Chrysler Repair: Chrysler 300c not starting, battery clamps, cable clamps

Question
2006 Chrysler will not start.  All instrument panel is working, when I turn the key, it makes a clicking sound, but will not turn over to for engine to run.  I can jump start it with cables but will not turn over with out extra power.

Answer
Hi Karen,
I would suspect either the battery or the battery cables. The battery itself is probably the original so it shouldn't have gone bad yet, but that is always the possibility. You didn't notice the charge warning light on the dash to be glowing when you were driving it recently as that would be a sign that the alternator circuit is not charging it? So those being the case, perhaps the battery cable clamps may be corroded/loose, or the connections on the -clamp cable's wires to the engine/chassis may be loose. So I would begin by verifying that the battery clamps/posts are shiny and tight. Remove the -clamp first and then the +clamp. Clean/polish the interface surfaces, then put the +clamp back on first, and finish by putting the -clamp back. Then follow the wires from -clamp to whereever they lead you to check that they are fastened tightly.
If all the clamps work out, and when you are driving the voltage meter on the dash reads half-scale or so and the charge warning light is not 'on', then you would have to suspect the battery is too weak. If you had access to a 110V power line near the car you could buy a battery charger and hook it up to the battery to see if you can recharge it overnight to be strong enough to start it.
Roland