Ignition/Starting-Help

[77BroncoSport]

I have had a hit and miss issue over the past several months with the starting. Moving the cables on the silonoid and it would start. Its been acting up more-almost every day. I replaced the silonoid today and no luck getting it started. I hooked up the battery charger and and no response charging and shake the positive cable on the positive battery post and it starts charging, remove the charger, nothing.

Could I have a bad postive battery cable? Any other insight?

 

[Jeepster]

get a meter and check your wires for voltage drop or short. Clean all ends. Any other method is like driving with your eyes closed.

 

[brian72]

or a bad cable

 

[Smarty6]

check the ground wires too

 

[77BroncoSport]

The battery is holding a charge. Whats weird is when I put the charger on no power, shake the charging (positive) clamp and then power would come to life-I had the lights on. Pull the positive clamp off-dead. The battery isnt the issue so Im going clean and change out a few cables. Im going to change out the battery cables and clean everything tomorrow.

 

[Jeepster]

Again, I will point out that not metering your cables to know for sure whats going on is employing the practice of "throwing parts at a problem" A meter can be had for cheap and has many uses, let alone pay for itself and other better needed items.

I know I kinda find great satisfaction in knowing exactly what the problem was and hate changing something that wasn't the problem.

 

[Ryan4130]

I once shut my bronco off at a gas pump and when I went to leave, it was dead. Lights and stuff would work, but even with a jump, it was a no start. I went and tested my battery the next day, and the second you would put a load on it, the voltage dropped to zero. Bad battery, and it was still fairly new. Are you sure the battery is good?

 

[Skiddy]

Sounds like you have a bad battery to me.

 

[77BroncoSport]

Well, after checking my grounds, battery, wiring, changing out the silonoid and banging my head against the wall, I think I figured it out. LOOSE POSITVE BATTERY CABLE!! WTF!! Skipping the basics steps of checking the cleaning the battery posts would have resolved it in a minute. My charger was juicing the car immediately and take the charger off, turn on the ignition and click, click, click. No power, removed and cleaned the positve, back in business.

After getting food poisoning Saturday night and getting somewhat back to normal today and just resolving the issue, I'll still take an electrical issue over food poisoning any day of the week. :-X

Thanks for the insight and all is fine now.

 

[Jeepster]

"Working on electricity without a meter or a test light is like working blind"

Glad you figured it out.;D