R33 No Start, Alternator?

[insert]

so here's what happened...

this morning i went out to woolworths to get my groceries. all was well. came back, parked, no problems. this afternoon i go out get in my car and it wont start.

-i turn the key the dash lights up

-there is enough power for locks to work

-stereo works

-but when i turn the key there is just one click.

so i thought battery, figured i had left something on accidentally, but couldnt find anything. look at the battery, its an old one. so i figure i'll grab a new one. Another car boosts me, my car fires up no issues. but my battery light is now flickering. but i drove to battery world and got a new battery. dropped in in right in the parking lot, and nothing, car wont start, doesnt even crank, just that one solid click. another car boosted me again, she fired up no problem.

the whole drive home battery light on dash was flickering. I am assuming that this is an alternator issue? anybody have any other ideas. i tried to be as detailed as possible.

alternator fits because of the battery light, but i am worried about the fact that it wont start up even with a new battery. the alternator should just charge the battery once running, but the battery should be able to at least crank it a couple times, but all i get is a click.

any insight would be much appreciated.

[BOOZTJUNKEY]

Have u checked the main harness like earth on the block ...and power wire that goes to the alternator ?

Also check main fuses in engine bay !

Does sound odd it won't start with a new battery

[insert]

no i havent checked the wires yet. it was getting dark. but i am looking to pile on the ideas and start early tomorrow morning

[Jamie77]

Have u checked the main harness like earth on the block ...and power wire that goes to the alternator ?

Also check main fuses in engine bay !

Does sound odd it won't start with a new battery

Does sound a bit odd, when my alternator died a new battery would start the car so I would check other places like in this quote

[insert]

alright,

so fuses and power to alternator, and grounds....

i'll be up with the sun tomorrow, since i hate not having things figured out. they just bug me.

[89CAL]

you need to get a multimeter and do some checks.

Firstly, put the probes across the battery and set multimeter to DC voltage and do the following:

when the car is stationary (key off), should be about 12.4V (good condition, charged battery)

Key to Cranking (wether the car cranks or just makes the click) and record the voltage

If you can get the car running, record the voltage while the car is running

Do this and then post up your results

[insert]

i am ready to begin tomorrow mornnig...

that is my plan, i have a multi-meter... test light, and a handful of the cheapest tools money can buy (courtesy of supercheap auto).

i have 2 batteries, 1 new one and one old one. after throwing in the new one and getting the same problem i am betting that both batteries are good. more likely than both being bad.

so i'll check battery with car off, check battery with key on. i'll use the spare battery to boost the car. and i'll check voltage again. if its still reading 12ish, and hasnt jumped to 13-14 i'll know that its not charging and is running off battery.

that would point to something to do with alternator, but as i sit here running things through my head i just cant seem to fathom why a alternator short would stop my car from starting with key... and why only boost will start.

its definitely not a starter.. she fires up instantly with power from jump start

i was thinking maybe a loose wire under the dash, bad signal from ignition, but that wouldnt explain the alternator light. but the alternator doesnt explain my no start.

i'm just in a locked carpark, and the lighting is really shitty this time of night, or else i'd go and dive in now. instead i just wont sleep...

[insert]

also, even if it was just a bad alternator... i drove the car this morning. no battery light, tried to drive this afternoon and wouldnt start after trying two batteries. if it was an alternator, the car would have started, initial battery should have had more than enough juice to start the car, and drive around for a while. this all seems to point to an electrical short somewhere. i hate electrical problems... i'd much rather be drilling out a broken bolt... at least then i know the problem and how its going to be fixed.

[mr031]

if your in brisbane pm mate, im a mobile auto sparkie, can help ya out

[turboedsloth]

It could possibly be a sticky starter motor, give her a smack with a hammer or something and see if it changes it.

[mr031]

old school technique, hitting it with a hammer will destory the magnets inside, then you cant rebuild it if needs brushes or a solinode

[t_revz]

where are you connecting the jumper cables? bad terminal on battery and your clips are helping squash on?

if alternator doesnt get a good connection to the battery it will overcharge which will prob bring on the warning light but im not 100% if that applies to skyline alternators

only thing i can think of atm that explains both your sypmtoms

Edited November 2, 2011 by t_revz

[insert]

well, i went out this morning.

both batteries are good. new one in the car read 12.5, old one out of the car read 12.3.

test light told me there was power getting to the alternator. i then used hte old battery to jump the car. and the battery in hte car now read 12.4. so the charging system isn't working.

i also checked all my fuses hoping for a long shot but all the damn things were good.

if your in brisbane pm mate, im a mobile auto sparkie, can help ya out

thanks for the offer, but i'm about 1.5 hours south of you. i think that puts me a little out of your range.

where are you connecting the jumper cables? bad terminal on battery and your clips are helping squash on?

if alternator doesnt get a good connection to the battery it will overcharge which will prob bring on the warning light but im not 100% if that applies to skyline alternators

only thing i can think of atm that explains both your sypmtoms

well, battery is in the boot, when i jump it i hook up to the positive post under bonnet, and a bolt from the strut for earth. and the terminals are all good and tight, just dropped in a new battery last night thinking it was just a battery problem. oh well.

can anyone else throw some ideas at me?

[insert]

also, if it were just a bad alternator... would that stop the car from starting? i've been working on the assumption that it wouldn't, but can anyone shed some light on that?

[warps]

well, battery is in the boot, when i jump it i hook up to the positive post under bonnet, and a bolt from the strut for earth. and the terminals are all good and tight, just dropped in a new battery last night thinking it was just a battery problem. oh well.

can anyone else throw some ideas at me?

Positive post under bonnet? Or on the battery in the boot?

Sounds like one of your leads is dodgy (probably earth). With the battery in the boot you need good quality cables all the way from the battery to the engine bay.

Unbolt the earth lead from the battery and wherever it attaches to earth. Clean the terminals at both ends (remove dirt, rust etc) on the cable and where it attaches to earth, and refit. Tighten properly. do the same for any earth straps in the engine bay. This should fix the problem.

[insert]

can anyone recommend a reputable mechanic in the varsity lakes/burleigh heads area? if i cant catch the issue by tonight i'll probably drop it off somewhere tomorrow morning.

[warps]

Labrador Auto Electrical just off Brisbane Rd do good work.

[insert]

Positive post under bonnet? Or on the battery in the boot?

Sounds like one of your leads is dodgy (probably earth). With the battery in the boot you need good quality cables all the way from the battery to the engine bay.

Unbolt the earth lead from the battery and wherever it attaches to earth. Clean the terminals at both ends (remove dirt, rust etc) on the cable and where it attaches to earth, and refit. Tighten properly. do the same for any earth straps in the engine bay. This should fix the problem.

yea. i've been looking at everything, but everywhere i hit with a test light seems to light up no problem. i've been checking my earths by hooking up to power and then tapping earths and its lighting up. this is quite puzzling.

i'll check out labrador auto

[warps]

Testing with a 5W bulb in a test light won't tell you what's happening when you're trying to ram several hundred amps of cranking current through the starting curcuit. You need to unbolt the terminals of the earth lead and physically check / clean them. I've seen this problem before with poor earths. They run low current fine, but increase the current and they play up. The fact that it starts properly when you're using a different earth (and possibly positive terminal) hints that your problem lies with poor contact.

[89CAL]

Perform all the tests i said. checking just the battery voltage will tell you next to nothing apart from if the battery has dropped a cell or more

Crank and check voltage (get another person to check it) and tell us what you get

A stuffed alternater will not stop the car from starting on a fresh battery

Has your stater been out recently?