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.

           All I can say is WOW.    I think that deserves a strong shot of something. 

      Well my vote if your dad is sure the battery is new, is to replace the starter.     If the jumper cables barley got you running the starter is probably shot.     Talk to Edmond's, I am sure they can hook you up cheaper than Lordco or BAP.

Well get the cash in hand for a new battery, but don't buy it.  Bring the car back over here, and we will do a last ditch effort and attempt to make a permanent stud.  We'll get the current stud out, then try to force thread in a new stud and, I don't know, maybe try to solder or melt the lead someway to gaurntee it will stay there.  

        The last time you were here, we were in a point that you couldn't replace the battery so we could not take chances, once we got it to work, we didn't want to push our luck to make it better.   

Ouly soldering the stud into the battery.  We would cut the nut off of the head of the stud you can you remove the cables and leave them in stock condition.    With a nut to turn down to tighten the battery.

P.S. I have taken my night time meds, so any replies will be WOW interesting to read.

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.

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.

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.

And a new one is how much? I'm leaving tomorrow, so I need speed! lol

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!!

Although I appreciate the offer, replacing the battery and terminals has solved virtually every one of my electrical problems (No starting, whirring radio, odd wipers) somehow. Although today is even worse than yesterday, but a longshot. Apart from ICBC phoning me at the last god damned second to let me know I can't insure my car until I f**king jump through hoops for them, I drove out to Vancouver in rush hour, for essentially no reason. Then, driving back, my car began to suddenly overheat like crazy, and was knocking the daylights out of the engine unless the RPM stayed above 3000 (I'm sure the insides now look like spagetti). But the cherry on top? Some f**king TWAT turned right while I was heading through an intersection, leaving me maybe... Five feet to either stop or dodge around him. I tried doing both, ended up turning sideways and nicking a curb, which now left a nice crack in my side. The cherry on top? Little bastard pulled up, said sorry, and then just drove off.

So. Amazingly. Livid.