1970 Camaro 396 - wouldn’t crank (starter showing only 7volts)
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From: Yacolt,WA
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Hi guys ! Thanks for all the great advice above.
Issue still not sorted :-(
I got the starter rebuilt. Was excited, hoping it will surely crank. Nothing :-(
the dash is showing light (also the red “brake” light is appearing when I turn the ignition on). The head lights are almost gone and parking lights are very dim too. The battery was NEW ! One day old. Have put in two new batteries :-( in four days.
Could it be that the starter has drained the batteries down ? Could it be something else other than the starter ? Alternator ? Well the starter had been making those slipping sounds anyway, so it was going. Also remember the starter terminal was showing 7 volts while battery showing 12 volts.
Don’t know how to sort this out. Where to take the car. It is not starting and hence have to Wench it :-( (added cost too).
I turned the engine from the front and it turned. So hopefully the engine is not seized. Also the radiator coolant is clean. So is the oil.
please help. !!!!!
Issue still not sorted :-(
I got the starter rebuilt. Was excited, hoping it will surely crank. Nothing :-(
the dash is showing light (also the red “brake” light is appearing when I turn the ignition on). The head lights are almost gone and parking lights are very dim too. The battery was NEW ! One day old. Have put in two new batteries :-( in four days.
Could it be that the starter has drained the batteries down ? Could it be something else other than the starter ? Alternator ? Well the starter had been making those slipping sounds anyway, so it was going. Also remember the starter terminal was showing 7 volts while battery showing 12 volts.
Don’t know how to sort this out. Where to take the car. It is not starting and hence have to Wench it :-( (added cost too).
I turned the engine from the front and it turned. So hopefully the engine is not seized. Also the radiator coolant is clean. So is the oil.
please help. !!!!!
4th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,247
From: Yacolt,WA
Will it crank with a jump? Do you have a battery charger? I'd put a charger on it overnight and see if it'll crank with a full charge.
Hard to believe you'd get two bad new batteries but stranger things have happened.
Wondering if the alternator and or starter are wired correctly,something must be draining the battery.
Hard to believe you'd get two bad new batteries but stranger things have happened.
Wondering if the alternator and or starter are wired correctly,something must be draining the battery.
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I tried to jump yes (initially when it brown down). Didn’t make a difference. Yes, it does seem something is draining down the battery. But this quick !? And badly ? This is very strange. Definitely seems like a wiring issue (hopefully nothing too major or more than that).
I went and bought a battery charger yesterday from Halfords (£120) and a good multimeter. Now reading the instructions to use it safely :-)
Will eventually have it wenched to my friend’s, friend’s garage. He reportedly knows his American car stuff.
It hurts when you see your car being wenched. It also becomes a money pit because you are spending money in fixing something which you don’t even know if is wrong. :-(
Anyway. Let’s see what happens.
I will try to charge the battery and see if it starts. Even then o may not be able to drove it to the mechanic because it may die down on the road again?
I went and bought a battery charger yesterday from Halfords (£120) and a good multimeter. Now reading the instructions to use it safely :-)
Will eventually have it wenched to my friend’s, friend’s garage. He reportedly knows his American car stuff.
It hurts when you see your car being wenched. It also becomes a money pit because you are spending money in fixing something which you don’t even know if is wrong. :-(
Anyway. Let’s see what happens.
I will try to charge the battery and see if it starts. Even then o may not be able to drove it to the mechanic because it may die down on the road again?
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Posts: 41
Also may be lack of enough current between battery and starter. Both battery cables should be a minimum of 2 AWG size.
Cable do have resistance within itself and it does absorb DC current.
You look for 1/0 cables, as larger wire size, less power absorbed, more power for accessory.
Cable do have resistance within itself and it does absorb DC current.
You look for 1/0 cables, as larger wire size, less power absorbed, more power for accessory.
can you please be more specific on this so I could specify to the guys to check the cables within these parameters ?
how should I explain the cables to the electrician ? Or which cables should I get online ? My terminal clamps are also looking bad and greeted out. But the are passing current. The dash light and horn and wiper works.
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If I read you correctly, you're saying you have 12 volts at the positive battery terminal, but only 7 volts at the end of this cable where it attaches to the starter? If so, your battery cable is bad, without question. Replace it.
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Thanks again. Will keep you all posted and may come back with further questions (hopefully not :-) ).
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After reading the posts I am not clear on which wire to the starter is seeing the voltage drop. Its normal to see a voltage drop in the cable while the the starter is trying to start the car. Not at the level you are seeing but some drop is normal.
You can jump the trigger wire to the battery cable with a remote start switch. They should be available at any parts store. The starter if the battery cable age or size is the issue you should still hear a click and the solenoid tries to work. To test a cable for size or age issues you want to do a voltage drop test. I would suggest searching youtube for using a remote starter and checking battery cables with a voltage drop test.
A couple of quick thoughts. Normally a bad cable will cause issues when the car is hot but work when cold. If you rarely drive the car the failure could be as described but normally the complaint come in that the car will not restart after running. Bad grounds can do anything positive cables can do. If the engine ground is bad it can it will show up in a straight voltage test. A voltage drop test should let you check one thing at a time. If the starter is drawing way too much power it can act just like a bad cable. To be 100% sure what is going on you need to be able to check the amps being drawn while it tries to start.
You can jump the trigger wire to the battery cable with a remote start switch. They should be available at any parts store. The starter if the battery cable age or size is the issue you should still hear a click and the solenoid tries to work. To test a cable for size or age issues you want to do a voltage drop test. I would suggest searching youtube for using a remote starter and checking battery cables with a voltage drop test.
A couple of quick thoughts. Normally a bad cable will cause issues when the car is hot but work when cold. If you rarely drive the car the failure could be as described but normally the complaint come in that the car will not restart after running. Bad grounds can do anything positive cables can do. If the engine ground is bad it can it will show up in a straight voltage test. A voltage drop test should let you check one thing at a time. If the starter is drawing way too much power it can act just like a bad cable. To be 100% sure what is going on you need to be able to check the amps being drawn while it tries to start.