94 Cobra Starter/Battery/Electrical Problem

[llDemonll]

I have a 94 cobra, owned it about a month and a half now and about two weeks ago it died outside of shucks (buying oil, go figure). friend was sitting in car listening to music while i went inside to grab some oil, put the oil in, went to start it and battery was dead. starter wouldnt turn the engine over, would just click (i dunno how starters work, i'd imagine they have some sort of force-slip thing so that it wouldnt just burn out the starter motor if engine wont turn over).

anyways, got a jump, and car ran fine. about a week after that i could tell that each time i started it there would be a little bit less 'oomph' from the starter than there was the previous day. (or if i let it sit for 2+ hours after driving). when it started, it would start and barely get to about 800 rpm (as compared to about 1500ish when it started normally) and would sputter for a second and then get going.

went out yesterday (week and half or so after the first time it died) and there was enough juice to turn the engine over a few times but not enough to start it. anyways, i dont want to have a mechanic look over the whole wiring issue, so i was wondering if anyone here had suggestions? bad starter? bad battery (battery is self-maintenance or whatever and has plenty of water and is from sept 07)? bad wiring? i'm not too mechaincally inclined so i'm out of ideas. also, alternator works (or at least the guage says it is, usually about 12 volts, today i rolling started and drove for 45 min and it was at about 14 volts the whole time, havent tried starting it normally since i parked yet though).

 

[DopeStang]

check all connections, battery terminals, grounds, connections at the starter, have the battery tested, sounds to me like a loose connection.

 

[Tx_Diablous]

Bad alt....check the how-to's

 

[Gallows]

Loose connection or or corroded ground cable. You may also have an electrical drain. Is there an after market stereo or alarm in the car?

 

[llDemonll]

aftermarket stereo yes, faceplate hasnt been in for last few weeks since im at school and i take it out when its parked.

 

[Dano]

I had a very similar problem on my '95. After I replaced the starter, and had it in and out three times, I discovered that the NEG battery cable was loose, where it connects to the front of the engine. The nut that holds it is very hard to see. You'll need a good flashlight - follow the cable from the battery and you'll see where it's attached (check it with a wrench, not your eyeball). I couldn't tighten mine without removing the radiator, so I installed a new NEG cable, and mounted it somewhere easier to get at! Wrap up the old cable, and tie-wrap it out of sight.

Agree that your battery may be bad - it needs to be checked under a load.

Also agree that you need to clean and tighten both battery cables, at the battery. If either one of them wiggles, they're loose.

Good luck.

 

[Hockeyman48]

If I were you I would just replace both pos. and neg. cables and clean surface mating areas.No sense in trying to eliminate a poor connection by trial and error.I've had cables break down at the terminal internally(can't see it) and cause intermittent(the worse kind to diagnose) connection problems. Cost of new cables is minimal compared to time looking for bad connection. Just my opinion!

 

[Dano]

When my NEG cable was loose, it wouldn't crank at all ... I spent three days on the garage floor putting the starter in and out several times. Unless you have a lot more money than me, I'd try to locate a loose connection first! I priced the OEM cable sets, and the complete POS cable assembly was damn near $200. That's way too much to spend, and trying to piecemeal two sets of cables together might lead to more problems.

Troubleshoot, then replace. JMO

 

[llDemonll]

so i did a multimeter check on the battery, runs out at 12 volts fine, so i dont think its the battery. when we jump'd it from a friends car it still had trouble turning over, so maybe the starter is going? started at about 700-800 rpm and then went fine once it got going, but it definately wasnt strong like it used to be. i dont know what a dying start acts like, so i dont know if thats it, but it seems like that would be whats wrong to me.

 

[Dano]

FWIW ... I forgot a good test for isolating a bad ground cable (NEG cable from the battery). Another owner told me of this, and it's how I found out I had a bad connection on my old NEG cable.

