bennyDA

I own a DA but this is my brothers car (im helpn him fix it)
96 dodge neon
-Battery light was on, smelled bad and died, and pop started once then had to get it towed
-Bought new battery (free 2year trade in) car still doesnt crank
Symptoms: NO crank, funy electrical bad smell, starter clicks, fuel pump primes up.. all new ignition (plugs,wires,coil)
Now I know the smell of a bad alternator and it was that and the battery light and a dead battery all add up to a for sure alternator BUT the brand new battery did nothing... I went threw 2 alternators in my DA and starting with a brand new battery (6 free warranty battery trade ins yay walmart!!) haha i just traded in new batteries till I could afford alternator
My question is.. Can it be the starter? Could a starter kill the battery and make a smell like it is?
I would bring the alternator/starter to autozone to bench test however.. I want to know first if it can be the starter because they are both verrrry hard to get at... and a big pain
Thanks in advance (Sorry for long post)