Relay/Start Problem - Please help!

[surel0ser]

Ok, so I'm not very gifted when it comes to working on cars and I have a problem. I get off work the other day and go to start my car, and go to turn it over, and I have absolutely no power. I mean no dash lights, no open door buzz, no nothing. No head lights, no hazzards nothing, So I'm like alright somthing killed my battery. I get a jump and it starts fine. I drive for about 20 mins heading home and have to stop for gas or Im never gonna make it home.

I open the hood and notice a ticking coming from one of my relays???????

Stop get gas, and as soon as I turn if off, again completely dead. Get jumped again, drive straight to wal-mart have them test the battery and its fine. Take the battery back outside put it back in and the car starts fine. Perfect, nothing wrong. I figured it was a short in the battery cables. Had them tested the next day fine. So, I'm like strange. This was several weeks ago.

So I go to start my car today and the same thing. Absolutely no power. So I do the same thing again unhook the battery and rehook it up I have power to my radio, lights etc now but when I go to turn it over as soon as i turn the key I lose all power again.

Get out reset the battery cables and the car starts. Turn the car off, try and restart it completely dead again.

Reset the cables still only power to dash radio etc...until i turn it over then lose all power.

Any help? Anything i need to be more specific about please let me know.

Thanks

 

[92awddsm]

Sounds more like a bad battery connection or ground than anything else. Replace the cable ends, check and tighten all grounds, and even replace the cables just for extra measure. Also, keep your battery terminals clean and coat them with some sort of grease to prevent corrosion(They make special grease for battery terminals but most any dielectric grease will work)

 

[luv2rallye]

Also make sure the alternator is working to charge the battery. Disconnect battery cable while engine is running. If it dies your alternator is toast.

 

[akdsmer]

Also make sure the alternator is working to charge the battery. Disconnect battery cable while engine is running. If it dies your alternator is toast.

Please don't. Removing the battery cable can (and does) cause a voltage spike. Nothing like extra pressure (voltage) working it's magic ( )on our PCMs. Just use a multimeter. A full battery is 12.66 (6 plates at 2.1 Volts per plate). Charging voltage is over 13V, but must be less than 15V (mine is right about 13.2V at idle, 13.8V at 1500 rpm). If the voltage is low, Check the voltage at the large terminal on your alternator. If it is good, but battery voltage isn't, then you have a voltage drop in your cable. A Ohms test isn't good enough, you are passing any current throught the cable with a meter. And make sure your ground lead is properly connected at the battery negative!

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

sounds a lot like a loose ground of a bad connecter. Make sure your connecters are on really tight so there is no play or wiggle. Check your grounds make sure they are tight. Its a good idea to sand the connecters on your ground straps and where the mount to make sure they are metal on metal.

 

[surel0ser]

sounds a lot like a loose ground of a bad connecter. Make sure your connecters are on really tight so there is no play or wiggle. Check your grounds make sure they are tight. Its a good idea to sand the connecters on your ground straps and where the mount to make sure they are metal on metal.

Cleaned terminals with coke and wiped them off and used a small knife to shine them clean so they would have a fresh connection. Didn't work the first few times of putting them on but now its running fine again.

Tested the alternator is fine. turned everything in the car on and took the power off, everything is still on and car runs fine.

Thanks