# Starting a car **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, metro\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/starting-a-car/45098 "2010-02-25T09:31:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zenith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/zenith/32/1537_2.png) [@zenith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/starting-a-car/45098/1 "2010-02-25T09:31:51Z")
1998 chevy metro. starts intermittently. battery is good. when it’s hooked up to another battery it starts on cables. Sometimes it just makes a clicking sound. sometimes a click then turns over. What is causing this unreliable starting behavior? ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/starting-a-car/45098/2 "2010-02-25T10:50:43Z")
How do you know the battery is good? Have you cleaned and properly reattached both ends of each battery cable? ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/starting-a-car/45098/3 "2010-02-25T11:26:05Z")
Right! Disconnect the battery cables, and clean the terminals and battery posts with a wire brush, smear Vaseline (or, silicon grease) on the terminals and battery posts, and reattach the cables ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/starting-a-car/45098/4 "2010-02-25T12:49:40Z")
I suggest having the battery tested, and checking the cable connections at BOTH ends. They must be clean and tight. Sounds like a battery problem, though. Have the charging system tested while you’re at it. Most parts stores will test these components free.