What I learned about Starters & Batteries
09-10-2003, 04:53 PM
#1
Supreme Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ****SoCal, USA****
Posts: 7,604
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What I learned about Starters & Batteries
Tuesday night, my Wife pulls in with the Firebird.
Shuts off car, runs inside, gets some paperwork for my Son's Third Birthday on September 11th, goes to the car & ....
I hear her come back inisde the door.
"The car won't start".
I go outside, & yep she's right, no start, just that ratchet, clicking, starter sound.
I await until later on & try again & still no start.
Wednesday AM, I try again.
No start.
Disconnect battery bring to charger, let it charge up.
Bring fresh charged battery back to car & still no start, but atleast I hear more rapid clicking/ratcheting sound.
Try charging the battery again.
Same clicking noise, still no start.
.
I check with friends & they say the starter MOTOR is bad. I swap starters from my 1985 Blazer, cause it works (I tested it prior to starting this project)
Swap starters.
Go to turn Firebird key, no clicking at all.
I pull out my Voltage meter & check battery.
As I turn key, the voltage reading drops to 7.4 (starting at 10.3).
I now swap batteries with the Blazer battery.
Firebird starts right up!
And the Blazer battery (in Firebird) is reading from 12.0 to 14.2 (showing me the alternator is operating correctly).
I was told that......
it takes ATLEAST 9 Volts (under the starting load on battery) for the solenoid to overcome the spring (in solenoid) pressure in the starter, to engage the starter motor.
Next time ya hear that click hopefully "my learned lesson", will make your the start car mission a bit better. Check battery voltage under load while trying to start car.
Best part of this story,
My Son turns Three, (Thursday September 11th) & the Wife is now on way to get his birthday cake.
Oh the Firebird, waited until it was parked in my driveway to break down!! not at a store parking lot.
Shuts off car, runs inside, gets some paperwork for my Son's Third Birthday on September 11th, goes to the car & ....
I hear her come back inisde the door.
"The car won't start".
I go outside, & yep she's right, no start, just that ratchet, clicking, starter sound.
I await until later on & try again & still no start.
Wednesday AM, I try again.
No start.
Disconnect battery bring to charger, let it charge up.
Bring fresh charged battery back to car & still no start, but atleast I hear more rapid clicking/ratcheting sound.
Try charging the battery again.
Same clicking noise, still no start.
.
I check with friends & they say the starter MOTOR is bad. I swap starters from my 1985 Blazer, cause it works (I tested it prior to starting this project)
Swap starters.
Go to turn Firebird key, no clicking at all.
I pull out my Voltage meter & check battery.
As I turn key, the voltage reading drops to 7.4 (starting at 10.3).
I now swap batteries with the Blazer battery.
Firebird starts right up!
And the Blazer battery (in Firebird) is reading from 12.0 to 14.2 (showing me the alternator is operating correctly).
I was told that......
it takes ATLEAST 9 Volts (under the starting load on battery) for the solenoid to overcome the spring (in solenoid) pressure in the starter, to engage the starter motor.
Next time ya hear that click hopefully "my learned lesson", will make your the start car mission a bit better. Check battery voltage under load while trying to start car.
Best part of this story,
My Son turns Three, (Thursday September 11th) & the Wife is now on way to get his birthday cake.
Oh the Firebird, waited until it was parked in my driveway to break down!! not at a store parking lot.
09-10-2003, 10:41 PM
#3
Supreme Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ****SoCal, USA****
Posts: 7,604
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
not while she was driving down interstate!!!
Don't remind her!
Right now I have an overflow tank wrapped in tape to "keep" Blazer Big Battery in place, until I'm done on the house project.
Then I'll drive and get another battery probably under warranty.
Damn could have been done with painting inside of this house I got for sale. Instead had to lie on back under a stupid car.
PISSED!
Oh well.
Don't remind her!
Right now I have an overflow tank wrapped in tape to "keep" Blazer Big Battery in place, until I'm done on the house project.
Then I'll drive and get another battery probably under warranty.
Damn could have been done with painting inside of this house I got for sale. Instead had to lie on back under a stupid car.
PISSED!
Oh well.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Denricci22
Transmissions and Drivetrain
5
09-18-2015 09:02 AM