found loose timing belt.

 

You can use a multimeter to see if the battery is retaining a charge, and to see if the alternator is charging it. Probe the pos and neg battery terminals with the engine off for DC voltage. It should be around 12V. Get the engine running and do it again. The voltage should remain fairly steady about 14V if the alternator is charging properly.

 

Testing the starter you can do a voltage drop test

 

sorry i keep posting intermittently, trying to do too much at once... if your car won't start it could be many things... ignition, air intake, fuel pump, cam position sensor, fuel injectors. Since it requires a jump, it is probably in the charging circuit or battery. Since your battery is new, that leads me to suspect the charging circuit. Also, it could be a grounded wire is draining your battery after you leave the car.

 

I took the battery to get tested. It's good and the car won't start. Should I take the starter off to test it?

 

No, you should buy a multimeter and do a voltage drop test while it's still mounted. Multimeters are cheap at wally world. Even craftsman has cheap multimeters.

 

I would suspect the alternator or a voltage leak through a bad ground somewhere before I would suspect the starter... if your car is starting fine with a jump, the starter is obviously doing its job. Buy a multimeter

 

Yes you need a multimeter to test this one. The battery should be 12.7V open circuit with the car off. If you see numbers under 12.5V the battery is at some point of discharge. When the engine is running you should see numbers 14.0~14.5V. Turn on the headlights, rear heated glass, AC on high and wait for the engine fan to come on. When all those loads are present, you should still have 13.8V or more. If you have less, I would have the alternator tested for a possible bad diode.

Since a simple jump seems to correct the problem, I would first suspect the battery terminal connections. It may be a simply as the terminals proving a poor connection battery to car. When you are clamping the jumper cables on you are connecting an outside battery to the terminals and bypassing your car's battery-to-terminal connections.

 

X2

 

Alright I'll buy a multimeter tonight and recheck the terminal connections. If the Volts aren't as high would that prove the alternator? I have a brand new one on hand

 

Yeah. But if your terminals are not connected well you might see slight smoking coming from the terminal connectors when you try to start the engine. Corroded terminals or connectors will increase the resistance also. Check them for a white or blue material that kinda looks like fungus or toothpaste. Use a toothbrush with vinegar to clean the terminals and connectors and wipe them clean. Don't freak out if you hear it fizzing. It's a chemical reaction with the vinegar. You can use a battery terminal cleaning brush to help out.

 

Check the connections first, all the main ground and power connections, start with ground connections as they are the most common problem, batt. terminal cable clamp, batt. to chassis ground, [under batt. "box"] and chassis to engine ground, this is one cable that runs from batt. post under the batt. and is connected to chassis there and continues to the engine, remove all these connections, clean both contact surfaces and reconnect securely.

If the above does not solve the problem, do the same with the main powers, batt. post and cable clamp, batt. to engine bay fuse box, batt. to starter motor, [very important one] alt. to engine bay fuse box, [both ends] and the main fuses in the engine bay fuse box, [the ones that are screwed into place].

As mentioned a multimeter and 12V test light can save you a lot of time and headaches, even money if you plan on working/fixing your car yourself, $25-$30 will get you a good 12V test light and a good enough multimeter, they will pay for themselves in no time. 94

 

bought a multimeter. batt is good when off. but can't test when running because car won't even jump start now?!?

what gives?

 

Is it turning over when it's jumped?

 

If the engine turns over without starting the problem is elsewhere in the ignition system. Possible but unlikely.

I would suspect that the engine is not cranking but just "clicking". If this is true, the starter is bad, specifically the solenoid contacts are worn out. The earlier jump starts would have raised the input voltage to the starter enough to close the contacts just a tick harder allowing them to temporarily work. Now the last of the copper material is no doubt burnt off the contacts and therefore you have a click. (Solenoid plunger traveling inside the starter, starter pinion hitting the flexplate or some other hard stop but not rotation due to no input voltage to the starter's motor.) Bottom line, if the starter spins its good. If it don't AND there's voltage available at the starter's battery terminal and 12V at the ignition switch terminal on the starter, the starter is bad.

 

Have you redone your main power and ground connections yet, it's important. 94

 

let me post a video in the morning..

 

(1) If your battery cables are not completely tight,or clean, even with a good alternator, the car will drain the battery, and not put any charge back in it.
(2) If the alt isn't charging, a new (but drained) battery will come back to full voltage about 30 minutes after you shut the car off,showing that it's still good. It will do this 3 - 5 times before you completely kill the new battery.
(3) Check both battery cables at BOTH ends for tight & clean,and for continuity. (0.00 ohms over the whole cable)

 

http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_1202.mp4

 

Yes or no? 94

 

Redone? I cleaned up a bit on the Battery Cables and battery ground to chassis

 

ALL the main power and grounds, that means both batt. posts, tha cable clamps attached to them, the batt. to chassis ground, the chassis to engine ground, [may as well do the rad support to VC ground] the batt. pos.(+) to starter, the batt. pos.(+) to engine bay fuse box, the main fuses in the engine bay fuse box.

All the above contact points, [both surfaces] need to be cleaned and then reconnected.

Although you may not have a connection problem, it is the only way to be sure and it can't hurt.

If problem still exists, [once a connection issue has been eliminated] then make sure you have fuel, spark and timing, start by making sure starter works, do a bypass jump to see if engine will crank. 94

 

Alright. I'll clean all of the above and how do I do the bYpass jump?

 

From what I see/hear in the video the starter is spinning the engine. Therefore your issue is not battery, starter, or their control circuits. For an engine to start you must have ignition, compression, and fuel. I think you are missing properly timed ignition or fuel. Sorry that's going off into an area where I can't offer much meaningful help...