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My 37 has a new electrical issue. Has a new battery and new starter within the past month.
Drove the car last Thursday to runs some errands and it started several times and ran fine. Went out to drive it yesterday and when I turned the key the fans and dash light came on (both currently wired to run constantly) and fuel pump kicked on, but got the click-click-click from the starter like the battery was dead. Then about two seconds later nothing no fans, lights or fuel pump and nothing from the starter when key turned to the start position. Wait for a couple minutes and the entire process would repeat.
Threw some jumper cables on it and left my wife's car running for several minutes. Same thing turn key on get fans, lights, pump, click-click-click then everything goes dead. Wait a couple minutes and process repeats.
I'm an electrical neophyte I know everyone who understands it says to think of it just like a garden hose current in one end of the wire out the other, but I just can't wrap my head around it. No problem tearing into anything mechanical, but electrical has always given me pause cause I don't want to burn it to the ground.
Any ideas where I should start to try and run down this problem?
I will add to what Iowan said. Sounds like a weak breaker for the system or wat too much Amperage Draw when starting... Check to see if you have a min. of 12 volts when at the starter when you turn the motor over. Make sure all the wire connections are tight after that.
What these fellas are saying is true, hard to diagnose without having or knowing how to use an electric meter.
For a novice I can say that any poor electrical connection will create resistance this generates heat. When the connection heats up it expands this can make the connection tighter or looser. What you have described makes sense, remove clean and inspect battery connections, go to the starter and check the same for the big cable. Look around for any wires that may be fastened to the chassis or body connected to the engine, do the same as the battery connections.
If this does not show a problem and after cleaning and making good connections, an electrical meter and wiring diagram/knowledge will be needed.
Agree with the others, Make sure all connections are clean and tight. Might not hurt to put a load tester on the battery. I have gotten bad batteries before. When you get a chance, post some picks of your vehicle. I am working on a 35 Plymouth.
Thanks to everyone for your replies. It was indeed a bad ground.
I replaced the negative battery cable with a 2Awg cable and got a good ground to the frame this morning before church. It has been so danged hot here in Dallas that I had to get on it at like 6:30 to beat the heat. Anyway once I got everything buttoned up, it fired as soon as I turned the key.
Also bought a couple of ground straps that I will be using to ground the engine block and body to the frame once I get back from a business trip. Then I will be replacing the positive battery cable. I just need to buy the cable and ends to run it from the trunk to the starter. Will also add a battery box at the same time since the battery is currently just held in by a not so sturdy homemade strap.
Once that is done I will add a thermostat control to the fans to keep them from running constantly.
Added grounds from the body to frame and engine block to frame started fine for a couple days then back to the nothing when turning the key.
Took the grounds and negative cable loose, sanded the frame again reinstalled started fine for a couple days. Then started the issue again intermittently. Would start, then the next time I turned the key nothing. Try later and it would be fine.
Convinced it was an ignition switch going bad, so bought a new quality switch and a new 2 Awg battery cable. Yesterday installed the new switch and it started right up. Shut it off tried again and it just clicked, turned the key again and it fired up. Hung the new positive cable under the car and it started multiple times in a row.
So this morning I went out to route the new cable along the frame with cable clamps working from the starter toward the trunk. Laying on my back measuring, drilling and screwing the clamps to the frame as I went. Made it to where the last clamp would go, measured from the hole where the two battery cables feed through the trunk floor grabbed the drill and promptly drilled a hole through the trunk floor and into the bottom of my three month old battery. My $150 mistake for the day.
Just made a stupid mistake and measured from the wrong side of the hole. Quarter of an inch the other way and I would have avoided disaster. Battery acid pouring through the hole all over me, my drill and garage floor. Luckily the garden hose was close by.
Anyway, I got another new battery and at least for now my starting issues seem to be resolved. Fingers crossed.
That's Rodders Luck if I have ever hears it !!!!!!
Hope you found the problem... Hope the acid didn't burn you to bad?
Sounds like you might have been fighting a bad cable somehow?
Keep us posted.
Well my starting woes have returned. Luckily for me it has only happened in the driveway not when I was out somewhere with one exception. That one time it did happen out somewhere was Wednesday. Checked the battery cables, and the wires to the starter. The wire on the "S" post was loose. Moved it slightly and it started and made it home.
Went out to start it the next day and nothing. Pulled the wires off the starter and noticed that the "S" post was loose. Ran the nut back down on the post and it would not tighten it just continued to turn once the nut was turned. That should not happen should it?
This is a brand new starter with a lifetime warranty so other than the hassle of pulling it off and taking it back for the replacement not a big deal.
Went out this morning to make another run at it and as I tried to remove the nut from the S post, the entire post came off the starter. Pulled the starter took it to O'Reilly and they replaced it under warranty. Put the new starter on and it fired immediately.
Now, I have been at this point before where I though I had solved the issue so I'm hoping that this time it is ACTUALLY solved.
The quality of parts available now days is depressing, you get the good, better, best when buying anything from wheelbearings to wiper blades. It's hard to tell if you buying quality or a warranty. A few years ago my daughter had a Cavalier and I got tired of replacing rear wheel bearings every 10 months or so. The last time I stepped up and got the best set of bearings put in new bolts and didn't have to replace them again.
The new bearings were made in Mexico and Vietnam not China.
07-19-2018, 08:29 PM
