Stupid %$^## car *Updated...Problem fixed*

[MaxDSP]

30 minutes before one of my more important classes start and my car doesnt wanna start now. The lights and radio work but there is no sound of the starter turning over. damnit. This is the last straw. Im gonna buy a better car as soon as I can. fsck this bullsh!t

UPDATE: dang, forgot to update the thread, but we found and fixed the problem (well, "we" as in the mechanic)

The mechanic changed the starter and tested the other parts, but everything was fine. Then they decided to test the battery cable itself and they saw that it was damaged inside. I dont know exactly where it was damaged, but it wasnt near the terminal parts, because my dad and I had checked that before and it had seemed ok. I wasnt there when they pulled out the cable and replaced it, my dad was.


this sucks. Now the car works again for a couple months and then a new problem will pop up. The cycle never ends, and my occasionally-dimwitted father keeps pouring money into it.

 

[StageLeft]

You got some good cash for a new one...?

 

Clean the battery terminals.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
You got some good cash for a new one...?

Ive got about 12G's saved up. Not enough for a really good car, but enough for a decent and reliable car

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: Roger
Clean the battery terminals.

hmmm, Ill go do that right now, see if that helps any

 

[guyver01]

happened to me before.... it was the alarm not deactivating...


make sure your alarm is turned off.... and once ya get the car started.... put the alarm into valet until you get it looked at.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP

Originally posted by: Roger
Clean the battery terminals.

hmmm, Ill go do that right now, see if that helps any

Also, if they doesn't work, check BY the starter itself on the terminals. sometimes starters are in very poor places and get covered in grime. this happened on my old Celebrity.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: guyver01
happened to me before.... it was the alarm not deactivating...


make sure your alarm is turned off.... and once ya get the car started.... put the alarm into valet until you get it looked at.

HA! an alarm system would cost more than the car's worth. Its a 93 Intrepid, with 121,000 miles on it.

 

[kherman]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP
30 minutes before one of my more important classes start and my car doesnt wanna start now. The lights and radio work but there is no sound of the starter turning over. damnit. This is the last straw. Im gonna buy a better car as soon as I can. fsck this bullsh!t

Starters gone. Cheaper to fix thn buy a new car! $60 DIY or $200(???) fora shop to do it.

 

[Grasshopper27]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP

Ive got about 12G's saved up. Not enough for a really good car, but enough for a decent and reliable car

Yikes!!!

$12K is plenty for a great car... You can get a 1 to 2 year used card that will be under warranty and really reliable for that much money.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: kherman

Originally posted by: MaxDSP
30 minutes before one of my more important classes start and my car doesnt wanna start now. The lights and radio work but there is no sound of the starter turning over. damnit. This is the last straw. Im gonna buy a better car as soon as I can. fsck this bullsh!t

Starters gone. Cheaper to fix thn buy a new car! $60 DIY or $200(???) fora shop to do it.

I just tried cleaning the battery terminals but that didnt help. There is absolutely no sound coming from the engine when I turned the key, thats why I thought it was the starter. Im just tired of putting new parts into this old bloated piece of sh!t. The car originally cost $3500 2 years ago, but weve put probably $2,000+ labor and parts into it, from new radiators, timing belts, and a rebuilt tranny that cost around $1200.


grashopper26, I dont plan on spending all that money on a car, just most of it. It seems like my cars the thing thats taking the biggest chunk of change outta my wallet. It gets like 16 MPG and has leaks all over the place and my dad thinks its normal, even after I showed him the gas leak, oil leak, coolant leak, etc.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

I doubt if your starter is bad. Probably just your battery is run down. Jump it, and let it run.

 

Do this quick test ;

Turn on your head lights, if they are dim, charge the battery, if they are bright, do this ;

With lights on, turn the key to start, if the lights dim alot, the starter is shorted, if they do not dim at all, take a small hammer and tap the starter housing and try to restart it.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
I doubt if your starter is bad. Probably just your battery is run down. Jump it, and let it run.

yea, Im gonna wait for my dad to get home in like 15-30 minutes. Hes got the jumper cables with him.

was there ever an agreement on how to properly jump start a car?

 

Connect the postive cables first, then connect the the negative cable to the dead battery, last, connect the negative cable to the engine block of the jumper vehicle.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: Roger
Connect the postive cables first, then connect the the negative cable to the dead battery, last, connect the negative cable to the engine block of the jumper vehicle.

ok, ill do that and the other suggestions once my dad gets back from work

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP

Originally posted by: yamahaXS
I doubt if your starter is bad. Probably just your battery is run down. Jump it, and let it run.

yea, Im gonna wait for my dad to get home in like 15-30 minutes. Hes got the jumper cables with him.

was there ever an agreement on how to properly jump start a car?

Just don't hook it up backwards! Me and my father weren't paying attention when we did it once and cross the lines. Have you ever seen a jumper cable catch fire?

 

Just don't hook it up backwards! Me and my father weren't paying attention when we did it once and cross the lines. Have you ever seen a jumper cable catch fire?

It's amazing that you did not cook the diode packs in both alternators.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Roger

Just don't hook it up backwards! Me and my father weren't paying attention when we did it once and cross the lines. Have you ever seen a jumper cable catch fire?

It's amazing that you did not cook the diode packs in both alternators.

Or blow every fuse and relay in the car. Have heard stories about someone that put a battery in backwards. It cost advance a lot to fix that car from what I heard. But most new cars have Fuses at the battery to keep something like that from happiening.

 

[MaxDSP]

well, we tried jump starting the car but it was no use. My dad said that the starter is pretty new, and that some tapping might do the trick, as Roger suggested above. But, its 35 F and windy so we were both pretty cold after we stood out there trying different things for a half hour.

The other problem is that my dad said the starter is somewhere in the middle of the engine, and hed probably have trouble reaching it. anyone know the location on a 1993 3.5L intrepid?

 

[Kenji4861]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP

Originally posted by: Skoorb
You got some good cash for a new one...?

Ive got about 12G's saved up. Not enough for a really good car, but enough for a decent and reliable car

That's good enuff to buy a reliable car.

Corolla CE, Civic DX will definitely be reliable and last you a long time.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: MaxDSP
well, we tried jump starting the car but it was no use. My dad said that the starter is pretty new, and that some tapping might do the trick, as Roger suggested above. But, its 35 F and windy so we were both pretty cold after we stood out there trying different things for a half hour.

The other problem is that my dad said the starter is somewhere in the middle of the engine, and hed probably have trouble reaching it. anyone know the location on a 1993 3.5L intrepid?

Same place it is on every car: up agaisnt the edge of the flywheel, where the transmission connects to the engine.

 

[JamesM3M5]

When Jump starting, you should put the positive to positive, first. Then Negative on the good battery and ground on the car that gets the charge. A charging battery generates H2 gas, and a spark near the battery could cause an explosion. Not good.

You may still have a dead battery. If it dropped a cell, it will still power the lights but won't have any juice to start the engine. Lights take a few amps, starter takes over 100A on a cold day.

 

[MaxDSP]

ok, after more than an hour of testing in the freezing weather, the battery isnt the problem. We swapped the battery with my dads caravan and it worked without a hitch. My dad tapped on the starter and that didnt solve the problem either. When he said the starter was new, I thought he meant like 5-6 months or something. Its (the starter) over 2 years old, and the car always had starting problems where I had to try to turn on the car 2-3 times before it started. I first warned my dad about this over a year but he brushed it off saying "its not a problem"

Seems like a big damn problem to me.

 

The next step is to either test the starter or test the ignition switch.