Car wont start

DERREK

MEMBER
1990 CHEVROLET CELEBRITY
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
140,000 MILES

My car wont start! I was driving it last night I turned it off like 4 times. It started right up with ease. I park it for the night, come out this morning, and just tickticktick. I had the battery tested, it was bad. I replaced the battery, installed it CORRECTLY and still tickticktick. Before yesterday it sat for a while. But yesterday it drove like a top!

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 AT 8:35 PM

3 Replies

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

Make sure battery has a full charge, and all battery cable connections are clean and tight. Turn on the headlites, turn key to crank, how do the lites react? If they go out or almost, usually the battery or cables. I can't rule out the starter at the moment. If the lites stay bright, no reaction, there is an open circuit to the starter. The voltage feed is usually from the ignition switch to the neutral, to the starter solenoid S terminal. Let us know what you find?

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Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 AT 8:45 PM

DERREK

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Before I recieved your reply I went out to the car to give it a jump to see if that was the problem. In order to jump the car I had to push it about 6 to 8 feet so I could get the jumping car to the jumpee car. After the car was in position, I went in the house to see if I recieved a reply. I did, and I tried your turn the headlights on and start to see if the headlights dim. Well when we went to preform the task expecting nothing, the car fired right up. What could be going out on my car that functionality can come and go? Fuel pump? By the way. No tickticktick. Just one tick when it was failing to start. Please be much more detailed than last message please? FYI the AC compressor is not locked up, the battery is spankin new, and I drove it for like 8 hours within those hours I must have turned the car off 7 times exactly. It fired right up each time.

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+1

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 AT 10:13 PM

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

Intermittent issues are a pain, you have to test when problem is ongoing. Below is a starter wiring diagram. When it refuses to crank, check purple wire at starter solenoid for voltage, key in the crank position.

You can use a starter button to see if starter will crank, there could be safety issues. Make sure the tranny is in park or neutral and the e-brake is set. If neutral, block the wheels, also. Maybe the leads on the starter button are long enough to get you out from under the vehicle. The leads aren't very long. Using starter button to crank starter, no need to use the key. Safety is your responsibility.

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Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 AT 10:31 PM