Well guys, I’ve been getting my daily workout pushin my teggy up and down the block. And now I’ll have no more. I did a search and didnt come up with much. So I turn to you…help me diagnose…plz. I have a 90 GS 5 SPD/171k miles
I get in my car a couple days ago, try starting it and I get nothing when I turn the key, dash lights and seat belts work, but no turning over. Just a random clicking coming from the passanger side kick panel, just below the glove box. So I checked the batt connections…positive cable was a little loose, so I fixed that and she started w/ no problems.
Next day, go to start her. Same clicking only now the battery is damn near dead and all electronics are either dim or slowed down. My baby wont even turn over for me, but she’ll click until the batt is drained.
Replaced batt and then she ran fine until that one drained out. And I noticed when I come to a stop at a light and keep the brake enguaged it seems like Im loosing power and sometimes everything cuts out for a split second, enough to see all the lights flick off and back on but only when stopped and a load is placed on the electrcal system.
I’ve replaced the batt/cap/rotor/wires/plugs/alternator/distributor within the last 6 months.Soooo I’ve been push starting the beast and now enough is enough. Anyone been in my shoes? I would appreciate any help I can get.
Its the starter.
Could simply be an electrical short somewhere… possibly.
Try using a multimeter when the car is off and touch POS batt. to the frame of the car and see what you get. if there’s a drain above any small amount, try diagnosing through the fuse panel to see what circuit the leak is on.
I’d have to say the starter looks culprit too, however. Get it checked or simply swap it out with a new/rebilt one. They aren’t that spendy and may very well solve your problems.
Good luck!
~Eric
yeah, it sounds like a short to me, or possibly the alternator.
its not the starter because you said it started a few times… so automatically you know its not that. Since you’ve having probs with the battery holding a charge then it has to do with the charging system.
it could be a bad battery. Sometimes batteries are just **** eventhough they are brand new. If there is a warranty on it, get it replaced just to be safe. Seems to me that its more of a short than the alternator though. If the alternator was dead then you wouldn’t be able to drive it very long before the battery went dead and the car died. However, the alternator could be only doing a minimal job of charging.
Here is what i’d do. First, charge the battery. Use a multimeter to test the voltage of the battery (with the car off). With the car off the battery should read about 12volts, higher is better, but if its below 11volts that could be a problem w/ the battery. Next start the car and now check the voltage again. Now it should be about 14.4 volts. If its not reading much higher, or the same as with the car off, then the alternator is not charging the battery. Test the voltage at different rpms. Often times when alternators go bad they will only put out a decent voltage above a certain rpm.
If the battery is good, and the alternator is good, then most likely you’ve got a short somewhere. A short will drain your battery all the time, thus leaving the battery dead all the time. However the car will run still because once you get it started (by push starting it) the alternator will have enough power to keep the car running.
I had the same problem…it was my negative battery cable. I went to a parts store and bought a new one ($6.00). It took care of the problem. HTH
Jeff
its not the starter because you said it started a few times… so automatically you know its not that.
Not necessarily… it could be the starter solenoid or relay is on its last leg, and only works once in a while. Not saying that’s definitely it, but it’s something to consider.
But you may as well try replacing your battery cables. Might turn out to be a cheap solution.
I had the same exact problem about 8 months ago. I repleaced hte battery twice thinking that was it, no good. I then figured it had to be the alternator. Replaced that, still no good. Finaly a friend mentioned it could be the started. I replaced it and no more puch starts for me. WOrked like a charm. No problems since then.
Re: Push Startin : (
Originally posted by Bob1.8
Well guys, I’ve been getting my daily workout pushin my teggy up and down the block. And now I’ll have no more. I did a search and didnt come up with much. So I turn to you…help me diagnose…plz. I have a 90 GS 5 SPD/171k miles
I get in my car a couple days ago, try starting it and I get nothing when I turn the key, dash lights and seat belts work, but no turning over. Just a random clicking coming from the passanger side kick panel, just below the glove box. So I checked the batt connections…positive cable was a little loose, so I fixed that and she started w/ no problems.
Next day, go to start her. Same clicking only now the battery is damn near dead and all electronics are either dim or slowed down. My baby wont even turn over for me, but she’ll click until the batt is drained.
Replaced batt and then she ran fine until that one drained out. And I noticed when I come to a stop at a light and keep the brake enguaged it seems like Im loosing power and sometimes everything cuts out for a split second, enough to see all the lights flick off and back on but only when stopped and a load is placed on the electrcal system.
I’ve replaced the batt/cap/rotor/wires/plugs/alternator/distributor within the last 6 months.Soooo I’ve been push starting the beast and now enough is enough. Anyone been in my shoes? I would appreciate any help I can get.
Does it only do it on hot days? If it only does it on hot days than its the starter. In my Teg it would start but when it got above 90 degrees it wouldn’t start I put on a new starter and worked good since.
; )
Ahhhh, I love this board. Didnt have a clue were to look next, and now I have a list. Thanx guys, Im ganna check the Batt cable’s and also run a bench test on that damn starter. I’ll see what I can come up with from there.
Thanx for the input guys.