I have had this car about a week and as most, my first priority is to get the engine running. It is an 82 Firebird and my problem is: When i try to jump the battery, or jump it using the cigarette lighter, nothing is getting power. Not the dashboard, not the stereo, it doesnt turn over. Nothing is receiving power. So where do i start? Any ideas of what could be wrong?

 

Make sure battery cables have good contact at battery and end points (block gnd, starter). If absolutely nothing works, it would suggest there is is a 100% dead battery or, a break between the battery and it supplying power to the car.

A IMO note, the best you could expect by back charging/ jump starting the battery via the cig lighter is a trickle charge or, some smoked wiring. The accy circuit wiring is barely big enough to support itself (in these cars), let alone trying to expect it to be able to usefully charge the battery.

 

Yeah, skip the cigarette lighter jumnp starter and get a real jump from cables through the battery directly.

 

Now when you say, "a break between the battery and it supplying power to the car" , what does that mean and how do i check it?

 

Anything that causes interruption in power between battery and car.
Corroded/loose terminals, bad cables (broken/corroded internally), burnt/broken fuse links, ground to block, positive cable connected good at starter, etc.

Have you another battery to try ?

 

I will have another battery soon. Will it not work if i try to jump just the battery terminals without a battery?

 

Guys I'm having the same issues...I just reinstalled the engine in =to my rs. I'm in the process of trying to bump the engine over. I connected the battery and all teh grounds and such, but I'm getting no power at all. Is it possible for the starter to be bad and cause a break in the circuit for the whole car?

 

im also having the same problem
dropped another motor in hooked up grounds hooked up alt wires and volt reg hooked up starter wire and ignition wire and no power in the car at all idk what to check i know my battery is good i know theres power going thru wires and alt is good starter also