Up until after this winter storage, this un-named vehicle would need the battery at close to full charge to even turn the starter. Turn the key with the battery at less than maybe 80%, and nothing. Connect charger, starter turns & it fires right up. Now, it won't turn over at all, unless the charger is on too. New battery, same problem. OK, a worse problem. Fully charged new battery, & still won't turn over unless the charger is connected too. WTF? Starter needs to be replaced?
It will take a little troubleshooting. Not sure why vehicle is un-named though? Pictures always help. There are many ways to troubleshoot. One is if that's a fully charged good new battery you could remove it, set on floor, connect jumper cables to starter (+ post and good ground...starter bolt, motor block,etc.). Then connect other end one battery post, other to post quickly just a second or two...just to be sure it cranks over ok. Common sense caution, gloves, eye protection, car in park/neutral,etc. It's going to arc...lots of current! If it doesn't crank with good jumpers, replace starter. If it cranks I would check the battery leads and the frame to motor ground strap. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
I wouldn't do that if I were you. My wife's name is Kathy and I've never been able to figure her out.
I just had this same issue. Battery tested 13 volts 100% charge. Engine would not crank. put it on the charger and immediately would crank over and start. Thought bad cell in battery. Had battery tested and they said it was fine but since I knew them take this second battery and try it since it was late on Saturday. Hooked up second battery and exactly the same result. WTH!! Started checking everything else and couldn't find reason but my limited knowledge still tells me Battery. Went back and and they lets order a new battery. Got the battery in the next day and guess what? Started right up, charging as it should, like nothing was ever wrong. Both batteries had bad cells and would could not take a load. Don't trust new to mean that its good. Check the dates when a battery was made. Never know how long they have been sitting on the shelf. Hope this helps
My better halfs Miata would not start this spring, battery tender on it all winter. Put my charger on it started right up. Did basic troubleshooting, found the battery cable used a band around the terminal and it had cracked so no matter how much you tightened terminal bolts it did not make a good connection. replaced cable terminal and it starts right up. Hope your problem is as easy.
Corrosion.... Sounds like bad connection between cable and battery terminal. Pull cables off and clean until shiny... Put a little bit of grease on battery posts and tighten cables snug.
First step, always properly test or have the battery tested including a load test. As the others said, new or almost new doesn't mean that it is in 100% top shape. I just went through that on a less than a year old battery on one o my OT rigs. Second step is to take your meter and start checking for a voltage drop between the battery and the engine block. The when I put the ground lead to this bolt over here on the engine is the voltage the exact same as it is across the posts of the battery? thing. If or when you find a drop in voltage start finding out why. That would be by checking again closer up the circuit to the battery. Still on IPickup's rig, CONNECTIONS CONNECTION CONNECTIONS. Somewhere in that system there is a resistance or poor connection that the battery can't overcocme on it's own but with the charger's help it does function. Provided that the battery is actually in top shape. That is every connection in the start system that needs to be inspected cleaned and tightened including where the cable ends attach to the cables and where the ground cable attaches to the block or what ever the ground cable attaches to to the block. I've run into more ground cable attached to the engine issues over the years than any other electrical issue when it comes to a hard to crank, no crank condition. Had a buddy buy a new alternator, new starter and new battery and his car still would't start because the ground cable bolt was a bit lose on the block. Had another buddy with a fresh build have a less than stellar crank issue on an engine where the ground cable attaches to the alternator bracket in the factory designed spot.. He had put three or four coats of nice shiny orange paint on the block and heads and just as many coats of correct engine accessory black on all sides of the brackets and pulleys and the engine did look quite nice. He actually did scrape just enough paint off the bracket for the cable to make contact with but there was so much paint on the block and bracket that he wasn't getting contact through the paint. That car had a built in body ground strap on the ground cable and a power lead that took off from the connection on the starter to the fuse block and switch so the lights came on bright, the radio worked, and it would try to crank. That is just a pair of the won't crank I have done everything issues that have been thrown at me over the years. That doesn't count the inside of a cable being corroded away to the point electricity won't flow or other bad cable conditions.
Un-named, as it is WAY OT. So, Kathy, it is. Don't see how it can be the battery, as it did sort of the same thing since my son has owned it. 10+ years. Was a daily driver & needed the battery to be (a guess) 80%+ to turn the starter motor. Not like every other car I've worked on. If your battery is 50% charged, the starter motor turns slowly. With Kathy here, you turn the key & nothing, unless battery is good. Now, it seems to need the battery at 110%. I'll put the meter to it as Mr48chev suggests & do some investigating on the grounds. If I say when & where Kathy was born, this will disappear quick. Let's just say Kathy eats sauerkraut, her father's name is Ferdinand & is about 32 years old.
New 58R 610CCA top post battery. Cleaned up cables, grounds that I could find &/or get to. Did the voltage drop test. Showed 13-14V across battery & same from + post to engine. Turn key, nothing. Used jumper cable from neg post to cleaned up bolt on engine, made no difference. So, thinking the grounds are OK. Put the charger on @ 10A. Turn key & hear a hum. Turn up to 40A & hear a hum & a click. Let it sit for a minute on 40A, or crank the charger up to start, & it turns & fires right up. Thinking a bad connection at the starter, or replace starter. Make sense? I'll have to get it on the lift to check it out. Sick of working on crap that I don't own, & my kid wants to sell anyway.
So easy...jumper cables hook to starter + post and good ground like starter case/bolt. Other end to a known good battery (a fully charged one without charger on it). If it won't crank, replace starter. Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk
Went to remove wires from starter to clean them up, & the solenoid crumbled. So, new starter ordered. Hopefully, that's it.
Glad you found the probable cause. Quick and dirty parking lot test (cars w/o computers). Pull the headlights on. If bright- battery probably good. With lights still on, turn key. Lights stay bright-no current getting to starter. Lights dim way down-excess resistance in circuit, probably bad starter, but check connections.
The Jalopy Journal
