hey guys, i need some help diagnosing a problem. I am currently trying to fix this so that i can sell it. nobody in the family ever uses it and it only takes up space. the problem with the car is that it doesnt start. before.. it would just click and someone would tap on the starter and it would start. and since now we're trying to sell it, we dont want to sell a car that needs fixing so we are planning to fix the problem ourselves. today i replaced the starter with a "new" reman'd unit from a local auto store, along with a new battery. and now not only does it not start still, but smoke comes out from the negative battery terminal. i've included a vid to help with visuals..

http://www.jhu1986.com/Movie1.wmv [right click, save as please]

please shed some light on the situation, thanks


Modified by Street Ghost at 8:07 PM 9/5/2005

 

Not sure how the vid ties in with the post. but whatever..

is it a stick or auto? if its a stick try to push start it.. it sound like the engine is seized up and when you try to start it you basicaly just frying the motor and battery becuase the starter doesnt have enough power to turn it over. just a guess tho..? i dont know

 

dude you got great video editing skills. And balboa drumline i heard is top notch no joke. My friends in Westminister drumline and always bitches about you guys. Oh yea just so you know the video you put up isnt whats wrong, its like your lifes movie which seems like a fun life. Sorry about the teal hatch, what happened? You did good editing with Good Charlette's song.

Anyway i think whats going on is that you guys put the power on wrong with the starter. Its grounding itself, not a good thing. Try redoing the starter wire from the batt.

Edit: my friend always talks about Santa Clarita Vanguard. And your Balboa drumcourt right? not the highschool cause he said they suck worse then his school.


Modified by Luserkid at 10:02 PM 9/5/2005

 

sorry about the vid.. i dont even know what that was. i was using someone elses hosting site and thats the link he gave me. it should be fixed now.

http://www.jhu1986.com/Movie1.wmv

 

Try another batt. and check that ground wire. Make sure its on the chassis good.

 

smoke from negative terminal, and becoming magnetized like that....
that's tell tale signs of too much power being drawn through it. Has to be a short in the starter/solenoid or jammed flywheel.

 

how would i diagnose this short in the starter? i dont think the flywheel is jammed because the car was started this past friday. we usually start it once a week to move it during street cleaning.

i know there is something electrical that is wrong but i just cant figure out what it is. *sigh*

 

Check where you plugged the power wire into the starter and make sure its not directly touching the starter. There should be like a washer or something inbetween so the power wire is only touching the nut which is touching the starter.

 

well the starter came with a washer and nut and i attached it starter>power wire>washer>nut. reason why i did that was because on the old starter.. the nut has like a "built-in" washer type of thing so i tried to match it with that. are those nuts OEM?

 

switch the washer to the other side. the OEM nut had the washer built in but when you go aftermarket thats not what its for. Try it but becareful with putting back on the batt. terminals do it slow so if its off then you could fix it. But im pretty sure its mixed right there.

 

cool.. i will try that tomorrow and see if it works.

 

sounds like a possibility

 

bump for a resolution..

we tried the washer thing, jump starting, tapping the starter, directly connecting the starter to the battery, and also cleaned all grounds and still does the same exact thing.

the voltmeter reads 12.40V on the battery as it sits, but when we try to crank it.. it goes down to about 4-5V. I know its not supposed to go below 8V rights? Something is wrong but what? HELP!

thanks

 

Looks like something is shorted in the starter, hence the smoke and low voltage reading. Take it back and get a new one. Also replace as many grounds as you can, letting out their smoke isn't good.

 

there is obviously a short somewhere so you either put the starter in wrong and is binding with the teeth on the flywheel and causing it to over heat(try to crank the crank shaft pulley with a wrench and if it rotates freely then that's not the prob)or the starter itself is faulty( take it out ground it and try turning it on straight from the batt) also check all connection's not just around the starter it could be a short from somewhere else when you were replacing a part.

 

Do you get those numbers when your trying to jump the car as well?

 

found out the "new" reman'd starter was messed up. thanks guys!