Went to start one of the girls this afternoon. She has sat for the last 3 months so it was no surprise that the battery was down. Tried to turn her over and nothing. No click - then no lights - then no nothing. Hooked up the chargers to the battery and the dome light came back on. And so did a very loud droning sound from the speaker. I made sure the radio was off so the sound was not coming from it directly. Within seconds the charger said the battery was fully charged. I disconnected it and the dome light stayed on and the droning sound went away. Tried to start the car and again nothing. No click - then no dome light - then nothing. I put the charger back on and it said the battery was dead but it only took a few seconds and it then said it was fully charged. I disconnected the charger and when I went to start the car there was dome light and again no droning sound. Tried to turn her over and ... nothing.
Anyone got an idea you want to share with a frustrated old man?
Dead batteries don't charge in a few seconds. Sounds like the battery is bad. Try swapping it with another known good battery and try it again. I wouldn't just jump start it. Swap it out in case there is an internal problem with the bad battery.
The cells in the battery are most likely dry from sitting. Change battery with known good one. You can open the battery caps on top and check levels of acid, if dry you can add battery acid to see if cells weren't permanently damaged and hope battery comes back to life. Best to charge battery overnight after adding then have it tested for free at any auto parts for free to see cranking amps left on it.
Definitely sounds like a bad battery. While the symptoms are a little different than when I had one last year, my charger would consistently report it had fully charged the battery but a trip to have it properly tested showed it was toast.
I'm going to swap the battery next and see what happens. But what about the droning sound when the charger was connected. Is my charger bad?
Only a possibility but I think the battery may be shorted out causing excess high current flow from the charger which might result in the droning sound. That's why I suggested disconnecting and not jump starting. Swapping out is the safest first step.
I had a battery once that showed 12 + volts on the meter sitting there but as soon as I went to start it it went down to 5 volts and back up. It was a nfg battery
------------------ 86 SE Convertible 3800sc 4t65e HD.
Check the cables to make sure theyre all CLEAN & TIGHT... I know everyone cant do it, but this is the kind of reasons I dont let a car set for more than a few weeks. An old battery can drain till its dead and NEVER charge back up. Ive had a few Fieros do that. I went to a Fiero club meeting out of town once and the radiator fan stuck on for 2-3 hours. It wouldnt start, you couldnt charge it, and jumper cables didnt work. I had to go to a nearby Walmart and get a new battery to start it...and it started right up. I noticed the fan was running and just tapped the side of the relay with the wrench and it stopped. I didnt have any more trouble for years. Ive heard headlight relays will stick on too, but I never had that happen on any of mine.
Check the cables to make sure theyre all CLEAN & TIGHT... I know everyone cant do it, but this is the kind of reasons I dont let a car set for more than a few weeks. An old battery can drain till its dead and NEVER charge back up. Ive had a few Fieros do that. I went to a Fiero club meeting out of town once and the radiator fan stuck on for 2-3 hours. It wouldnt start, you couldnt charge it, and jumper cables didnt work. I had to go to a nearby Walmart and get a new battery to start it...and it started right up. I noticed the fan was running and just tapped the side of the relay with the wrench and it stopped. I didnt have any more trouble for years. Ive heard headlight relays will stick on too, but I never had that happen on any of mine.
Ayup as well as if you can check the water level, if it has top caps make sure it has water in it. I had a friend call me for a jump one time and the battery had no water in or very little and wouldn't even take a jump. put water in it and it started right up without a jump.
but if you have a known good battery try that and if still no joy you may have a bad starter, hit it with a small hammer a couple of times before trying to replace it, I have had them lock up or out hit a bad spot and not turn.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
In this case, totally agree. A dead battery will freeze up just like a bucket of water. Solutions : #1...use the vehicle occasionally, #2 ...put a float charger on it 24/7, #3...remove the battery and bring it indoors.
you dont actually want to add water to the cells. Tap water will damage the cells even further. You can use distilled water as a substitute but the prefered method is adding actual battery acid. After filling to propper level, battery must be charged overnight then taken to be test for voltage as well as CCA's to properly verify life of battery.
Swapped battery with a known good one. Now the dome light stays on and everything looked fine. That is until I tried to start her. Fuel pump spun up - temp gauge pegged - all the things I normally expect to happen. Turn the key to start and nothing. I don't hear a thing. No click of the starter at all. Rechecked the battery terminals and they are ok. The starter never gave me any trouble before I parked it.
The reason I parked the car was that the shifter locked in park. I had to take the console apart and remove the cable. That was a very, very cold day and I assumed that the cable froze. After a few warmer days it shifted fine. Could there be a connection?
2 people having almost identical issues in this forum at the same time. Yes, batteries are expensive to replace. I agree. Either your neutral switch or the starter relay.
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
but if you have a known good battery try that and if still no joy you may have a bad starter, hit it with a small hammer a couple of times before trying to replace it, I have had them lock up or out hit a bad spot and not turn.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't