Paper tray problem - full of paper but can't pull up paper and display says tray empty also loud clicking noise coming from paper tray

1. The output bin may be full. Empty the output bin. Printing resumes automatically.
2. Take a close look at the flaps hanging out the exit of the printer. They should move up and down freely. If one of them is stuck up, broken or dislodged, then a bin full error is displayed.
3. Open rear exit tray and power on the printer. If the printer comes to a Ready state, close rear tray and try printing.
4. Clean the paper path below the toner area and exit assembly at the back of the printer. Ensure there is no pieces of paper stuck in the paper path of the printer.

You can check if the paper guides are set properly by depressing the purple lever on the right front of the tray. The leading edge of the stack of paper should rise out of the tray. If the paper cannot rise, or rises unevenly, you need to adjust the guide on the tray. There should be between 1/16 and 1/18 of play from front to back for the stack of paper in the paper tray.
The loud click sounds alarming, but is not the problem.

Gears on the tray is broken, or the gears that lift the tray. (thus the clicking noise). And the no paper is due to the actuators underneath not being activated because of the non lift.

Pull the paper tray, likley a small black lever to the left of the roller called the edge actuator is dislodged and hanging down. When in position the actuator should easily push up and appear flat next to the roller.

The paper tray is full and the printer said no....when it tried to print the printer made a noise ...so I took the paper out and a small part came out with it.....the part is black plastic about 1 inch by 2 inches and looks like some kind of hook.

First why is the tray set for size A4 Paper. That is metric size paper for oversea locations. Should be set for 81/2"x11, or 11"x81/2.. is there any paper stuck behind the 1st tray? are the guides that hold the paper in place in the draw snug up aganist the paper in the draw. is the bottom sheet of paper in the stack/rem of paper benton the edge. All sheets of paper in the draw must be flat.

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Remove main tray. Check adjustable paper back stop. If the backstop is set so that the paper sit too tightly in the tray....it will prevent the spring loaded front portion of the tray to lift up allow paper to contact the pickup roller. The clicking sound you hear is the paper lift mechanism trying to push up the paper. Arrange both backstop and sidestops to allow some movement of paper in tray.

pull cassette out and look inside the cassette bay on the left side. there is a white gear that lifts up your paper. that might have come unseated. make sure its seated in right by pushing it back in. last but not least, make sure you don't have your rear paper stopper in cassette pushing paper too hard against the front of cassette preventing paper from raising up.

Sounds like the gears are out of alignment for the paper pick up tray.

This is one of the known issues with the HL-5240. This will require a replacement paper tray. Definately the problem if it is more of a clack than a click.