Its around 25 degrees outside. 4 hours ago I woke up, warmed up the car for 7 minutes then drove to class. 15 min ago I went out to my car to start her and she refused to turn over. I sat there getting mad wondering how my perfectly good battery could have died when I realised it wasnt the battery. My fuel pump sounds like its getting the full 12.6 volts. It dosnt get the normal weak sound like it would from a dead battery. BUT the starter sounds EXACTLY like it would from a dead battery.

Any ideas? (im using the university computers to post this)

btw I checked my antifreeze and it looks pefectly fluid like. It has to be at least 50/50 as much as 70/30 of the 3 year red gm junk. Just put it in 3 months ago.

 

check your battery terminal connections and connections of battery cables.

happened to me yesterday in cold. friggin + post disconnected from AC/Delco 7 year pro maintenance battery just as I was about to depart to Worcestor MA to bring my kid back to Holy Cross. New battery and cable end connection and was good to go.

 

I tightened down the posts on my terminals, I have marine post connections. But that didnt help any. There is some slight corrosion on the connections but I DOUBT that the small amount on them is causing the problem. It could be the connection to the starter, especially with all the salt they are putting down on the roads latly. But theres no way I can check that now at school.

Anyone have any other ideas?

 

All you said was it wouldnt crank... what exactly would it do then? Are you getting constant clicking or just a single click? I was having trouble starting my car on cold mornings and it turned out to be my battery low on cranking amps. I would get a single click and then nothing till I tried again.. my scanmaster was showing a good 12 volts too.

 

Had the same thing happen to me. In my case it was the ground cable. I had to replace it. You can push a small amount of current through it i.e. the fuel pump, but when you engane the starter it fails. You can test this therory by making a temperay ground with a heavy gauge wire. Hope that helps.

 

My money is on the battery.

 

Why the low CR? Planning on SC?

 

Not only does the relay click, but it starts to turn over then stops, much like it would on a semi-dead battery. But when my battery is semi-dead or dead I can easily tell by the sound of my fuel pump. (external pump mounted against trunk, its loud) But my fuel pump sounds like its getting the full 12 thats why I doubt im low on battery, Im going to take my g/f's car to class tomora and bring jumpers with me and try that first. I'll also bring some tools + wire brush, and take the connections apart and clean them. If all that dosnt work ill make an attempt at getting at the starter. If thats all a no go I'm going to have to call and get it towed. 5th time in 2 years lol. Once I called them off thou so lets see how it goes.

And yes supercharger is on the way, Its in my room I'm just waiting till the spring and so i can have enough $$ to cover a big tune session.

 

Sounds like the battery to me. I would take it out and run over to autozone or some place that has a good battery tester to see how many cranking amps its putting out.

 

Ok so yesterday my friend and I brought a jack up to school and jacked up the car. I took off the positive lead to the starter, scaped any corriosion off, then put it back on. But while tigtening it it shorted against something else and the starter enguaged. Yes we were stupid and didnt take off the negative battery term. But after I compeletly tightened the lead and it wasnt shorting out anymore, I went to start the car and nothing changed. So its def not the battery. Im starting to think its the starter relay or something.

 

ignition switch is a possibility

If you want to start it to get it home, jack it up, turn the key on, make sure it is in park/neural, in fact, have your buddy inside with his foot on the brake, then jump the big batt terminal on the starter with the small terminal, it should crank and start

 

Yeah im gunna have to do that tomorrow. I just tried push-starting it and it was a no go. Wayyy to much ice to do it.

Starter switch you say? I just replaced that 2 weeks ago, maybe its defective :-/

 

Battery checked out ok, starter checked out ok (one of the brushes was bad, but it still worked fine, and that was changed just incase) Igniton switch is good (replaced it last week, also bought another today just to test it).

So by this I think it is the wire leading from the igntion switch to the starter solonoid. The way I follow it is yellow out of the switch, then a brown after it goes through the clutch safty switch, after that anyone know where it leads? Then it somewhere turns purple to the solonoid. I know I have continuity after the clutch switch so thats not the problem, but when I test it all the way to the solonoid its a no.
Also I made a small slice in the purple wire that leads past my headers and tested the continuity of the solonoid to the other side of the headers and its fine, so I know its not a burnt wire agains the headers.

I have determined the break has to be between the clutch cutoff, and the engine side of the firewall.

Either that or its something I have not yet thought of. Any suggestions are much appreciated as this is driving me crazy

 

Remove the starter and use sandpaper to clean the starter and mating surface on the block.I would do the same for the wires at all the connections.Especially the positive junction.Before doing anything remove the negative batt cable.

 

Ok, just went ouside and started following the wires, Shoebox's page helped me determind that the the '97 equivlent of his c210 connecter on the diagram is the one I was looking for.
I traced it to a grey relay that I found after I pulled out my glove box. I jumped the brown to the purple wire and now when i turn the key the starter enguages, but now it will not start . Is that the VATS module? is it possible it went bad or is there a lose wire somewhere?
Note the securty light does not come on. But it appears that the grey relay is the problem