Ok, it's a 90 model. The car will not crank.

So, I slow charged the battery and it read 14.6 volts. Before charging it read 12.7 volts. Replaced the negative cable because it was corroded and reinstalled the battery, but still won't start and still won't crank.

Before this happened, the car started to crank slowly over the last couple of days. The negative battery cable was also loose when I removed the battery.

The battery is about 5 months old, as is the alternator.

Did I just kill the battery? Was the battery not getting charged properly because the cables were loose? Any ideas.

 

Remove the starter & have it tested. But ofcourse have the battery load tested, also. I assume you have a DVOM attach it to the battery & see what it drop to while attemping to crank it. If it says something like 11-13V it is more than likely the starter. Because anything above 10 should at the very least crank the car.

 

ya mein, benchtest the starter, most likely, your solenoid isn't popping in the starter or your starting motor is just dead. Either way replace. If still not, check the ignition switch side to see if there is power and ground.

 

The chilton manual is no help. I see the starter. Is the starter just that small thing or is a larger assembly, like the size of the alternator. From the angle I'm looking at it, I can't tell if its just that small part that the positive cable connects to...or is that just the solenoid.

I tested the battery again, its again reading 12.6, 12.1 with the stereo. When I try to start, the stereo and fan shuts off.

Makes me think its the battery.

 

Check your fuses with a fuse tester

 

the starter kinda looks like a oversized duracell battery with another smaller duracell lookin battery attached to it. That smaller part should be the solenoid. They both are linked as one unit, so you can't fix it if one thing is bad. There should be a big *** cable goign to it, that would be the power.

 

If you want to check your battery to see if its still good, check the electroyte level by using a lil squeeze action turkey baister called a hydrometer. Just remove the vent caps from the top (thats if its not a maintenence free battery) and check all the little holes to see if its in spec. If you see that it isnt in good spec, add distilled water. I'm sure that battery is still salvageable if you say its still got voltage. Anything above 9.6 volts is still a good battery man. It could be your starter or your ignition switch.

 

ehm.... I think you should put the battery back to the car and then tighten all the cables, and try to start again! make sure cable is sitting and tighting properly!

 

Hydrometer testing showed that the battery was in fair condition.

All fuses are in tact. Does this leave me with the starter left to check.

 

it sure dizzle (does).

battery is fair condition. Did you perhaps check to see if there is corrosion in your positive cable? You did say you only replaced the negative cable cuz of internal corrosion.

So it only clicks huh?...lets see, did you check to see if there is even power goign to the starter motor? Corrision could be playing devil again somewhere on your positive cable or farther in your negative cables. Hopefully you replaced your negative cable properly. Then again...there is this mystery to be checked as well...a faulty ignition switch...

"I tested the battery again, its again reading 12.6, 12.1 with the stereo. "When I try to start, the stereo and fan shuts off. "

I'm just trying to theorize what other problems could be, besides the battery.

 

I find it kind of strange the stereo and fun shut off when starting, but the electrolyte and volt readings are fairly decent on the battery.

Before I did the electrolyte test, I was sure it had to be the battery, based on the above symptons.

The negative battery cable was replaced with a new one. But the new one doesn't have the ground to the battery tray. The one I removed attached to the battery tray and then grounded near the intake manifold. The new cable just ground to the motor. Does this make a difference?

The positve cable seems to be in good shape though.

 

Like I said. Try to crank your car & observe the readings. A dead starter will drain the battery like hell. In return making everything go very dim if not shut off completely.