starter motor or alternator ??

hi guys.

my alternator is makeing a strange noise, i believe is the bearings gone, however i tried to turn the engine over and the starter motor just clicks, nothing else happens.

so i changed my started motor with a 2nd hand one. and it fired str8 up. however 1 week later i go to start it again, and it just clicked, (with new motor) so i bumped it, drove it for half hour, stoped, and it fired stright back up. left again for 3 days. and now its just clicking again ? any ideas anyone ?

Either you battery is on it's last legs and is not holding charge, or you alternator is not charging correctly/fully. The noise from the alternator makes me suspect that it is that at fault.

Remove the aux drive belt on the front of the engine and spin the alternator by hand, you should be able to feel any rough-ness in the bearings. Also look for any play in the pulley (up/down and/or in/out).

Starter motor soluniod?

Do you still have the immobilisor fitted, although I believe that works on the fuel pump circuit? if it does, then wouldn't that mean that it would turn over but not fire up?

if its the imobilisor then the imobilisor light will be on on the dash

sounds like the alternator is knackered but even if the bearings are shot it should not stop charging!the bearings are quite easy to change and works out cheaper than replacing the full unit but you should first check what the alternator is putting out by using a multimeter. when the engine is not running you should get a 12v reading from the battery and with the engine running you should get upto 14v.