OT: Mechanic help, maybe starter problem?

 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1146
Registered: Mar-07
Well here is the story. Tuesday, when I left my apartment I started my blazer and it sounded a bit iffy but I thought nothing of it. Not 5 min later, as I was leaving the parking lot, all my dash lights came on, as if I had just started the car, also I noticed that my HU was off and was turning back on. Strange thing is that the engine was still running and my power steering didn't lock up (which would happen when the car is off). Well that was really weird. So I get to a gas station not 2 miles away and run in to get a drink, I come back out and now my car won't start. So I pop the hood, both positive and negative terminals are tight and are not loose at all. I get back in and the car starts..hmm...

Move a few days til about 30 min ago. I went into a store to get a gift card for my sister for christmas, I come back out..guess what? My blazer is dead. It won't turn over, the lil *ding* noise that goes off when the key is in the ignition won't even sound. So I try starting it a few times. Nothing.

I pull out the DMM, the battery isn't dead because it's reading ~12.5v strong. Well I get back in the car. I turn the key, and the engine starts, I shift into reverse and the car dies. At this point, the lights won't turn on, the *ding* noise won't make a sound, and it's as if my battery is completely disconnected. which it isn't. I wait about 10 min and try again and the car starts, so I let it run, well as I let it run for awhile thinking it may be the alt, which it isn't because my volt meter says 13.8v and has said that all week. I also notice that the HU is off, so I turn it on and every setting has been restored to factory defaults.....So now I have to reset my gains as well as everything on the HU.

So if anyone knows what the problem is or may be, besides the fact that it's a Chevy, please share?

Why would everything on the HU reset if the battery wasn't disconnected? More importantly, what the he11 is wrong with my Blazer???

help?
 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1151
Registered: Mar-07
bump for help please???



p.s. new update, my blazer is dead in the driveway, even the keypad on my keychain won't unlock the doors anymore.
 

Gold Member
Username: Andrew571

Stillwater/Edmond, Oklahoma USA

Post Number: 1319
Registered: Oct-05
loose terminals.

other than that - u have provided hardly enough info
 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1152
Registered: Mar-07
what info do you seek Andrizzle?

as I said in the first post, I checked the terminals, both are as tight as can be, when I "wiggle" either pos or neg, the battery moves, that's how not loose they are.
 

Gold Member
Username: Andrew571

Stillwater/Edmond, Oklahoma USA

Post Number: 1321
Registered: Oct-05
re-scrape ur grounds - battery ground to chassis usually corodes on its own
 

Gold Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Northwest PA

Post Number: 4547
Registered: Jul-06
Ok, what all have you altered on this vehicle. Alternator, battery, big 3, what audio equipment, remote start, etc have you installed.

This type of thing almost never just happens on its own. It COULD be a bad ground though...... check the resistance between the battery - and somewhere clean on the frame. There should be almost no resistance. Wiggle the other end of the ground cable, where it connects to the frame or engine. It is possible for those connections to rust loose.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Fred_sanford

Huntsville, Alabama Usa

Post Number: 43
Registered: Nov-07
also check the + cable at the starter.if that does not help start checking bat. cables for breaks. a DMM is your friend
 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1153
Registered: Mar-07
alright, thanks guys, I'll do that tonight, instead of COD...lol

M.S. the only thing I have installed is my HU, this is my second amp RD 1000.1, the stock alt is sufficient for that amount of power, especially since I don't go above half volume on radio and subwoofer volume. I had 3 12"s a while back, now only have a sinlge 12"

Thats it. As far as equipment, everything was installed cleanly and properly

It has to be something with the stock wiring, i.e. battery/alt ground..hopefully
 

Gold Member
Username: Adddisorder

Palm Beach, Florida

Post Number: 5604
Registered: Jan-06
a bat reading 12.5 doesnt mean much. you need to load test the batt to verify good or bad. also take off you terminals and clean them, i know you say they are tight but it doesnt sound like it. also check the battery wiring and stuff
 

Gold Member
Username: Nd4spd18

Northwest PA

Post Number: 4550
Registered: Jul-06
Based on the symptoms you can rule out starter and alternator........

Check your cables also, not just their connections. As a matter of fact, just a few hours ago I went to get some food and saw I guy in the parking lot at my school working on his car...... he was putting in a new negative battery cable because the old one the wires had come apart in the middle of the cables causing a bad connection.
 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1158
Registered: Mar-07
well I checked all the wiring, no I haven't yet disconnected the terminals and cleaned them because I got the h0e to start.
I feel kinda stupid b/c this occured to me when I was otherwise disposed...bad grounding on the amp could prob be the cause of the car not starting...right? so I disconnected my equip (b/c I also realized I had relocated the ground wire recently, which shouldnt matter cause it's basically the same spot as the previous location). I had to take the stuff out anyway, cause I'm adding to the enclosure. Let the truck sit, and turned the key a few times and it started. I'm about to go check it again, if it starts, the amp ground was the problem.
 

Gold Member
Username: Carguy

Post Number: 6776
Registered: Nov-04
Thieves, do a load test on your battery. Hook up anything that uses some current, like an external spot light. Then measure the voltage with your dmm. If it stays above 12.5v for at least few minutes, then the battery is good. If not, you have a battery that's not holding charge.
From reading your posts, it sounds like the car's not getting any power.
When the car doesn't start, can you at least turn on your headlights? That should be a big clue.
 

Gold Member
Username: Van_man

Boston South, MA

Post Number: 3174
Registered: Mar-06
If every thing was dead, Check your bat ground wire.
A simple test, when it is dead, turn on the lights, Then use a short thick wire, 8awg or less, Or Jumper caples, and connect to bat ground and a ground spot near the alt/moter. If the lights come on, then its a bad ground.
Also the Pos connection on the alt may be loose, weak. Try using the jumper cables to jump that connection, if possible, if the ground jump doesnt work. It shouldnt be that hard to figure out with a dmm.
 

Gold Member
Username: Jtown

Team Revolution, Texas

Post Number: 1171
Registered: Mar-07
it was a bad ground at the amp...suprisingly. that should not have mattered though, I grounded it basically in a "twin" like spot as where it was grounded before. it occured to me that I had recently relocated the ground at the amp, so I disconnected the amp completely, and after a few minutes of charging the engine started. I let it sit til this morning and it's back to normal. looks like I'll have to modify my amp mount so that it will reach it's original ground location until I can get some new/longer wire.

thanks again for all the feedback guys.
 

Silver Member
Username: Zacdavis

Beloit, Wi

Post Number: 730
Registered: Dec-03
BUMPIMG THIS AND ALL THE OTHERS,
TO SHOW US HOW MANY OT AND FS TOPICS CLUSTER UP OUR SUBWOOFER SECTION ON A DAILY BASIS
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