Can Someone help me start my car?

[K. Roman]

I went into my garage today, hoping to take a drive after the rains here in SF, and my car wouldn't start. The battery is fine, lights work, fuel pump turns on, fuses look OK, I hear a click in the engine when I turn the key and that is it. Does anyone have any suggestions to where I should look?

I'll be online waiting, thanks.


K.

[yelcab1]

A single click means your battery is run down. Charge it and fire it up.

[ckissick]

Could be a bad starter.

[K. Roman]

I'll try charging it, but this seems a little strange since I didn't leave any lights on.

ckissick: How can I check on if my starter is bad?

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Batteries can drain over time. Has it been parked? If so, how long? Can you remove the battery and have it checked?

[K. Roman]

I have a friend who will be bringing over his plug in the wall battery charger. Hopefully we'll see if that is the prob...

The car has been sitting for about 1 week.

[Argeo]

I would try the charge first but usually is other things such as a bad ground or starter solenoid I think. The ground that everyone seems to forget to clean, (well at least no one here told me about it and I just happen to come across) is a ground cable that goes from the panal your CDI is on to the body. Try cleaning all grounds before you buy anything. Check the battery cables are clean and tight and then one coming off the CDI plate is accessible so good place to go next, just remember to clean both ends on the cable and where they run into. Wires to and from the CDI and where they run to (Ignition coil, distributor). Tranny one is last due to need to lift car to accesss.

Good luck.

[TC_SJ]

Small electronic device like radio with memory can drain the battery after car been seating for a while, depend on the battery condition, older battery darin quicker

TC

[ckissick]

The only way I know is to replace it. But first, you've got to eliminate other possibilties. You said the battery is OK, but I wonder. Even if nothing was left on, if it's old, it could have gone bad. It would still charge lights and such; startiong the engine required the most juice, so that may be the only thing that the battery can't do. My bet now is the battery.

If you're like me, you've waited almost 2 weeks for the rain to quit. I drove mine for the first time in awhile today.

If you have a multimeter, check the battery charge. It should read 12 to 12.5 volts. Try jumper cables.

You could tap the starter with a hammer (stuck solenoid?) Maybe the starter gear is jammed in the flywheel, so put the car in gear and push it back and forth. These things have worked for me in the past on other cars.

[Joe Bob]

Fully charge it....the little 2 amps thingys take WAY too long. Go down to Sears and get the 2-10 amp charger. Anyone with a 356, 911 or 914 needs one.

After fully charged it should be 12.5 volts at the terminals.

When running check voltage again at the terminals...should be 13+, and 13.5-14 volts at 2500 rpms.

IF IT STILL doesn't start after charging....meaning it just clicks....check your connections and GENTLY tap on the round sausage like thjing on the side of the starter...that's the solenoid.....it may be stuck....try again.

[Steve87-911]

Originally posted by ckissick
...If you have a multimeter, check the battery charge. It should read 12 to 12.5 volts. Try jumper cables.
...

Ya, what ckissick said is what I'd do first. It doesn't take a big drop in voltage for a starter to refuse to turn. (mine once read 12 v and would barely turn.) Since the car sat for a week in not so hot weather, that's what I'd suspect.

But let's say your battery is fine and even a jump start won't make it turn - then the hammer trick on the starter sometimes works.

I once had a starter go bad - it had a flat spot and the no start was intermittent based on where the starter stopped turning. If the armature was lined up at the flat spot, no go.

[LeeH]

I've had two interesting events with batteries this week.

I bought an old Saab to fix up and sell. It had been sitting for a couple of years. I charged the battery and was pleasantly surprised that it was showing 12 V after the charge. Well, that's not under load. It wouldn't even turn over. I took it to AutoZone and they tested it. Yep, 12 V until they put a load on it... then 3 V!

Then yesterday my wife's Mazda 3 was turning over slowly. The car was purchased new less than a year ago. Took it in today and had it tested. The battery was bad. They had to install a new one.

[yelcab1]

Originally posted by K. Roman
I went into my garage today, hoping to take a drive after the rains here in SF, and my car wouldn't start. ?
K.

Drove mine last night. What car!

[911mot]

Turn the headlights on and try to start car. If headlamps go very dim when you turn key, battery is flat or bad battery connections.

If the headlights do not go dim check main starter feed wire up under car. Sometimes just grasping the cable and giving it a good wiggle can temporarily get you going.

[K. Roman]

So, the first thing that I did was to use the battery charger on it....It started fine on the 50volt setting and I drove the car for about a half an hour. During my drive the lights went dim, bright and as the engine fluctuated as it idled, so too did the lights. I also noticed the tachometer bouncing up and down when idle, and the engine wasn't being revved. I drove it back to my house and shut off the engine. The car wouldn't start again or turn over so I just left it there in that state. What gives? Do I need a new battery?
Where should I buy one, and what should I get?

TIA,

K.

[a911]

Altenator?

[Rikao4]

Had the same issues a few weeks back=Alternator..fine since fixs
Rika

[yelcab1]

Third vote for your bad Altenator

[Joe Bob]

Yeah...prolly the alternator. But it sounds like you used the battery charger to JUST start it. You should have FULLY charged it.....even with a GOOD alternator....it will put strain on the alt trying to bring up the battery.

Alts are NOT designed as battery chargers...they are battery maintainers....

If you had charged the battery fully, it would have run fine for many hours without the headlights on....I had a dead alt and made it back from AZ to the coast of CA on battery power...

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Four to the alternator.