electrical problem

[jimmers]

every once in awhile my car wont start. The battery will just be dead. Somedays it will start everytime, Some days it wont even start to get it out of the garage. Any ideas? There is a brand new battery. Seems like a short to me?

 

[melena52]

I found this advise very helpful. Hope you do also. MES

How versed are you in Electricity? The most common method I'm familar with would be to put a DC Amp Meter in series with the hot or ground lead of the battery, then record the current drain. Next would be to start pulling fuses and with each fuse pulled check and record the current drain. Eventually you will find the circuit causing the drain. (THE IGNITION SWITCH OFF)

That's just the start, next is to isolate the problematic circuit to find what component or connection is causing the drain and either replacing the defective component, or it could be as simple as making a new better connection.

Somethings I've seen cause problems are:

• Vanity Mirror light switch defective.
• Clock shorted.
• Bad brake light switch.
• Bad turn signal wiring.
• Glove box light switch.
• Interior auto light turn off module.
• Ect..

 

[jimmers]

somtimes my interior lights will work, and somtimes they wont. The ones in both doors usually wont work while the ones in the back near the hatch will. Today my car wont even start at all. All the gauges and everything works, but it wont even try to start. Any ideas? Is it perhaps the starter. I cant even drive it in to get it looked at because the thing wont start.
The interior light module , where is that?

Could it also be the little switch around the clutch that activates when you push the clutch in...i looked under the dash and saw a ton of wires. There was also a connector of wires not being plugged to anything that had a metal bracket attached to it with a bolt hole in it. I couldnt find where it should be plugged in to, or even if it should be.

Any ideas would be great because i just need it to start and take it from there.

 

[vetteboy86]

I think you have a grounding problem somewhere. Perhaps somewhere the connection to ground is not as good as it sshould be, or maybe it is loose. If you have a manual, I think there is some kind of neutral switch on the top side of the tranny, that might interrupt starter operation. However your lights would probably be a ground. I would imagine in the shop manual for your car, the points to witch the circuits in your car are gounded would be outlined.

Good Luck

Craig

 

[JohnGrawcock]

every once in awhile my car wont start. The battery will just be dead. Somedays it will start everytime, Some days it wont even start to get it out of the garage. Any ideas? There is a brand new battery. Seems like a short to me?

Does it really act like the battery is dead or does the starter just not enguage? What is the battery voltage? Have you tried charging it? If it is low you should see a significant change in the lights and gauges when you try to crank.
If the battery is OK it could be a faulty starter solenoid or a dead winding in the starter. These conditions cause an intermittent no-start. The good news is that if you try the key enough times the car will probably start.

 

[WhalePirot]

While you don't give a lot of information, it seems as though your battery is not dead. If the lights work and are strong, it is unlikely the battery. Do you have a voltmeter to give us readings?

Do you get clicking at the starter or nothing?
DO the headlights come on? Do they change if you try to start the car?

You mentioned the clutch switch. It is easy to disconnect it and jumper it to take it out of the chain. Mine failed some years ago, and it has been jumped, since.

 

[jimmers]

All the lights on my car are working great. The battery is brand new and the starter does give me the right voltage. When i try to start it, it does give me a clicking sound.
I took the ground wires off at one point on the car then put them back on, screwing them down tight. Ever since that the car has been fine for a few days.
How exactly do you jumper the clutch switch? And where is this neutral switch exactly?

Thanks for all the replies guys. Im really stumped on this one!!!ad

 

[WhalePirot]

been thru this, as a hot start problem

All the lights on my car are working great.

So the battery is not the problem, most likely. Even new batteries can hold a "surface charge" which may not start the car, consistantly. The battery tests okay, except under a proper load, say, that done with a VAT test; a simple, quick check done at any decent shop. I suspect this is not your problem; yet.

When i try to start it, it does give me a clicking sound.

This eliminates the electrical control; the lockouts for neutral and the clutch. The starter is not getting enough current flow for some reason.

I took the ground wires off at one point on the car then put them back on, screwing them down tight. Ever since that the car has been fine for a few days.

When you pulled the wires, did you thoroughly clean them? I like to wire brush them, then carefully use a chemical brush with a baking soda/water solution, then rinse and dry. DO NOT get this alkaline solution into the battery! I follow that cleaning with a light coating of Vaseline to slow moisture/corrosion accumulation. This should be done at each heavy ground to metal (Frame) connection. Also, AutoZone and others carry grounding straps, which are about 5 bucks. It doubt the car can have too many, and adding one from a starter attach bolt to the frame may help. I don't know if you live in a corrosive area, but those wires can go bad, too. I'd do the cleaning/protection, then move to another possibility.

How exactly do you jumper the clutch switch?

A wire between the two terminals, attached to a switch under the dash, tripped by the clutch pedal, but see above.

where is this neutral switch exactly?

I cannot find one for the 6-speed on a '90. There are three elecrical connections on the tranny: one near the rear is for the speed sensor; the forward one is for the backup lights, and the central one is the dreaded CAGS. The automatic has a neutral switch in the console area.

Im really stumped on this one!!!ad

Just keep patient. Electrical issues can be complex, but they just take a process of elimination to solve.

The above is good to do as long-interval routine maintenance, especially in wetter, more corrosive climates (salt?).

While that may solve your problem, you might have a component draining the system, which will get you into the fuse-pulling routine that melena52 spoke of. Ensure your ammeter has sufficient capability. With a seemingly slow drain, it is likely well under 1 amp.

If your problems started right after the new starter, that is a clue of where to look. Was the solenoid changed? I have taken many apart and simply cleaned the contact disk and the large contacts. Also, I have turned that disk over to have a virgin surface for contact. A thrifty guy am I .

Were all the starter wires properly reattached; not shorting to a ground?

My best guess is that you either have a component draining power or a bad battery. There are other threads on this topic, and I am sure you looked at them, and at your car to ensure things shut down when you leave it.

 

[Hrtbeat1]

Check the terminal block behind the battery near the drivers side firewall. The terminals on this block can get corroded and give you the dreaded intermittent starting problems. I took all mine off and cleaned them with WD-40 and a wire brush. I then used an electrolytic anti-seize on each of the terminals and reassembled.

One sure fire way to tell is try starting the car, then feel the wires at the terminal block. If they are hot then they are getting a load and have a lot of resistance, almost a guarantee that you have dirty terminals. I don't know why I didn't think of this before.

 

[Billybeau1]

Sounds to me like the solenoid. If your getting a click but the starter is not engaging then the solenoid is not sending voltage to the starter windings.