My car has been sitting for about 2 months. Basically waiting for extra money to roll in to buy some parts. I installed headers a month and a half ago, and finally got around to installing nick nack parts (sensors, plugs, wires etc.). Well I go to start the car and...nothing. Not a light comes on. I know the battery is good, so that can be ruled out. I'm guessing maybe something with my starter wires perhaps? But thats pretty easy I dunno how I could have screwed that up. Who knows, maybe I somehow did though.

What I'm wondering is, if the starter wires look good, where else should I check?

 

How do you know the battery is good? I bet its not or the cable aren't connected.

 

Try jumping it. Batteries can go bad just by sitting.

 

Well, I originally thought it was the battery, but then I went out and bought a new one. Same problem.

 

Make sure all the connections on the starter and battery are good, clean, and tight. Then make sure the wires themselves aren't bad.

Don't forget the fusible links.

 

Starter wires looked fine to me, still no power though. Fusible links? Which should I check?

And if it matters, I can't get the o2 sensor and the temp gauge sensor both connected at the same time. o2 sensor wire is too short. I didn't think that would cause this problem though.

I really need to get this car running today. Please help, I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about car mechanics.

 

that happend to me one time, but it happened over night, i went out to buy some new battery cables and i cleaned up the conections at the battery with a wire brush, it did the trick, just make sure your grounds are good and tight

 

Do you have the transmission in park? Do you have power to the fusebox?

 

Did the wire brush thing, checked the battery cables, re-re checked all the wires to the starter to make sure they were tight... still no luck. I couldn't tell ya if I have power to the fusebox, don't have one of those wire testers. It wouldn't matter if the trans. was in park or not, because even the dome light fails to come on.. Bah this sucks.

Thanks for the ideas though. Looks like I'm going to have to pay someone else to figure it out.

 

when i didnt know what to do and replaced te wires i thought my old ones were fine, but i guess they werent. i just invested the 12 bucks for new ones and it worked, and teres nothing to lose, you get new wires even if it doesnt help. so you come out on top but yeah good luck

 

Its hard to trouble shoot if you don't have the tools. You need to get yourself a multimeter. Radioshack or an autoparts store should have them. I got a really cheap one from Harbor Freight for $3.

 

Thanks guys. I'll probably replace the wires as suggested by 83_Camaro_83 and the multimeter as well tomarrow. Right now I'm off to take off the starter and reinstall it in case I screwed up something somehow.

 

check the small stud on the starter. you may have broke it or stripped the treads i made that mistake installing mine. it was new rebuild so i just took it back and they exchanged it. if that little stud is loose it will not get any poer to the car.

Jeff

oh so tell us what have you done to the car since it last ran. from the time you opened the hood till now it is probally related. and i would doubt it is battery cables.

 

Headers, that's it. :/

Which small stud are we talking about? Do you mean the one with the purple wire?

Only took off the starter to do the install. I guess that is almost where the problem would have to be, no? I had to remove the AIR pipe bracket that bolts onto the back of the pass. side head as well, which involed a braided wire falling off, but I put that back on. No idea what I'm doing wrong.

 

From my experiences, most "no starting-no power" issues are caused due to a corroded negative ground and/or dirty connections to the starter... even w/ a fully charged battery. It can make a person 'mad' wondering what's going on.

Wire brush and sandpaper ALL 4 battery connection ends to SHINY METAL on SHINY METAL. (2 to the battery) and (1 each to the alternator bracket & starter prong).

Basically, ALL electrical connections NEED to be shiny metal to shiny metal for optimum voltage exchange.

 

Went and cleaned the connections, but before I put them all back on, heres the way I had them. The only one that looks sorta weird is the one with the two wires (very bottom). Not sure if I have those right. The small nut is against the starter, then the starter brace, then wires, then larger nut.

 

pic would help eh?

 

From looking at that picture, you have the fusible links connected in the wrong place. They should be connected to the same post as the battery cable on the starter solenoid. There should also be a copper strip coming from the starter and connecting to the bottom post on the solenoid.

 

You know, I kept waiting and thinking "man, when is The Trickster going to post and help me on this?" lol. Thanks for the info.

I don't see a copper strip either.. but I'll go look again.

This Correct?

 

That is the correct routing for the fusible links. Look at these pictures and you will see that copper strip that I am talking about. That copper strip would connect to that long threaded rod with the nut on it that you have shown in the picture.

 

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Thanks for the help everyone. The fusible links in the correct place did the trick.