No Cranking Power

**LingLing** · 03-10-2006

Okay, I have my Chilton right in front of me, and nowhere does it say that there is a power cable going from the starter to the alternator. Is it me, or isn't there suppose to be one?

I tried starting it this morning, I have power now, and it cranks just as slow as it did with the jumper cables on. SO, with that said, I'm thinking the starter went bad.

Also, how can I run a spark test? For some reason I don't think I have spark either.

tim · 03-10-2006

The best way to check for spark is to use a spark tester. It plugs into the spark plug wire and you ground it to the engine. You set it to a predetermined gap like 1/2" or so to mimic the pressure inside the combustion chamber. Most parts stores have them or you can buy them on line for pretty cheap. Make sure to disable the fuel system when doing this.

As far as the slow cranking. You definitely may have a bad starter. Pull it out and have a parts store test it, they will probably do it for free. Before testing it make sure all the ground straps are good and solid and like you said make sure that the connections to the battery are solid.