hkerns503 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 This has been going on for about 2 months and its worsening. Sometimes it starts right up. Other times it clicks.. then makes noise like its starting but doesn't. Sometimes I turn the key and nothing happens. This can all happen within a 5 min period. The first week or two the neg terminal was loose and I would screw with it and sometimes that seemed to help. Took it to local advance auto and had the battery/starter/altenator output analyzed and everything checked normal. Guy tightened - terminal and seemed ok for a cpl days. It really seems bad.. today it just kept turnin nd wouldn't start.. guy tryed to jump me.. nothing. Then 5 minutes later it just starts up. We did notice neg wire that leads to ground wasn't in the clamp. So I came home took wires out (corroded) and scrubbed it off with a toothbrush. Hooked back up and still 4/10 starts were the same deal.. the - terminal is moveable again but tighter than other times in the past. Oh forgot sometimes it makes a spinning noise.. like a bike tire type sound. Any ideas?? Only other thing to note is my altenator belt blew to shreds after my transmission was replaced. Dad replaced it and adjusted the tension. Could it maybe be part of the issue. I am lost. I'm a woman and don't know much other than what I look up myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Does the engine turn over when you are having problems starting the car or do you just hear a click? Is there any consistency when the problem happens, for example do you only have problems when the engine is cold and the car has sat over night or during the day? Or does it happen whether the engine is cold or hot? Your answers above should help us is narrowing down where to look. Additionally, if the battery terminals are not tight, that could be contributing to the problem. If they won't tighten around the battery posts, you may need to replace the connectors. It may seem kind of ghetto, but using a small screw in between the battery post and connector can help and allow you to fully tighten the battery terminals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkerns503 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 Usually its a combo of turning over and clicks when this happens.. each time I turn the key I never know what to expect. There are times when it makes the spinning sound and other times nothing happens (though not as frequent) Sometimes it happens first thing in the morning when I'm driving my son to the bus stop.. it also happens once the car is warmed up like if I stop at the store. That probably makes it harder to narrow down? Also positive terminal is tight but the negative does have some play. If it was neg terminal related wouldn't it have taken a jump still? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 The factor clamps do stretch out and dont fit right after so long. For the positive side, the clamp is held on to the wire by a 12mm nut. I like to replace them with brass marine battery terminals witht he wing nut. You will have to modify the negative wire (crimp on an eyelet) to use the marine terminal. The nice thing with this is you can disconnect the battery by the wingnut instead of compromising the clamps. I would agree that the terminals are just worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkerns503 Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 So you think that all of these issues are caused by the terminals?? It will be fine once I fix terminals? That would be great! What is a factor clamp? Where do I find a marine terminal? And could u better explain the crimping/eyelet thing? Does this mean I replace the whole wire.. or just the clamp that tightens to post? Ty for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 So you think that all of these issues are caused by the terminals?? It will be fine once I fix terminals? That would be great! 1. What is a factor clamp? 2. Where do I find a marine terminal? And could u better explain the crimping/eyelet thing? 3. Does this mean I replace the whole wire.. or just the clamp that tightens to post? Ty for the help! 1. Small typo - he meant factory clamps. 2. Marine terminals can be found at any place that sells boats/boating supplies. 3. If the battery cable is corroded, it would be best to replace the whole cable - corrosion causes resistance = hard starts. It can also be much deeper into the cable than just on the visible ends If the battery cable is in good shape, all you would need to do is get an eyelet that crimps on to the end of the cable - it would need to be one large enough to fit the battery cable however, and the appropriate size can be a bit more difficult to find. If you decide to replace the negative cable, get one that has factory eyelets on both ends - then it will be easy to install the marine style clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 The marine terminals will be anywhere you can buy a battery, such as wal mart or autozone and the like. It would be best to start with the battery terminals to eliminate that as a possibility if the symptoms continue leading to the cause. And it is best for the overall longevity of the car. And witht he marine terminal, you can at lest use the positive side without modification if you can undo the 12mm nut, and a pair of vise grips to hold it for leverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkerns503 Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 Didn't make it for the terminals yet.. car did something new this morn.. When I turned the key over the lights came on but no sound (clicks etc) so I get out and move the - terminal around and try again and nothing. Then I think back to a forum message when I looked up starting touble (can't find it now) where the guy said his wife had to hold the gas pedal down to start. So I pumped the gas a cpl times and it turned over a lil.. pumped it a cpl more times and it started after a cpl turns.. drove my son down our road to the bus stop and the car sounds like spoob. Loud and rough. It almost sounded like a big diesel truck idleing when it was in park.. but the rpms weren't moving.. sounded like this the whole 5 min we waited. Then coming back up the road the car sounded really loud and wouldn't go past 5-10mph. Once I pulled in the driveway and restarted it sounded 100% fine. Went back down the hill and up without any issues. Does this make sense to anybody? Can't remember what that guy did because it didn't relate to my problem at the time. Thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkerns503 Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 No ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I think it would be good to start with the suggestions around the battery terminals. I can't say that they caused your most recent issue, but usually when you try and troubleshoot something, if you identify a problem, you should fix that, see if it fixes the problem, if not, continue troubleshooting until you find the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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