Just one of those WEEKs.

Today, before I went to the AutoPlan centre, my car was dead. No problem, I thought, I'll just give it a running start. Well, that didn't work. So I left it where it was and grabbed one of my pickups to jump it. After quite a while, eventually it had just enough juice for one start. I let it run for a few minutes while I took my truck back home, and then ran around the block a few times for added measure. After this, I finally made my way to the AutoPlan centre. I stepped in, grabbed a transfer paper and headed back to my car, only to realize in horror that it once again lacked sufficient charge to start. "Well," I thought, "there's an friend of my dad's! He'll give me a jump start!"

We muddled for a good twenty minutes, as it seemed the jumper cables weren't wanting to transfer power, even though they had a great charge sitting in them (Discovered by accidentally touching the positive one to a piece of metal with the negative still connected). I muddled around with the positive terminal, realizing that it only "connected" if the core was bashed to the right, and the small red wire coming off it was kinked upwards. Great, this will be easy to keep from moving with a race clutch. While all this was going on, a red Chrysler Sebring beside me began pulling out. I paid no mind to him, until I heard an odd noise and noticed he was precariously close to my vehicle. I yelled at him to turn his wheel the other way while he pulled out, and saw the source of the noise. A 3 foot long, black scratch running down the side of his car, just at the right height as my mirror. Needless to say, we will both need a shot of spray (Him more than I, luckily). Continuing on with my electrical problem, I eventually had both the connection and red wire positioned in such a way that they allowed the vehicle to start and run, although the family friend followed me home as an added pre-caution. Luckily, it lasted that long.

Having to go out later, I then decided to abandon Gretchin in favor of my mother's vehicle while I went to see a friend with the insurence. Things were going well, until I reached Granville and remembered I forgot to grab the damn paper out of my car. $20 and an hour later, I was back where I was supposed to be. We signed the papers, chatted for a bit, and I headed back home. Apart from having a Toyota Camry almost hit me twice (Once while entering my lane without looking/signaling, and again after he pulled in behind and didn't notice everyone else was stopping) I saw something move on my way home. I didn't hear anything, feel anything or see anything run the other way, so I assumed I was simply losing my mind from the day's events... Until I looked in the rearview and saw an exploded squirral.

Great day... Car dies, I lose my mind, other people forget the rules of the road and I finish it off by murdering a poor little rodent.

Romeo wrote: Great day... Car dies, I lose my mind, other people forget the rules of the road and I finish it off by murdering a poor little rodent.

Can't complain about the weather though.  

In regards to your starting problem... well one thing you haven't done yet (to my knowledge) is put a voltmeter on there to see what your alternator is doing and how much juice your battery actually has.

And if you're suspicious of your starter, take it apart and have a look. On the Fiero I'm currently working on, the starter wouldn't work properly. (Yes, it acted like the battery was dead or low.) Turns out the "sliders" the brushes are attached to were all corroded and would no longer allow the brushes to slide and make good contact with the commutator. The contacts in the solenoid were all corroded as well. A little filing, a little wire-brushing, and a little washing up and it's fine now.

Yep alternator is working, battery is working.   I'd start tearing the starter out and if you want to try the cheap way.  Buy a starter rebuilt kit, bring the car here, you can use my ramps, drop the starter I'll show you had to rebuild it and then put it back together.   I do have a drill large enough to hold the armature so it can be spun and cleaned up.

       Rebuild kit last I checked was under 20 bucks.  Its a 70% chance a rebuild will fit it, 30% that it wont.  If the windings are bad or the brushed wore the armature to thin, its all toast.

Romeo wrote: I did do a voltmeter test, of vehicle before start up, while running, while running under load and after running. Before: 12.23 Volts. While Running: 13.30 Volts. Under Load: 13.31 Volts. After Running: 12.7 Volts.

I suspect your alternator is faulty (but it could possibly be a wiring issue as well).

Ideally, your alternator should be putting out 14.7 volts. Anything under 14 volts indicates a problem. Your reading of 13.3 volts is definitely too low.

A properly charged battery should be 12.6 volts after sitting for awhile.

To eliminate some variables, try taking a reading directly off the alternator output (and make sure to use a good ground).

Romeo wrote: Never the less, normally speaking, it makes enough for the vehicle to run...

Geez, I dunno about that. Have you read your last couple of threads?

Get the battery

if the post is F****d

Why bother messing with it

Its the cheapest of the three

Battery, Alternator , Starter.

my 2 cents

How about used??????

I have a starter and alternator still attached to my 87 cradle

that worked when stored last year

if interested i could pull for you on Saturday

and you could test on your car. as a process of elimination!!