wierd power problem...
 

this only happens when i first start the car..... headlight, tail lights and interior lights are all dim. when i give it gas no change... but... when i take off down the road and get it to about 20mph everything brightens up and stays that way whether i'm stopped or going down the road. at that point if i shut down the car and start it right back up.. power seems normal... so it seems this is a cold start problem.... but what could it be???

i've thought of grounds and checked them all out.... except, i can't seem to find the ones under the dash... i though i knew right where they were through past experience.... but there not where i thought they were.

thanks

Does it start hard? Sounds kinda like the battery could be low/goin bad and just needs to get a charge from the alternator and that's why it brightens up after it's run a bit. Since things get brighter it sounds like the alternator is charging, so that's a good thing. I'd still probably check your volatage and amperage on your alternator with a multimeter and see if it's starting to go bad. Good call on checking the grounds. Best of luck to you

thanks man.... i had the alternator checked last week where my dad works and it tested ok.... it starts fine.. though sometimes i have to get under and tap on my starter. i can say the battery in my car isn't up to specs... for example.. it's only a 500cca.. how would that effect it?

I'd look into the starter bit. Check the wires for corrosion, cracking and over all condition. Wiring can be a pain. The oil light came on, on my motorcycle the other day. I added oil to get it up a bit and it still came on. I changed my oil and filter and it still came on. I filled it as full as I could with out over filling it and it still came on. I let some out and it still came on. I finally found the wire was grounding on my header when the bike vibrated. Check your wiring on your starter.

also pull the starter and clean where it contacts the engine and make sure it's bolted up snug. some/most starters get their ground through the engine.

thanks brian... sorry for the late response.....

i finally located the gounding point under the dash. how in the heck do you reach it/get to it with all the fuse panel wires in the way? i stared at that thing for about 20 minutes thinking of a game plan, but just can't figure out the best way to get to it.

i actually feel a little nauseous from being cramped down in there....

thanks,
steve

actually.... does someone have a good clear picture of the fuse panel with the wires. i'd just take it all apart so i can reach the gounds and also clean up the fuse box and connections. but wouldn't do it without knowing for sure i could get all the wires back in the correct place.

Not a bad idea to clean those grounds but I think Brian was more on track. The problem is between the alternator and battery or the battery and it's grounding point. The power leaves the alternator and goes back to the starter main terminal and returns to the battery through that main battery cable. I think the problem is in that circuit. Take the battery cable loose and check for ohms between the alternator wire and the main post of the starter. If not at 0 or close to it, then clean all connections and retest if still not where it should be, then the wire is corroded and needs to be replaced or the end connections are not very good. If that checks ok, then check the ohms between the starter terminal and the battery cable end where it hooks to the battery. This is where I'm betting you find the problem to be. Probably will need to replace the main battery cable. I like the cables with soldered on ends instead of crimped so the air can't get to the connection to corrode it. You should clean the starter's main terminal as well and coat with dielectric grease. If that still isn't it, then you need to clean the negative battery cable both at the battery end and where it connects to the car. Check that cable for ohms as well as those ends get corroded inside and you can't see the bad connection. Do those things and I think you'll find your battery has plenty of amps.

thanks tom... pm'd you