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Culprit: Battery or Starter? Help.
Out for a drive today. Stopped for lunch...went to re-start car and got one click (solenoid) than nothing. Tried 4 or 5 times...nothing. Was going to push start and decided to try just once more and it fired right up.
This happened 2 or 3 times again during the day. So tonight I cleaned and lightly greased (silicone grease) all connections (14 pin connector in engine bay, pos and neg battery leads, removed, cleaned and replaced transmission ground strap, removed cleaned and replaced all leads on solenoid/starter. Hopped in and got......one click. Tried again and after 3 or 4 tries, it fired up. I went for about a 3o minute drive and came home. Shut it off, waited a minute and tried to restart.....click. Again, click. Again...it caught but cranked over a couple of times but very slowly...sounded like battery died. Could a weak battery not deliver enough juice to crank the starter, (but everything else worked)? The battery is 3 years old and is probably a cheapie (installed by PO in March of 2000 for $69). Just wondering if the battery is the likely culprit or if it might be the starter. Thanks for your help,
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Mike 89 Carrera 3.6 V-ram #94 Livin' for Targa time! Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans! |
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12-22-2002, 06:47 PM
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Crusty Conservative
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Can you try jumping with a known good battery in your garage when the "clicking" starts? That could tell you what's going on. If your battery has an intermittent open terminal connection that would cause your problem. Can you measure the battery voltage with the engine off / engine running?
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Bill 69 911 T Targa, 2.4E w/carbs (1985-2001) 70 911 S Coupe, 2nd owner (1989- 2015) 73 911 T Targa, 3.2 Motronic (2001- ) |
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12-22-2002, 07:09 PM
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Seems like alot of us have starter problems right now. Try a different battery or charge the one you have. See if it holds a charge.
One click, that would be solenoid as far as I can tell. Take a volt meter and get your manual. Specs are in there and you'll need an extra hand somebody to turn the key for you. Good Luck.
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Brad Yantzer 81 SC 87 944s (dead, burnt it up) |
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12-22-2002, 09:57 PM
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My guess would be battery. Put a new one in, you're about due anyway (get at least a 650 CCA battery, better would be 700-750). Yes, a "poor" battery will run everything else and still not start the car, the starter is the single largest current draw and it needs ALL that amperage to start the car. I'd also check the charging system, if the charging system is "marginal" you'll eventually have problems with the new battery also. Start it and put a volt/ohm meter on the battery, you should see AT LEAST 13.5 volts, better would be 14-14.5. BTW, personally I doubt if it's the starter, but YMMV.
Happy Holidays, Jerry M '78 SC |
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12-23-2002, 05:22 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: a few miles east of USA
Posts: 3,393
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agree with jerry.
best to get the battery load tested - local dealer will do it, very quick/simple.
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Rich  '86 coupe "there you are" |
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12-23-2002, 05:33 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Hey Mike..............
I had the same problem this past summer when I got the same click! I took the car to Performance to have them check the charging system and they replaced the battery, as it no longer would hold a charge. I never believed that batteries slated for "48 months" hold up no longer then 2-3 years. With 30 months or so on yours, I'd say the battery is on the way out. Considering that power is lost in the distance between the starter and battery, coupled with colder temperatures, that makes it even worse. I added a new battery and replaced the ground strap. All is well. Try an Interstate Brand battery this time. Regards Bob 73.5T |
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12-23-2002, 05:36 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: West Lafayette Indiana
Posts: 1,421
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Make darn sure you clean the pins on the back of the starter switch in the dash... Had this problem last fall myself, I was getting no clicks. Once clean, I've had no problems since. Cleaning is free, parts replacement cost monsy, check it, you never know.
Merry Christmas
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Dennis H. 72 911E 2.7 RS stuff 72 911T with a 2.7(Sold 5-13-2011) 2012 Kona Blue Metallic Mustang GT Convertible 6spd 67 Mustang coupe future SVRA group 6 car 63 Falcon hardtop 302/4spd |
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12-23-2002, 05:38 AM
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You do not have permissi
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: midwest
Posts: 39,923
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Another thing to check is the battery connections...e.g.:lead posts are tight, connections are clean, covered with grease or vasoline, and that connector has full contact across its width and same bevel as the post.
The click should mean the solenoid is recieving current to pop it out but the motor has no juice to turn the engine. The battery should be (second hand stats) ~12.6v at rest. ~12.2v is around 50% charged and not good. A real world test-Have someone crank the the engine while you check voltage. Above 10v is great, below 9v is failing The old trick(Dangerous) on some cars with a bad switch/wire was to turn the key to on and on the solenoid to tap a screwdriver from the B+(big wire from the battery) and the S(small single wire from the switch) terminals. Merry XMass Last edited by john70t; 12-23-2002 at 07:33 AM.. |
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12-23-2002, 07:26 AM
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1970 Porsche 911S 2.2l MFI
1978 Porsche 911 SC 3.0
