HELP! car won't start

[1320]

Well i just recently bought a '90 eagle talon and left my '93 325i sitting for 3-4 days. When i went to start her she wouldn't start. I assumed it was the battery but my aftermarket stereo and amps till play. The first time turning the key i hear a small noise and then the car cranks but won't turn over any ideas???? please any help would be appreciated -TIM

[Wayne 962]

The starter requires a lot of power from the battery. Just because the stereo plays, doesn't mean that your battery is good. Does the car turn over like it should when you turn the key?

-Wayne

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

When you say "cranks but won't turn over", do you mean that the starter motor does make the engine turn, but it just won't "catch" and start running on its own?

If that is the case, I'd check for spark and fuel.

Checking the battery is pretty simple, too. Use a voltmeter across the battery posts (not the clamps, but the posts themselves!) and see what you get. 12.65V is a fully-charged battery. Anything below about 12.3V is starting to get weak.

You might also try cleaning up the battery posts and the clamps that go onto them, battery acid vapors can cause corrosion in between those parts. Corrosion doesn't conduct that well... You can get a tool at your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) that combines a ring-shaped wire brush that you put onto the battery post with a cone-shaped wire brush that you use inside the clamp. They're cheap and can make a difference.

Usually a bad connection will show up as a starter that will not turn the motor over at all, rather than one that will but won't start the car. Every once in a while, though.... A buddy's 911 had an Optima battery that was mostly drained. It still put out enough current to turn the starter motor, even though it was drained enough that it couldn't put out enough voltage to run the ignition!! (That's one tough battery!) Weird things can happen some times. Clean connections can take reduce that possibility.

--DD

[1320]

Thanks for the responses, The car does have an optima yellow top battery in it. Its pretty much new. I assumed having it sit for 4 days did something...I tried jumping the battery to no avail. How do i test for fuel and spark??? -TIM