I need some help with a car that won't start

[Perfessor]

Start with the cheapest and easiest thing. The ground cable. It always goes on older cars and mechanics love it, too, because they can change a bunch of stuff along with the cable.

[dragon9666]

So whats up with that Jeep?
Who guessed right?

[no-logic]

As has been said here, you have a low voltage problem to the starter. The noise you hear is the solenoid rapidly kicking the drive in and out due to a low voltage condition. Try cleaning the cable end first and see if you can get at the connections at the starter and clean those. If not it's the battery. I've already had cars with a shorted battery that wouldn't even start with a Start-All. If it froze chances are it has internal damage to the plates. Most likely the battery.

[fretless]

I'm gonna say I was probably correct but seriously , back in my mechanic days you would see many autos coming in that only needed fluid in the battery , but when they get low the cells are exposed and damage can occur and you should do a full charge and test to be safe . Very often you can save it by simply checking it regularly and adding if needed . You should use distilled water in most cases , regular water has minerals and crap in it and can cause corrosion to the cells and kill it . You can use plain old tap water in an emergency situation but be advised it can damage the battery over time . Many batteries are sealed so you cannot check the fluid level you can only replace these and be careful there is acid involved . The battery usually has some info printed on it as to what they recommend with the fluid checking filling etc. So in the heat of the summer maintain your batteries folks . When handling them never set it directly on the ground , and try not to drop it as they can explode .When you have a healthy battery , that's nicely mounted down with a good terminal connection I recommend a quick spray of anit-corrosion / contact spray found at your local auto parts shop . Mechanics in the house let me know if I left anything out ;)This has been a friendly fretless service announcement .