Just lately she has been having a little trouble starting. before starting the engine, the volts are at 11.5. It turns over very slow then starts up and runs fine. While running the volts are at 13.8. I'll drive to work and at lunch, the same thing happens. What do y'all think?
Time for a new battery... The volts you see before starting the car is how many volts you got in the battery, whereas the volts you see after starting is how many volts your alternator is generating for the car. That's what I recall before changing my battery a year or so ago when it was used to read something less than 12V before engine cranking. I hope my memroy is serving me right
Just lately she has been having a little trouble starting. before starting the engine, the volts are at 11.5. It turns over very slow then starts up and runs fine. While running the volts are at 13.8. I'll drive to work and at lunch, the same thing happens. What do y'all think?
It isn't necessarily the battery. 11.5 is pretty much normal for when the car is off. If it were in the 8-10 range I would be more suspicous.... It could be your starter, or cable running to it.
the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to tell is to either get a different battery from another car and try it; or hook it up to a battery charger. if it fires right up in either scenario, it is the battery. if it does the same thing, it is something else.
Have a load test run on the battery to see if it's in good condition. The starter draw in amps can also be checked.
You may have a bad connection either at the battery terminals (so pull them and look for signs of corrosion or the bolts just not being tight) or at the starter solenoid. Check the ground cable where it attaches to the car for corrosion or being loose.
The starter itself can be on the way out too. Anything from bad brushes to an internal short or the solenoid contacts worn out.
This is a common problem on cars that aren't driven daily. I keep a trickle charger on mine most of the time for that reason. All the electronics on these things drain the battery over time and the alternator is not intented to charge a low battery. Get one of the peak type chargers that shuts off automatically.
Most of the auto stores are not set up to do a true battery load test nor can they check the electrical system for current draw like running the starter.
I would get the car to a competent facility and have them check the battery and starter. Places like AutoZone or Shucks will just want to sell you a battery.
Just lately she has been having a little trouble starting. before starting the engine, the volts are at 11.5. It turns over very slow then starts up and runs fine. While running the volts are at 13.8. I'll drive to work and at lunch, the same thing happens. What do y'all think?
Tell me about your battery.What is the "cold cranking amperage" rating? a 12V battery is 8x 1.5 v cells.Alternators put out =14V......So there is not a dead cell.Alternator sounds fine.Maybe starter drain.A good auto parts store can check battery AND starter for ya.Keep us informed.
Just lately she has been having a little trouble starting. before starting the engine, the volts are at 11.5. It turns over very slow then starts up and runs fine. While running the volts are at 13.8. I'll drive to work and at lunch, the same thing happens. What do y'all think?
Do you have a draw on the battery when the car is off. Perhaps you have a drain on the battery, and then when you start it the alternator charges it back up. This all depends how long it sits, but if it is a daily driver it might be enough to cause this. However I think right before cranking my volt meter reads 11.5. I am going to check it with my DMM against the guage in the car to see how accurate it is.
The easiest way to check for a current draw is to close the car up, and unplug your hood lights, that way there shouldn't be a current drain on the battery. Use a Digital meter, or even a current tester with the light bulb. Take the negative terminal off, and connect the meter from the battery terminal to the negative cable and check the Amps, my guess, if there was any current it would be in the milliamps range. Or if you have the current tester, the light bulb should not be lit. If it is then there is a drain, if it is bright then the current draw is significant.
I doubt you have a problem, but these are just a few words of advice, and just a thought.
Well tonight I had no choice but go through the routine. The car started fine after work. I went to the gym. When I came out, nothing. not turning over at all. I checked and cleaned the battery terminals, they're fine. still nothing. Check for any loose connections. nothing. tried tapping on the starter (it worked a couple times on my old jeep) but nothing on the vette. no dice. while half under the car with a screwdiver, I was poking around the starter and accidently connected 2 bolts on the end of the starter. sparks flew and everything. well, I checked the fuses and then the dash display to make sure I didn't blow anything. For some reason I checked the ignition, and it started right up.
So, is it probably the starter?
What do you mean you check the ignition? Did you try to bypas the solenoid? I assume that is what you did since you had sparks all over. If you can bypass the solenoid on the starter and the car starts, then the solenoid is probably going bad. Over time heat will effect their performance. Do you have any more updates?
well, i put a new ac/delco starter, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor and still no go. The next day a new battery went in and presto, started right up. Battery was the culprit after all. But now she runs wasy better, besides the slight idle problem I have. But problem solved.
My gauge indicates 11.5 volts prior to starting. I checked the voltage at the battery & it was 12.84. That is a large difference between bat voltage & gauge. Has anyone else checked this way?
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