car wont start

D

drewzx3

Active Member

Feb 7, 2004

411

1

28

Louisiana

Apr 13, 2007

#1

• Apr 13, 2007

• #1

My car wouldnt start today but the car can be pushed and pop the clutch and it will crank. Is there anything else it could be besides the starter solinoid?

 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

31,179

34

129

Apr 13, 2007

#2

• Apr 13, 2007

• #2

Any engine should crank if you try to compression start it.

Does it turn over on it's own (with the starter)?

If it does, do you have spark?

More info will help.
Good luck.

 

D

drewzx3

Active Member

Feb 7, 2004

411

1

28

Louisiana

Apr 14, 2007

#3

• Apr 14, 2007

• #3

HISSIN50 said:

Any engine should crank if you try to compression start it.

Does it turn over on it's own (with the starter)?

If it does, do you have spark?

More info will help.
Good luck.

Click to expand...

NO it will not turn over on its on. I killed it when I stopped at a store on my way to a friends house and it would not crank but some people helped me push it and pop the clutch and it crunk. It drove fine on the way there. I parked on a hill so I could start it when I got ready to leave and on my way the car ran like crap. It had no power at all and in low rpms it would buck and when you hit the gas it was real sluggish. Hope this explains a little better.

 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

31,179

34

129

Apr 14, 2007

#4

• Apr 14, 2007

• #4

It sounds like the battery's half dead. This would lead to a no crank situation and the car will start running crappy if there is not sufficient voltage. Things that can cause it are a bad battery itself or a failing alternator. Once you compression start it, what kind of volts are you reading (with a real meter, not the stock gauge)? If you can, charge the battery up and see how it does, or have a parts store charge and load test it.
You could also try to jump start it and see what happens. This might tell you that the starter, etc is ok.

This is just my conjecture and where I'd start in my testing, absent other info.
Others will have other thoughts.

Good luck.

 

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

3,133

18

108

Chicagoland

Apr 14, 2007

#5

• Apr 14, 2007

• #5

I have to agree with JT on this one. Sounds like a severe discharge condition led to the initial problem of not starting, but I'm more concerned that the alternator is on its way out. In my experience, once a car with a bad battery was started (by jumping, or push starting), it would run fine, but good luck trying to start it again once it was turned off. Testing the battery wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'd probably get the alternator tested first. You should throw the battery on a charger if the alternator does test bad before trying to start it again. The alternator could pop again if it's forced to charge a dead battery, since its purpose is maintaining the charge.

 

D

drewzx3

Active Member

Feb 7, 2004

411

1

28

Louisiana

Apr 14, 2007

#6

• Apr 14, 2007

• #6

I tried jumping it off and the only thing that happened is the starter would click.

 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

31,179

34

129

Apr 14, 2007

#7

• Apr 14, 2007

• #7

Still sounds like a battery, battery cable or donor battery not being strong enough issue.

 

BlownFiveLiter

have car, will race....wait, it doesn't run

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

3,133

18

108

Chicagoland

Apr 14, 2007

#8

• Apr 14, 2007

• #8

Jumping it can be problematic itself. That still relies on your battery to hold some charge in order to crank the engine. You could very well have a dead battery alone, and the alternator just can't keep up with the demand from trying to charge the completely dead battery and give enough amps to power the electrical systems.

 

D

drewzx3

Active Member

Feb 7, 2004

411

1

28

Louisiana

Apr 14, 2007

#9

• Apr 14, 2007

• #9

Well I figured out that it was running like crap because of intake was off of the throttle body. All the starter would do is click but after I unbolted the it would spin over.

 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

31,179

34

129

Apr 15, 2007

#10

• Apr 15, 2007

• #10

I'm really glad that you figured it out because it makes no sense to me.

Nice work Drew!

 

99FiveOh

15 Year Member

May 20, 2006

2,051

20

99

J-Ville, FL

Apr 15, 2007

#11

• Apr 15, 2007

• #11

drewzx3 said:

Well I figured out that it was running like crap because of intake was off of the throttle body. All the starter would do is click but after I unbolted the it would spin over.

Click to expand...

Allow me to translate:

"Well, I figured out why the car was running like crap! While "push" starting it, the motor torqued over so much that it caused the air intake tube to come off the throttle body, and thus allowed metered air to escape."

"I unbolted my starter and when I went to turn it over, it would spin just fine, thus confirming my starter works, but there's not enough cranking amps to turn the engine over"