads either?)

Dead battery. I have a Mustang Cobra that this happened to without warning and required about an hour on cables before it would crank over.

It also helps if someone is in the other car revving the engine as you try to turn the dead one.

I’m not a car expert in any stretch of the word, so much so I didn’t understand quite all of the wonderful advice/possibilities you’ve already been given so I think something along this line was suggested already but I’m not positive:

I had car problems that I’d describe like you did, almost word for word—
”I turn the key, no noise, no click, no lights, no power what so ever. I hooked up my jumper cables and the lights automatically came on. When I tried to start the car, while it was hooked up to the cables, it made a loud clicking noise, but would not start.”
I had thought the battery was dead—since I did leave the lights on : /—, and then when jumping not only didn’t work but made strange sounds, I didn’t know.

I had to call AAA because I was stuck in a parking lot and couldn’t get it started. They hooked the battery up to a battery reader (technical term?) and found that it was an electrical problem.

So unlike you, I did kill the battery, but that wasn’t the real problem I was having: it just exposed the problem. I couldn’t get a charge because the electrical wasn’t working. The battery, fine, but not the wires connected to it.

I wish I could give you a more technical explanation on what was going on, because I’m sure I’m not explaining it quite right, but that’s my best. What happened to you sounds similar… so I’m trying to say, maybe it’s an electrical problem.

You might have an electrical short someplace that is draining the battery. If you have a meter set it read Amps. You can find the short yourself by removing one battery cable and hooking the meter between the battery post and the cable. Then remove fuses one by one and look for the current to drop. You might luck out and find it is the fuse for the radio.

Or you could just have a bad battery or bad terminal connection.

Something is draining your battery. You will need to recharge the battery, then find where the drain on the battery is. On my car, the glove box wasn’t entirely closed, and the light was on.
You might want to check your headlights and brake lights. Once I had a crack in the casing, and the light filled with rain water, and drained the battery. Just push the car and see if you see water moving inside it.

Definitely start by checking the battery. Make sure you have no corrosion on the terminals and they are tight. make sure you have the jumper cables “biting” the terminals good. sometimes you have to wiggle then a bit. Its possible its the starter. If its easily accesible, you can try pounding on the starter with something and get it to work. Just did it on a buddies subaru. He thought it was the battery until i smaked the starter with a hammer and it fired right up.

Well, I got one of my dad’s friends to tow it in for me. He said when he tried to jump it, it started just fine. I must not have connected my jumper cables well enough. I’m happy to know that it probably is not something serious. He said that was just a quick try, he said he was doing full diagnostics tomorrow. Thanks for all of the pointers :-)

Please come back & let us know what the final outcome is ;-)
Happy driving… :-/

Well, i found out that my battery, that was put in in October, was not fully secured. They didn’t tighten the screws and connect the cables enough. After the new guy secured everything, it worked fine. So I had to pay towing, diagnostics, and labor (my tire has to be removed in order to gert the battery out) fees. Everything is fine, now though :-)

that sucks. Its usually something simple that will set you back. I have been working on cars a long time and i still get stumped by something simple.