Car Won't Start

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Oct 19, 2008 | 03:04 PM

Johnny5

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From: NY

Car Won't Start

I just got the new tranny in and have been driving for a while when a few weeks ago it died on me in a parking lot. We jumped it and all was well but the dash gauges were going ape ****. Got it home and it started up just fine. I thought it may be weather related because it was raining like crazy.

Time goes by with no issues.

Today I go out and unlock the car with the key fob, get in and it seems like a dead battery. Dash lights up and stuff but no start. I then throw the battery charger on it. After a while I figure I'd use teh 50Amp starter option and see if I can't just use that to get it going instead of waiting.

After that I get in and it almost sounds like it would crank but nothing. Now I don't even get dash lights or a ding-ding-ding when I put the key in. It seems totally dead. 12.6V at the battery posts but like 1.5 at the secondary post. Is there a breaker/fuse in between there somewhere?

Any ideas are appreciated.

Oct 20, 2008 | 12:16 PM

Ilikeppie

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From: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs

i had the issue of the gauges going crazy and the car just dying still do actually i have a few thoughts though my connections at the ecm are what was causing it to die and turn over but not start, when all of your dash lights came on was the security light on? because that will cause everything to work but will not kick over the starter because the vatts security system

Oct 20, 2008 | 12:21 PM

Johnny5

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I actually get no dash lights currently, no anything at all actually. I'm starting to wonder what the deal is because if I put a volt-meter across the +/- posts I see 12+ volts but when I do this at the post on the drivers side and touch a ground I get little if any volts showing up.

Any ideas of what to check first?

Oct 20, 2008 | 12:27 PM

Ilikeppie

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maybe check your cable that crosses from the battery to that post

Oct 21, 2008 | 08:52 AM

Johnny5

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Thanks, I'll start there. I'll also check to make sure the post connectons are screwed in tight. I try not to overdo it since I had some strip out before but maybe one bump loose.

Oct 21, 2008 | 09:26 AM

Ilikeppie

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that would be a good call as well

Oct 27, 2008 | 11:39 AM

Johnny5

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As it turns out it was a loose connection on the positive terminal. The bolt felt tight but the whole connection was able to be "jiggled" and it looks like the thing would just decide to make contact or not depending on where it left off. It also looks like it may have been causing a slow drain as the thing was making contact and then not so I'm sure the car was loving that.

At any rate it looks like a bad post thread so I got one a bit longer from Advance Auto for like $3 that actually had an extra 1/4" to it and that one went in nice and snug so no more issues. The old one looked too short and must have stripped the first few threads out.

I thought I may need a new batter because of this and was pleasantly surprised that it was just a $3 post.

Thanks for the other things to check guys. I looks and saw nothing is out of the ordinary before I really started pulling on the post.