All Power Lost When Trying to Start
All Power Lost When Trying to Start
It’s been an issue for awhile to the point to where I had to buy a new car, but the issue is when I turn the car into the on position it is fine but once I try and start it all power goes out. And will stay out for awhile, I’ve looked on other threads saying it was an issue with the battery cables or the ground spots but no one found a solution on those. So far I’ve cleaned the ground points and got a new battery and still didn’t solve the issue, anyone have any ideas?
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27,953
Likes: 2,463
Car: Yes
Engine: Usually
Transmission: Sometimes
Axle/Gears: Behind me somewhere
Re: All Power Lost When Trying to Start
It's a bad connection somewhere in the electrical system. Pure and simple. It passes enough current if the load is light, but when more load (starter solenoid for example) demands more current, the tiny metallic bridge burns up, and ... all power is lost.
There's no solution, other than finding the connection that's gone bad. Since it affects the whole car, it HAS TO BE in the battery circuit, SOMEWHERE. No other possibilities exist. That means, the batt itself, the batt cables, the ground connection between the engine and the chassis, and the Big Red Wires.
Easiest way to zero in on it is to catch it while it's messing up (in the "no power" state); apply a moderate constant load to the system, such as turn on the headlights; and probe everything everywhere for voltage that shouldn't be there, and/or no voltage where there should be some. For example, you might find 12V between the engine block and the chassis; CLEARLY not supposed to be like that. In that case you'd zero in on the braid or wire or whatever your car has, that's supposed to be making that connection (factory, it was a piece of heavy braid about a foot long between the back of the pass side head and the firewall, and people "improving" their cars often overlook it or are simply too lazy to be bothered putting it back after they disturb it because it's "too hard", which is why I use that one as an example). The more your car's electric system has suffered from "improvements", the harder it can be for us out here to GUESS what's not properly connected. And that's all we can do for you, is list things, and GUESS. You have to do all the actual observation.
There's no solution, other than finding the connection that's gone bad. Since it affects the whole car, it HAS TO BE in the battery circuit, SOMEWHERE. No other possibilities exist. That means, the batt itself, the batt cables, the ground connection between the engine and the chassis, and the Big Red Wires.
Easiest way to zero in on it is to catch it while it's messing up (in the "no power" state); apply a moderate constant load to the system, such as turn on the headlights; and probe everything everywhere for voltage that shouldn't be there, and/or no voltage where there should be some. For example, you might find 12V between the engine block and the chassis; CLEARLY not supposed to be like that. In that case you'd zero in on the braid or wire or whatever your car has, that's supposed to be making that connection (factory, it was a piece of heavy braid about a foot long between the back of the pass side head and the firewall, and people "improving" their cars often overlook it or are simply too lazy to be bothered putting it back after they disturb it because it's "too hard", which is why I use that one as an example). The more your car's electric system has suffered from "improvements", the harder it can be for us out here to GUESS what's not properly connected. And that's all we can do for you, is list things, and GUESS. You have to do all the actual observation.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Avilaced1347
Electronics
4
Oct 4, 2023 02:00 PM






