Q: Loud metallic clicking noise from engine
When trying to start my car recently, there was a loud metallic clicking noise. I can not start my car. It seemed to be coming from the bottom left of my engine, possibly from the transmission. I checked the starter and the battery and those seem fine. Just the day before it was working with no problems. I’m very low on gas. Also, I checked the engine oil and found there was almost none! Worried that I’d have a seized engine, I tried turning the crankshaft and it turned properly. I then added oil to the engine. The transmission fluids and others are good. A friend suggested that it’s a neutral safety switch problem. What is your diagnosis of this problem and what should I do?
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Hi there. If there is a grinding noise when trying to crank the engine then most of the time it is caused by the starter failing. If the starter gear is not engaging correctly then this will occur. It is also possible that the engine is seized, but most of the time when this occurs it will not crank at all.
If you need to have this looked at, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose the noise in your engine and make any repairs that are necessary.
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