84 SE (2.5, 4spd)
Beside an increasing amount of blowby I've got a problem that started a couple of weeks ago that I am just now getting around to checking out. The car does not start, get a click like insufficient charge on the battery. The reason I haven't checked it sooner was that sometimes it would start, sometimes it wouldn't, and being a m/t car I have just been giving it a shove to get started (great advantage of the manual tranny!). It has reached the point now that it will not start unless I use the push method LOL.

When I purchased the car I replaced the alternator, starter, battery, bat cables, and checked all wires I could get to. Been driving it for close to a year I guess with no problems.

Power windows are slow when car is not running, fast when the car is running. Also the volt gauge shows the alt is putting out giving me an impression that the charging system is good.

The battery is showing 12.7 - 12.8 volts cold, was expecting 13.1 or more from past experience.

The starter is fairly new but I guess the selonoid could be gone since it's close to the exhaust.

I have a charger on the battery right now and am going to check it later today. Battery is less than a year old so I was hoping this was not the problem even though it would be the easiest fix probably.

Any suggestions? Is there any specific conditions that may cause a battery to go bad so quickly? Right now the battery looks like the culprit.

Most likely suspect is the battery (have it tested) followed by the starter solinoid.

If the battery is tested and is ok (and the starter works without a problem) then I would suspect the alternator.

Crud! Battery charged to 13.3, still no more than a click from the starter even with the boost on the charger turned on.

Bad ground?
Noticed my interior lights are working but not the gauge lights (they have been working in the past) and the radio/CD is not on when I turn on the ignition, I have to press the power button to turn it on where in the past if it was on when I turned the car off it was on when I turned the car back on. All the fuses in the block look fine.
Hadn't really planned on spending my sunday trouble shooting, thought it would be an easy problem to solve! Oh well, suggstions?

You have a voltmeter, right? Hook one lead to the positive terminal on the battery, hook the other lead to the big terminal on the starter, set the meter to volts, and see what the volts do when you try cranking. If the volts drop more than a fraction of a volt then it could be the battery cable is dead or the terminals are bad.

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by DRA: Guess I'll snatch the starter out and run it up to autozone to be tested. Have a sinking feeling that there is a something deeper than that but if it is the starter selenoid it should still be under warranty.

Take the battery too, wouldnt hurt to see if is producing enough amps to get things cranking.... particularly if the lights dim then the starter is engaged (or in your case trying to turn)

I feel like a complete moron!!!!!!
I was going to disconnect the battery to drop the starter for a quick run to AZ and realized the cables were not really torqued down good, didn't take much effort to turn them. So I tightened them down and hopped in the car, cranked right up! I had the battery out a few weeks ago to move my 88 further up in the driveway and must not have tightened them down good when I put the battery back in the 84.
I guess it's a happy ending even if I do feel like the dumbest guy on the block!

BTW, I really appreciate the responses, hate that I wasted you guys time! Now I guess I'll look at the gauge cluster to find nothing more than burned out bulbs (fingers crossed).

[This message has been edited by DRA (edited 03-21-2004).]

quote Originally posted by DRA: I guess it's a happy ending even if I do feel like the dumbest guy on the block! BTW, I really appreciate the responses, hate that I wasted you guys time! Now I guess I'll look at the gauge cluster to find nothing more than burned out bulbs (fingers crossed).

Bad ground (from loose bolts) will do that EVERY time..

BTW Dumb is when you don't ask and buy un needed stuff.

Glad ya got it.

[This message has been edited by 84Bill (edited 03-21-2004).]