Trouble Starting - Help
- Thread starter Five_oh
- Start date
I apologize. I should have mentioned that a different battery is in the car. He did not sell it with the Optima.
Question: with the battery relocated to the trunk, do you think that a 4 gauge power wire is too small to carry the power needed? I have 0 Gauge wire laying around that I can run. I've run a 0 Gauge ground from the battery to the frame, but there is still a 4 gauge ground from frame to motor and a 4 gauge positive from battery to engine compartment.
The reason I ask is because when I took the battery out to have it tested, I hooked up the batterycables to jumpers and then to my truck (turned off) to kind of see if it would do the same thing. It was acting like it wasn't getting enough power (clicking) and every once in a while the starter would kick over once and then whine like it was trying to turn but didn't have enough power.
Like I said, I have a 0 Gauge wire in my garage just laying there I can run if it's worth a shot.
Question: with the battery relocated to the trunk, do you think that a 4 gauge power wire is too small to carry the power needed? I have 0 Gauge wire laying around that I can run. I've run a 0 Gauge ground from the battery to the frame, but there is still a 4 gauge ground from frame to motor and a 4 gauge positive from battery to engine compartment.
The reason I ask is because when I took the battery out to have it tested, I hooked up the batterycables to jumpers and then to my truck (turned off) to kind of see if it would do the same thing. It was acting like it wasn't getting enough power (clicking) and every once in a while the starter would kick over once and then whine like it was trying to turn but didn't have enough power.
Like I said, I have a 0 Gauge wire in my garage just laying there I can run if it's worth a shot.
Sounds like you have possibly two problems here. One is the slow cranking, and the other is a starter problem. BTW, if you have a wet cell battery, did you have the specific gravity checked in each cell as I suggested?
As far as the cables go they're plenty big, so I don't think that's were your problem is.
As far as the cables go they're plenty big, so I don't think that's were your problem is.
I did not have the specific gravity checked. I went ahead and ran the 0 Gauge yesterday and was still experiencing the same issue, so I moved my investigation under the hood.
I have a fender mounted solenoid for my starter. I checked it with a screwdriver and found out that the solenoid is what was whining, not the starter. I ran up to AZ, picked up a $15 solenoid and installed it back on the car. By this time, my battery was down to about 9.5-10 volts because I had been trying to diagnose the issue all afternoon. Continual starting and trying to start without letting the alternator charge the battery. Once I hooked up some jumper cables to my truck, the car seemed to want to turn over fine. I put a charger on the battery last night and it was fully charged this morning.
I'm going to take the mustang out of the garage this afternoon and up the street to put a little gas in it. This will also give the motor a chance to heat up and me a chance to see if I'm still going to have the same issue. Luckily, the gas station is a half mile from my house. Worst case scenario, I walk back, get my truck, jump the car, drive it back and walk back to the gas station to get my truck. I could use the excercise anyway. If the solenoid doesn't solve the problem, the last place I'll look is the starter.
I'll keep everyone posted. Thanks for your assistance with everything. Wish me luck! :uh oh:
Saving the most expensive piece for last may have been a mistake. It turns out the starter was bad. Bought a new starter, bolted it in and I haven't had the first issue out of cranking it. Thanks to everyone who pitched in.....Needless to say, I have a new power and ground wire run, new starter solenoid, new battery clamps and finally, a new starter. Ignition should be good for a while. haha.
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