Q: When I turn the key the lights come on fine, but sometimes it is hard to crank up. It makes a fast ticking noise

Hello, thanks for writing in. It sounds like either your battery voltage is low, or you have a corroded battery terminal, or both. Check the battery posts for corrosion, if you find a blob of blue green fuzzy stuff there, the terminals will have to be cleaned. Careful to not touch the battery with your bare hands, as you can get a bad chemical burn from that.

Cleaning the terminals may be all that you have to do to get back on the road. Weather it is or not, your next step should be to have the battery and charging system tested. often, by the time the terminals start to show serious corrosion, the battery is near the end of it’s useful life.

Finally, I notice that the mileage on your car is very low. Sometimes cars that are not used often, or are driven only very short distances, are not running long enough to recover the charge that is used when the car is started. For people who use their cars only rarely, it can be a good idea to install a battery tender, a small trickle charger that can be plugged in to maintain battery life while the car is out of use for long periods.

If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this hard-to-crank issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.