starter turns off car but not on

john · 08-14-2005

On James' copper gst, he put it back together and took it for a pull. Noticed he had a boost leak and drove home and parked it. Did a boost leak test a few days later and tried starting the car but it wouldn't crank. It seemed it may be lacking power. I set the battery on the charger and it tested good. He put it back in the car and let it sit. Yesterday I went to look at it and the cables had some corrosion on them. I pulled the battery and there was some acid stain on the batt tray. I checked the battery and it was now down on fluid. I grabbed my battery and threw it in. The car will not crank still.

I checked the started wires and they seemed fine. I pulled the starter. I jumped it and it turned (through the stock wiring). It seemed to lack a little power so James brought it in to get checked. It tested fine. I hooked it up to the car and it worked again through the stock wiring. I threw it back in and all I hear is clicking. I thought I would rule out the battery by jumping the car and it would still only click.

Any idea why it won't crank? Why would the terminals start to corrode? A constant drain on the system? I will try turning the engine over by hand later. It has oil and was fine when it was shut off so I don't think that is the problem. Thanks in advance, John.

john · 08-14-2005

It is a 95.

slowbubblecar · 08-21-2005

Thanks.........

Matt D. · 08-21-2005

Sounds like a bad battery or bad battery connection to me.

MATCHBX · 08-21-2005

I just had something like this happen to me last week. I went out at lunch and drove my car to get food. Came back and parked it at work. Got in it at 5, turned the key to on, everything lit up, then cranked and everything shut off.

My connections were fine but the battery was bad. Jumped it and it ran fine. Shut it off and wouldn't start again. Got a new battery and everything is fine now.

Jump it and see if it runs. How old is the battery? They say you should replace your battery every 4-5 years so maybe it's just due.

CarPsyco84 · 08-21-2005

If every thing goes out like a light switch when you hit the starter, its a bad connection on the batt. terminals, my car does this alot, I get a wrench or a hammer and hit the terminals and it starts right up. If they're corroded a bunch thats almost certainly why, You could try using some baking soda and water to clear up the corrosion, and maybe a wire brush to clean em up.

slowbubblecar · 08-22-2005

I will hit my battery with a hammer. The problem was already fixed although my battery seems to be spewing the water out of it for some reason. It was an alarm issue before. I am not sure why it would be spewing it out though. I have bigger problems to worry about now. The 4th pull on my turbo and it is blown.

Steeltwo · 08-23-2005

had the same problem

bad battery terminal connections.

I guess the leads do not conduct well after getting alot of crap on it like sand and dirt.
Just cleaned them with baking soda and ving mix. Scuffed them up to get some fresh lead up, ate the flakes I made from the scuffing and the car has started up good ever since.

slowbubblecar · 08-23-2005

The alarm was having issues and that is what the problem was. It was running for a day though before blowing the turbo. The problem is fixed.