OK, did a tuneup on my car last night. taking out one of the plugs above my starter and the ratchet hit one of the screws on the back of the starter and shot sparks all over the place so i pulled my hand away. well the ratchet stayed touching the spark plug and the starter and it welded itself to the starter bolt. Got a crow bar and got the ratchet off. finished the rest of the tuneup including putting a heated O2 sensor in. Roll the car out of the garage. turn the key it cranks slow for half a crank and then starts up normally. drive the car up to dominicks, runs great. shut it off and go inside, come back out and go to start the car. cranks halfway and i lose all power. abosluly nothing would power up, no lights, horn anything. leave it there and come back this moring. i get there and the alarm light is blinking. go in turn the key, nothing. take the battery out and go to pepboys, they check out the battery after recharging it and say that it is fine. put the battery back in the car, nothing, no power again. call AAA. while im waiting for them to come the alarm starts to squeak a little like its trying to go off but it doesnt have enough power. after a while i put the key in, turn it to on but dont start it. the fuel pmup comes on, all the dash lights light up. i turn the key and everything dies again. try to jump it off my dads jeep, no dice still no power to anything again. the tow truck gets there. he hooks his jumper cables up turn the key to on fuel pump and all the lights come on again, hit the key and it all dies again. try it again and the starter clicked a few times this time but then it went dead again. try it once more and now no power again. got the car home, she is in the garage right now. any idea whats wrong???????? i think either the battery really is jacked and the pepboys test was wrong or something melted in the starter and its shorting everything out.any advice??? thanks very much.

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1988 IROC-Z L98
License Plate: STG KLR 1
Engine Mods:
Edlebrock TES Headers, Hypertech Chip, Flowmaster Muffler, Intake Airfoil, Removed MAF Screens, MSD-6A, MSD Blaster 2 GM Coil, bored .030 over, Other minor mods
Suspension Mods:
Lakewood Traction Action Lift Bars, Hal Rear Shocks
Trans Mods:
2,500 stall converter, Redline clutches,Heavy Duty Steels, Trans-Go reprograming kit , Heavy Duty 2-4 band, Corvette Servo, B&M Mega Shifter w/ Carbon Fiber Handle (looks sweet in a black car!)
ET: 13.833@99.30

"If you can put it on your car, its fair" Quote By Guido
Foundering Member of the Illinois Overkill Crew (IOC)
www.mfba.org

 

fusable link the harness going to thr starter has a link in it mine melted cused the same problems your having go to napa or gm and get a new fusable link or if you have a spare harness take what you need of that one splice it into your harness everything should work fine it's building up to much resistance so it shuts down.mine wasnt that bad it would start but while driving the lights would flicker radio go nuts and it would die sounds like the same change the link you should be okay

 

Check the ground cable from battery to car. this is the other side of the electrical circuit you made by welding the ratchet to positive cable. could be fried or loose.
Bill

 

My starter started going out a couple of years ago and it was doing the same thing,
like a bad connection. it wouldnt crank or
everything went dark - no power. I put on
new positive & negative cable, checked the
battery - samething. So I got a new starter
and the car starts up. I think the starter
selinoid gets fryed and it kills all power.
I'm 99% sure its your starter.

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91 B4C 305 TPI - SOON TO BE 383
TREMEC 5-SP, STOCK 1-BOLT REAREAND w/342 GEARS
K&N, AIRFOIL
EDELBROCK HEADERS, DUAL CAT TO HOMEMADE Y-PIPE & 3.5" SINGLE PIPE W/ FLOWMASTER
CRANK PULLEY, MSD, FUEL PRESS REG
COWL HOOD, WELD WHEELS
14.1@ 98MPH
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OTHER RIDE
67 CAMARO - STREET CAR
BIG BLOCK, PUMP GAS
350TH w/ATI 10"
12-BOLT w/373 GEARS
10.90s ON MOTOR - ET-STREETs w/MUFFLERS

 

Thank you everyone very much for your help. The car is back and running!!! my dad worked on it today while i was at class and got it running. he cleaned off all the termials on the starter and the battery and it fired right up. talk about missing the obvious. i think the battery was dead too so that didnt help either, but its all charged up and running great. Since i had just finished the tune-up, she is pulling like a madman. I really wouldnt be surprised if i ran a 13.5 next time at the track. thanks again for the help.