Ok so It started acting up yesterday. I got a battery cause that's what the car is acting like. The cranking is more like a very slow clicking. It does rotate but very slow. Did the same thing once, when the car sat, killing the battery. Tried charging it; nothing. Tried the new battery; nothing. Tried the starter; nothing. Tried the alt; nothing. Looked over wires; nothing.

Is my ignition switch going out???? I am supost to leave in the morning. Its a 5 hour drive, each way, & if I dont go, it will make me look pretty bad. Help. Oh ya is their some other part that regulates the power to the starter?

What size battery should a 89 lo3 have? I have a parts car too so just changing things for the heck of it is cool, but what should I change now???

 

Did you have the old battery checked by the store you bought the new one at? Is the new one good. Doesn't sound like it. Explain how you tried the alt. w/o the car running. Did you have the store where you bought the battery size it correctly? (Assuming you bought the battery and didn't pull it out of something else that was not running.) It sounds like you do not have a good battery. More facts please.

 

Well the car did turn over. It was just very slow, & every few times would start. Wont even click now. I had the old battery tested, it had a bad cell or two. The "new" battery is a used one I found on the net for $15. Took it to the same auto store to have tested. It only had 8 amps then, so we put it on the charger. It charged, & tested out good, But when I put it in the car it did the same thing the old one did.

So I put it on the charger all night just for the heck of it. Same thing today. The "new" battery is the exact same thing, but newer, & tested good. However, I wonder if 630/525 cranking amps is just not enough? It was for the last 3 years.

 

sorry about your grandpa, but i would be tring to get another way up there bus, friend, family, rental car, anything......worry about your camaro when you get back

try jumping it off see if it would start then, i feel you need a NEW battery
i dont know what size we have stock, but i now got more than enough in mine 1300 CA 1000CCA

 

Wow that's a huge battery. Just went on autozone.com. My battery is not much smaller then the ones they sell for my car. I am almost sure its not the battery.

The thing with the bus is that when I get back I still have to work, go to school, & take care of my kids. A car is needed. Guess all I can try is getting the biggest battery they sell for the car. If it don't work then start rewiring. Something is shorted out, I just know it.

Anyone else have any ideas? Any type or voltage regulator in the starting system? Two starters cant be bad. I even had one of them tested.

 

Well I am about to go to walmart to buy a new battery. Ill get the biggest one that will fit, so we can no for sure. I will put it in the car as soon as i get back. If its not that then ill take the battery back. In the mean time any more help? Could it be the ignition switch?

what about the hatch pop switch? Thats the only thing I did. I didnt have it hooked up before, so I swaped everything over. The yellow wire now has a new ear to ground. That was the only way i could make it work right. Otherwise it did nothing when I hit the switch.

 

maybe it's the starter soleniod

 

I changed starters.

 

K got the new battery in. It did the clicking thing again. It did start, but did the same slow turn while the starter was clicking. Then it just clicked once when I shut it off. Then it didn't do sht the third time. So, we now know for sure, its not the battery.

K so the starter has a couple of smaller wires that go into the distribution block, right? Well right off the d/block their is some plastic or rubber covers built into the wires. Is their a fuse able link built into those wires? Maybe that's it, & its not letting the starter get the juice it needs. Ill start here then change the ignition switch in the morning. Something is short on power. Has to be. Right??????

 

first of all size of the battery is not the issue,how much CCA it has does,sounds to me like a poor ground connection,probably battery cable,why no response on trying to jump start it?

 

I wont be able to jump start it unless I can use another battery by itself. I think that the only way the jump start would help, is more ground right. I can go over the ground connections again in the morning.

The starter does not have a ground right? It has one wire from the ignition switch, then the others that bring power. How does the starter get ground? Must be from the block? I may have a bad ground at the block. Besides where the battery ground is, where else is the ground wire, or wires for the block?

I know finding a ground should be easy, but the bay is so full of crap, & it makes it hard to see things. Plus Its hard to get under it in the street.

 

the starter grounds to the block thru the starter bolts and contact of the starter housing to the block.

check the main ground from the battery to the motor, it needs to be bolted to the block, not bolted to a head, the intake or the accessory brackets.
if it is bolted to the block, it should be pulled off and the cable end, the bolt and the block cleaned.
but if you loosen the bolt and wiggle the cable, then retighten the bolt, that may get you by for a little while if that is your problem

there should also be a ground from the battery to the body, and a ground from the motor to the body.

 

K, thanks. The one from the block to the body is the only one I didn't see. Its about to be daylight, & ill go take a look. That ground is what I am betting on.

 

One of the ways to check if your problem is a low battery is to turn the lights on and try and crank car over. If the lights dim a lot while cranking, it is your battery most likely. Have you tried to jump the car out w/ another running vehicle? This will tell you for sure about the battery. If the car cranks up and stays running, check your amp gauge in the car to see if your alt. is working, must be on the plus side of charging. The above is one way to check your charging system w/o tools assuming your gauge is working which it probably is. Not too confident in the battery that you got for $15, but if you can get the car running and the alt. is working, it will charge the battery up if it is good like you say. Do not shut the car off and try to crank it right away. Wait to turn the car off after the alt has had sufficient time to charge the battery. Go take a spin somewhere and let it charge up. If after the battery has been charged for a while, then shut it off and try to crank it. If it does not crank at all and you still get the ticking noise, the battery is gone.

 

its most likely a bad ground. im having the same problem,, but it could be another ground somewhere on the car couldn't it? if i cant find it im thinking about putting a switch in to kill the power.

 

Ok well I found a wire that has been cut. It's clean like it was recent. The wire is purple. Its right by where the starter hooks up. I am trying to find it in a diagram right now. Its cut on the parts car too. Is this the second ground? I also wonder if it runs to the power side of the starter solenoid.

 

Found the problem. The stupid a** that had the car before me must have just cut the purple wire out of the ignition loop. Then he ran a smaller gauge wire in its place. I am able to start it some times. So I am taking the risk, & I hope to make it. If I do, I will put it in the garage when I get their, & put the right size wire back in. How stupid huh.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

OK, Heres the update. The smaller wire worked fine, so I didn't end up messin with it. However, here's the very strange reason. The hatch circuit that I added caused my starter not to, want to turn???? How crazy is that. So all I had to do was unplug the ground that I had added, to make the hatch pop, with the switch.

Now I have no working hatch poper. Wonder how to fix that? Anyone good with them? My car didnt have the set up. I added it. Put the poper in the back, a brand new relay, & the wiring for the switch. Is their something else I need? The only way I could get it to pop, was when I grounded the yellow wire. So that's what I did. It was not a good idea to do that at all.