1. Take one cable from a set of jumper cables.
2. Connect one end to the NEG terminal of the battery.
3. Connect the other end to a good ground on the engine.
4. See if the car will start.
a. If it starts, you've got a bad connection at one or both ends of the NEG cable.
b. If it still doesn't start, the problem is elsewhere.


BTW ... are you saying that your engine started when the cranking RPM got to 700 - 800? I can't ever recall looking at my Tach while I was cranking the starter. I must have missed something here ...:shrug:

 

[Gallows]

FWIW ... I forgot a good test for isolating a bad ground cable (NEG cable from the battery). Another owner told me of this, and it's how I found out I had a bad connection on my old NEG cable.

1. Take one cable from a set of jumper cables.
2. Connect one end to the NEG terminal of the battery.
3. Connect the other end to a good ground on the engine.
4. See if the car will start.
a. If it starts, you've got a bad connection at one or both ends of the NEG cable.
b. If it still doesn't start, the problem is elsewhere.

+1 I had this problem before and it drove nuts for awhile.

 

[Dano]

Yes, I hear you ... I spent three days on the garage floor taking the starter out and then putting it back in (new starter). After using the jumper cable, I really got pissed - but, I kept the new starter. I felt that I had become an expert in starter removal & replacement ('94s & 95s).:banana:

 

[llDemonll]

nah, rpm was when the engine actually caught and first fired, not when starter was cranking it.

 

[Mustanger]

A voltmeter test of a battery is not a good test! You can get 12.6 volts reading if there is just a little bit left in the battery but it won't put out any cranking amps! Go to Sears or someplace & have them load test it with their resistance machine...it has always been free for me. (They hope you will buy a battery) They also can tell you if your alternator is putting out ok.

First I'd clean all the posts & wire terminals on the battery nice & shiny, check all connections then go further if needed. Good luck!

 

[llDemonll]

yea, tomorrow im going to go by shucks or autozone or someplace (no sears near here) and see if they can test the battery and the alternator.

tried the jumper cable idea and it did the same thing as when i normally tried to start it =/

 

[Hockeyman48]

Load test Battery. I did'nt realize factory cable sets were that expensive. Good point Dano. If your factory cables have any extra slack in them ,you may be able to crimp on new terminal lugs on the ends.should shorten by only an inch or two. Also ,cables can corrode inside lead connection at battery(if you have this type) and you can't see this or repair. Tough to diagnose. With volt meter on battery, crank engine(if it will and check voltage while cranking). lower than 11.5 indicates a possible battery insue. A Battery Load test is the only effective way to test for CCA in a battery,I'd do this first. Hope this helps.
Mike

 

[Gallows]

Any updates?

 

[Rocsfinest97]

I have this same exact problem.

 

[llDemonll]

didnt have a chance to run by schucks or anything yesterday, so i dont know if its the battery but i keep getting this feeling that its the starter or the connection to the starter.

the horn and windows and such all work fine, dont seem weak at all which is why i keep getting the feeling that its the starter. friend and i tried checking the connections on it but they are on the top, and without having a jackstand and being able to take a wheel off and such you can only check so much. starter was old looking, probably the original one in the car (just over 150k miles) so i dont know how long a starter will last on the big of an engine.

i will be taking the car by a mechanic and schucks this week to see what they have to say about the battery and the starter, and will update you guys once i do that. thanks for the help so far =)

 

[Dano]

Well, it's your money & your plan, but if the battery checks OK under a load, you need to either borrow or buy a set of jack stands and a floor jack. You can buy all three for a lot less than the labor you'll end up paying. Then, pull the starter and have it checked on a test stand. If it's bad, buy a new one - easy!

Now, you'll have the jack stands & floor jack for the next project or problem ... like brakes, gas tank, etc.


FWIW ... don't buy one of those floor jacks that look like they were made for jacking up a VW - get the full size floor jack. I did the same thing when I had starter problems, and Sears had a set of stands & the jack for around $100. I used all three many more times later on: brake job, replacing rear springs, changing a tire on my Hemi pick-up, etc. You will get your money's worth out of them.