Wondering what everyone thinks of this one

When I go to start the car, the electrical system shorts out somewhere keeping the car from turning over. I'll hear a click or two sometimes from the starter but everytime I turn the key it seems to activate the short. The headlights die, the gauges drop to zero (even the voltage) and it just seems like the car loses all electrical power. When I release the key sometimes the power will come back, sometimes not. Also after removing the key, If i try the headlight switch, it seems to effect the short and causes the car alarm to chirp (just like it would if you were removing one of the battery cables)..

After trying a few times the car will finally start but will run poorly, low idle (under 800 rpms) and seems to run a bit rough.

After a while the car will start to run better again (like the next time I drive it)..

My thoughts are that I have an intermittent short circuit which at times is severe enough to keep the car from starting. If the car starts with the short still active, I think it causes enough of a voltage or amperage drain to affect the amount of spark to the plugs..

I'm really just shooting from the hip here and am totally perplexed.. I've recently added a cam, rockers, new plug wires and just a few days ago a new opti. Can anybody point me in the right troubleshooting direction to try and isolate the problem? I've done a visual check and did not find any bad wires, connections or loose grounds... I'm open to any suggestions!!!

 

If you have a short, your fuses will generally blow. If I had to guess, it sounds maybe like a bad silinoid... I would take your starter out and get it tested at the auto parts store.

 

It's definitely a short of some kind, however it doesn't seem to be blowing any fuses. Everything but the AC works, the AC is temporarily offline, pulled the relay under the hood.

Would a bad starter solenoid cause reak havoc and the rest of the electrical system?

 

Are you sure you just don't have a poor connection at the battery? Sounds like it.

 

Quote: "Are you sure you just don't have a poor connection at the battery? Sounds like it."

I'm sure that spark chasing is my least favorite car related activity, so I'll be checking the battery like you suggested!!

I just reconnected the battery a couple of days ago, and did attempt to clean off the terminals with a wire brush at the time. The terminals weren't loose when I checked them tonight, but I'll pull them off and clean them once more in the morning.

Due to the fact the the problem seems to happen right when I turn the key to start the engine, I think that it may have something to do with the starter as TransAm-Z mentioned. Can the starter solenoid stick in a position that would cause it to short circuit temporarily?


Anyhow, both are good suggestions, if anyone else has other ideas, feel free to chime in..

 

A poor connection will show up when you try to run the most juice through it (like when using the starter). Look under the hood while someone else tries to start the car. If there is a poor connection, most times you will hear a snap and see a puff of smoke. Wherever that is, is a bad connection. Either that or you have a low/bad battery.

 

I've been thinking a little about the battery.

I charging it up this spring and while preparingto put it back in my car I noticed a slight "leak" on the positiver terminal. I took it to a shop to have it load tested and it passed. Maybe its still leaking (doesn't seem to be any evidence of it though) and has caused some corrosion at the positive terminal...

 

i had the same problem as you are saying in your first post. i replaced my battery and had no problems after that. also make sure that the connections on the starter are tight as well.

 

You nailed it Shoebox... Looks like it was the battery. The positive terminal on the battery must still be leaking a bit. It was very corroded from just 2 weeks of use.

Thanks again everyone for the help!