Okay, I'm here trying to help my friend whos 86 camaro died on her today. She got her battery stolen last week and we just put a new one in and it started up fine, it even restarted fine after being shut down. However after getting gas it would no longer start. So the car is still at the gas station and she has to drive down south in a couple of days.

I really need some advise on what to check as I am completely unfamiliar with these cars. When she tried to start it there was a faint clicking but I couldn't hear too well (maybe the starter). It just wouldn't turn over at all. I even tried to jump the new battery with no effect, duh. Anyway, I'd really appreciate any help you can give us.

Thanks in advance

Peter

 

Wow, a stolen battery, that's a new one.. geesh some people.

Sorry, I can't really help.

 

yeah we just thought she left her lights on so we went to jump her car and suprise, suprise there was nothing there. Ah well.

 

definetly check all the connections at the battery, especially since you just installed it, and at the starter. go from there......

 

if the battery is fully charged and you do hear a clicking on the pass side while you turn the key you can have a second person (be very very carefull not to run him or her over so on) reach under the car with a hammer and wack the starter while you try and start it. 9 of 10 times you can start it and get it some where to put a new one on asap.

 

This prob isn't the problem, but my starter would click a few times before it turned the motor over and it turned out to be a loose starter bolt, you never know.

 

As stated before, do make sure you start with the basics (battery connections are suspect in this case). Since the battery was just replaced, there shouldn't be any corrosion at the battery terminals, but I'd say to check the tightness of the terminals since they have been taken off recently. Strangly enough, just today my car wouldn't start because the negative terminal was loose. Enough power got through to run accessories, but the starter would only click.

What does it do when she turns the key?

 

do the lights work? if you can, check the voltage on the battery, it should be at least 12v. if you have good voltage then check the connections, if it still wont start try banging on the starter. if it starts now dont turn it off until you get it somewhere where the starter can be replaced. if the voltage is low then the alternator might be bad, the car may have driven off the current from the battery and now there isn't enough juice left to crank it, but jumping it should have solved that. sometimes though you have to let the car doing the jumping charge the dead battery for 10min or so before it'll crank. i suspect the wiring or starter personally

 

Wow, you guys give really good responses. I'm going to have to say that it probably is the connection between the battery and cable too, as I didn't have the proper tools to attach the cable. (which would explain why it restarted the second time but not the third). Hopefully it won't be the starter because that would just hurt. (my friend has no money) If so though how much would it cost, parts and labor? Wouldn't want to get ripped off ya know.

Thanks again for all the good sugestions. I really like this board.

 

Labor would be pretty cheap. It's probably less than an hour of work with a lift, and the starter itself you can probably get a lifetime warranty one for 70 or 80 bucks. With a jack and some jackstands you could probably do it yourself in a few hours. It's really painful getting that thing through the stock y-pipe if you haven't done it before.

 

Man, I read the first post, and then Happend To Notice your Location

Salinas... Figures.

My vote of confidence is for the Cables. Unlikely to Hose the starter at the same time as Swapping Batteries.

Is your friend attractive, Im semi local and fix thirdgen's for Kicks lol

 

yeah, thats the problem she is really hot (why am I driving her back to Santa Cruz tomorrow?) but she has a boyfriend so there goes that pipe dream...Thanks for the offer though.

The more I think of it I'm more sure its the cable. Quick question though is there a battery tie down normally? i didn't see one and figured if there was one it was probably removed when the battery was stolen. Just curious.

peter

 

There should be a sort of clamp that holds the rim or ridge at the bottom of the battery to the tray that it sits in. Basically it is a block with a bolt through it. You put one edge of the block on the rim running around the bottom of the battery and then tighten down the bolt until the battery is clamped down tight.

 

hahahahhahahahhaa


TGO dating Service...

Tell her next time it breaks, To look me Up lol

 

I still can't believe someone stole the battery! Geez. At least they didn't take the coil wire, too! (Did they?)

