Start problem

[NorwegianMustang]

When I turn the key to start the car all I get is 1 click, then the car goes dead/dark. But when I use a booster, it start right up like nothing is wrong.
I can drive the car, turn it off, then try to start it again, same thing, dead.
My toughts is a grounding issue.

When the car is running, I got a charge on 14.35 Volt. When off I got 12.35 Volt, but when I try to start, it "jumps" to 12.45Volt

I got a new red-top Optima installed in the car.

Gonna check my ground cable on the engine tomorrow. I even got a guy on it, he gonna ask his teacher (girl).

Until then, HELP!!!

[slvr2000stang]

Checking the grounds is a good start.

[lowflyn]

Yeh, follow your ground wire off the battery, it also might not hurt to go ahead and have your alternator checked...

[I_luv_HP&trq]

your battery is putting out the right amount of volts.(12.6 is usually perfect but you're ok)
and you say the battery is new right? even with new ones sometimes there's sulfation and that can cause only the outside of each cell to charge which is why it dies after a while.

Try starting your car and taking the negative cable off. Let it run for a minute and if it dies the alt for sure needs to be checked out. If it is the alt then it could just be the brushes are worn or a bad connection with the field coil or commutator.

Clean each terminal post with some baking soda and water and use sand paper if you have to scrap stuff off the terminals. When you re connect them make sure the cables are all the way down.
and like the others said, check your grounds. make sure the top of your battery is dry and nothing that can cause current to travel from post to post.

[NorwegianMustang]

Think I found out the problem, not sure though. Here is what I did.

I took off the negative connection to the started and cleaned it, then I did the same with the positive.
Then I cleaned the poles and connections, then installed them back on.

Wrom, car started right up. Turned it off and tried to start it again, nope, 1 click. So I took off the positive connection and re-installed it and wrom, started. Turned it off and tried to re-start it, 1 click. So I took off the positive connection and re-installed it, but I managed to break the connection, so now I got to get new once.

Hope the car will be back to normal with new connections.

Oh, and didn't use the booster, so that's a good thing I think.

[NorwegianMustang]

Ok, problem solved, at least it seems like it.

Got 2 new connections and now it fires right up like normal

[Joel5.0]

Quote: Originally Posted by I_luv_HP&trq your battery is putting out the right amount of volts.(12.6 is usually perfect but you're ok) and you say the battery is new right? even with new ones sometimes there's sulfation and that can cause only the outside of each cell to charge which is why it dies after a while. :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: :no: Try starting your car and taking the negative cable off. Let it run for a minute and if it dies the alt for sure needs to be checked out. If it is the alt then it could just be the brushes are worn or a bad connection with the field coil or commutator. Clean each terminal post with some baking soda and water and use sand paper if you have to scrap stuff off the terminals. When you re connect them make sure the cables are all the way down. and like the others said, check your grounds. make sure the top of your battery is dry and nothing that can cause current to travel from post to post.

Sorry.......had to edit your quote just to make a point............. That is the worst way to check the charging system of a car with computer control and electric fuel pump. That type of testing was OK for cars using generators instead of alternators.

If you remove the ground cable from the battery with the engine running this is what happens and its possible consequences:

- you may send a marginal alternator to the grave by causing it to max itself out trying to keep up with the voltage/amps demands of high consumption devices (ie. fuel pump, electric rad fan) and causing it to get burned, literally.

- you remove the reference ground used by other electronic devices in the car (ie. ECM, ign. module, etc) and the possibility of a failure of any of them or combination, with the added cost ($$$$$$) to replace them. Believe me, BTSTDT (the repairs, I mean, caused by someone else, usually a customer).

- the engine would stall anyway due to the explained above, not necessarily because of a bad alternator.

Cheap advice, to check the charging system use a digital or analog multimeter, it's worth the savings and the car's downtime. TC/GL