Weird Electrical Problems

[2RotorsNaDream]

When I put in a new battery the car gets the interior lights on and all that but when i try to start the car it only tries to crank once then it stops and never tries again. The batteries seem like theyre dying everytime I try to start the car once. Anyone know why the car would be doing this? Maybe the distributor or starter or what??

[atx_mx3]

Check your battery terminals first. Make sure they are clean and not corroded.

[2RotorsNaDream]

Theyre clean. I believe its the starter because it smokes for a second and makes a whining sound right after the car tries to turn over. Somebody help me out please.

[PATDIESEL]

Could be several problems, but check the batery voltage first, if you have 12 volts now and it only cranks once then check it again in a few hours if it has less after only one try you have a short in the wire and nedd to replace your battery wires (both) and check for any other places that may have lost their sheathing (from the battery wire all the way to the starter. If the battery is holding a charge then have someone crank the motor for you while you listen to the starter. Does it turn over? If it will only once do you hear a clicking sound on subsequent tries? If it tries once or every now and agina and clicks the rest of the time you probably need a new starter. (If this sounds like the problem then you can try to tap the silinoid of the starter while someone tries to crank it. The silinoid usually is what goes out and if it is not too bad it may crank while tapping it. If this orks then don't try to drive it, you just know that the starter is the problem) If that does not sound like it then post and I'll try to think of other problems it may be. These are the usuall suspects though.

[IanL]

Originally posted by Illa Killa:
I believe its the starter because it smokes for a second and makes a whining sound right after the car tries to turn over. Somebody help me out please.

It shouldn't smoke - it sounds like the insulation in the coil which engages the pinion has a defect, and it isn't getting enough field in that coil to hold the pinion in place, so it falls out of engagement - the whining is probably the Bendix gear spinning down.

If that coil is presenting a near short-circuit to the battery, there's your battery problem. That circuit has no fuse or circuit breaker.

<small>[ May 31, 2004, 07:06 AM: Message edited by: IanL ]</small>