 

okay luckily it was just the fact that the cables were not tightened down properly (helps if you have the right tool), but after driving all the way back to salinas, and as soon as she parked in my driveway, the car started gushing coolant out of the front end... ! I'm assuming its coolant due to the smell and the fact that it looked to be coming out of the radiator. I'm going to have to look at it tomorrow, hopefully it will just be that the hose is popped off, but I guess we'll be seeing. Oh and she wants you to see her picture now just so you know I'm not lying. haha.

http://www.facethejury.com/profile.a...name=sparklz24

 

glad you got that fixed, now fix the coolant problem lol

haha i like how in her "turn off" section she lists asian guys, yet she's asian, talk about ironic

 

nope, your not lying

oh, and i am glad you got the car running. sorry to hear about the coolant leak.

 

Is that car otherwise empty? I mean, just the battery?

Man, that's wierd. Watch out, next time they may drain your oil!

Glad you got it fixed. Remember, it's usually something simple like this.

 

Maybe she ran into a banana slug, and it pierced her radiator?

I have a vegetarian friend who goes to Santa Cruz. She has lots of car problems as well. What a coincidence

Another ironic thing is that she lists asian guys AND facial hair. You can only have one or the other.

 

Beating Bort to the punch...

Too bad she's not a meat-eater...

By the way, where the F is her "boyfriend" through all of this? Some friend, eh?

Any news on the coolant gush? Have you looked under the front of the car to see if the lower air deflector is still in place?

 

Actually her BF is with his grandfather while having open heart surgery, so you really can't falut him...

As for the coolant leak...I finally got a chance to work on the car today, and it seems that nothing broke or came loose. It seems that after running for long enough the radiator boils over...I poped the cap off after letting it cool and there was quite a bit of rust in the radiator. I'm guessing the original owner didn't change the coolant (I thought it smelled kind of funny). Any tips on how to change the coolant and flush the cooling system? I've never done it before but I've got a pretty good idea of what is entailed in the process. Thanks for all the help.

Peter

 

Can u open the hood from the outside?
If not, why didnt they take the car ?
(NO offence)

 

Actually, its almost impossible to open the hood from the inside let alone the outside...We suspect that the previous owner did it as she thinks he still has a key and there have been a curious amount of mileage put on the car in the past couple of months, way more than she did thats for sure...Oh well hopefully it'll turn out for the best...

Peter

 

sounds like its time for a new lock cylinders and an ignition key cylinder.......or an alarm.

 

Is the coolant a puke yellow lookin color? If it is then you need to take off both hoses and flush out the block ASAP. use a hose and just let the water run through the block till it comes out clean. this is pretty important cause antifreeze can turn into acid if it isn't replaced and it will eat your freeze plugs out (I have a dead maro out front cause no one changed the coolant).

 

C.I.N.,

By your decription, it sounds like Chronic has given you the best advice. Start with a drain and flush. Since it also sounds like the car was a recent acquisition, you probably have a little more work to catch up on - like all maintenance.

And for security, a new ignition cylinder would probably be a good idea. The doors, cargo well compartment, and rear hatch all have the same pinning and are a lot more work to change. The ignition lock cylinder is about an hour of work with the right tools. Another possibility that would be just as effective and might even qualify for an insurance discount is a remote fuel cutoff or ignition disabling device. This can be more effective than a lock and could consist of nothing more than a remotely mounted switch.

 

Yeah I think that Cronic has it right on with the description of the coolant. I'll be switching it out tomorrow (when it finally stops raining).
As for security, I think that a fuel cut off is the most appealing idea to me, as I've wanted to put one in some of my own cars but lack the experience. Any good links that would give a proper description of the process?
Also should I replace the thermostat while I'm doing the coolant? Thanks for the advice.

Peter

 

If the radiator was/is full of ruse and scale, empty the system and flush it out with clean water, then fill it with a 50/50 mix of viniger and water and let it sit 24 hours (Do NOT run the car). After it is done soaking, drain the system and flush with clean water again and refill with water/antifreeze. Also, get a new radiator cap.