Startup problem out of nowhere

[LonelyDoridori]

So I go to start the car today and it looks like the battery has drained overnight.. I thought I left the door open slightly. No big deal, I jump the car and run it for a good 20 minutes or so. I shut it off.. when I tried to start it back up, it won't start! Not even a click from the starter. One weird thing I noticed is that with the ign/electrical off, there is a strange ticking sound coming from the cigarette lighter area. It stops immediately when I hit the lights or turn the key. Does that sound like a short? The alternator works fine and the battery is a brand new SVR compact battery from HT (less than 3 months old).

[LonelyDoridori]

Actually, now that I look at it, it only clicks when the door is open so I guess it would just be something struggling to draw current (door light, the door open bell, etc). I'm hoping it's just the battery and that it was slowly losing charge over the past 3 months. A defective battery that wouldn't recharge.

[s13silady]

i dont think an SVR batter would do that... this would be a long shot but do you have a car alarm? the kill switch kind where theres a chipped key and the car wont start because one freaking wire got lose... i went out and bought a new optima redtop too... pointless because it was just one loose wire...

and if it is your starter try knocking on it (with a hammer) tap it a couple oof times... not too hard but hard enough...

but if worse comes to worst, then check your battery current after a night of letting it sit..like at pepboys or summin.. and check your starter...

[LonelyDoridori]

Well I noticed last night that a wire I had running into the cabin to a 12v source (from E-Fan to switch) had stripped itself on the edges of the hole I made in the firewall and grounded itself to the chassis. I think that's my problem, but would that cause my battery to not charge if it was like that for a while?

[s13silady]

probably... do a little testing to see if it makes a difference...
if it is a switch does your fan turn off when you turn your car off?? or does it stay on? cuz if thats the case, then your e fan is whats draining your batt...