Need help figuring out what is wrong

[cmont45]

The past couple of days my battery light has came on i have had both the battery and altenator tested and they read fine. Well today my car decided not to start the lights come on when i start it and you can hear the starter clicking but the battery light comes on and it won't turn over. Again had both tested and they are fine have any of ya'll had this problem or know what it might be?

[ProJect]

how are your battery cables? are they tight on there, those might be loose, i would check that

[cmont45]

yeah checked those they are on and we just replaced the terminals when i swapped the prelude motor in. And even put new grounds on.

[Rfugitt]

Check the condition of all of your starting/charging system cables, and also check that they all have good solid connections.

The best battery cable in the world is useless if it's loose at the ends. Same thing with the alternator connections.

Hmmmm ... double check the alternator belt as well. If it's loose or slipping, the alternator may not be spinning fast enough to keep the battery charged.

[deevergote]

Make sure all connections are clean. I learned the hard way that dirty battery cables can cause a problem (as in, I spent $300 on a new battery and starter to learn that lesson!)

The result of my dirty cables was a *click* and then a total loss of power... remedied by removing the negative cable, putting it back on, and trying again... 2-3 times doing that and I got a start... then I just cleaned the cable and I was good!

You might want to pull your starter and have that checked out. If it's not cranking at all, it could be a starter issue. Even a weak battery should at least TRY to crank...

[cmont45]

I cleaned the battery terminals i have the cleaner you can buy cause before the prelude motor went in i had the corrosion problem. I hear a wierd whrring noise when it first tries to start

[Rfugitt]

If the starter was the problem, would the battery light on the dash light up?

That sounds like more of a charging system problem, or a weak battery indicator.

[deevergote]

Could be a combination...

A whirring starter is shot. If you turn the key and the starter just whirs, it's done. Pull it and take it to Autozone (or any autoparts store these days, I'm sure) and they'll test it for free.

As for the battery light... would that go off if the car didn't start? It's been a while since I started my CB7! Gotta get out there tomorrow and mess with it!


Also, your terminals may be clean, but are your CABLES clean? Clean the cable connections as well! Also, for your new grounds... are they in contact with metal? Some people attach their grounds to a painted surface, and that obviously doesn't work very well!

[cmont45]

Yeah made sure they are connected to metal and and the starter is clicking it starts to turn the stops and then you hear the clicking sorry guys for the trouble keep going out and checking things as ya'll tell me lol.

[deevergote]

My first thought is the starter. I say have that checked out before you mess with anything else. If it won't crank, either it's getting too little power, or it's a bad starter... that's all I can think of with the details you've given.

[cmont45]

Hey just want to say thanks for all the help i'm gonna get it off and see if it is bad then while it is out see if i can see any bad wires along the way

[luckyflip]

hey im having the exact same problem and i found out that there was a shortage at the alternator plug.so maybe you should check that out.

[Rfugitt]

Using a step by step process is the best way to find and fix the problem. Go one step at a time to avoid fixing stuff that aint broke. That gets expensive quick.

If ya got power for radio and lights (means battery has some charge), but the starter just clicks, then the battery not gettin enough power to the starter (or the starter is bad).

Start checking at the starter to find out where the weak link is at.

1. Have the starter tested at yer local auto parts store. Most places will test for free

2. Check the main line to the starter for a solid connection.

3. Check to make sure the power gets through the cable. Use an ohmmeter to check for large resistance from end to end.

4. Ya already had the battery checked, so they probably already checked to be sure it holds a charge, and woulda told ya if there was a problem.

5. Does the car start ok after ya drive it for a while, but wont start the next morning? If so, look for something left on, or grounded someplace, draining the power over time.

If all that reads good, but the battery still aint strong enough to start/restart the car, yer next step is to find out why it's not getting a full charge. Start tracking down the problem in the charging system in a similar fashion.

[cmont45]

Ok so the starter is good same guy at autozone tested all three now and they all show up good he thinks there is a short in the wiring harness. My friend is going to look tomorrow at the wiring harness for any potential problems.

[91f22jon]

Jon

my cb did the seem it was the altenator the altenator from autozone suck ass i replace my 3 times so goodluck bro