Will not start?

Hi,

How quickly does the battery voltage drop when the jumper cables are disconnected? That doesn't sound like a starter or alternator. To me, it sounds like a somewhat large short.

Check the battery cables to make sure a mouse or something didn't damage the insulation on the positive battery cable. Also, pay attention to when you connect the battery. Do you hear anything or see any sparks?

Let me know.

Joe

Thanks for your response, Joe.
The battery voltage drops to 1V within five minutes of disconnecting the jumper.
When I connect the battery, I do hear some sparks, when I connect to the positive terminal.

Hi,

If it is draining that fast, you have a short at some point. You indicated you heard something spark. Don't laugh but connect the battery in the dark to see if you notice or see it.

Also, when you reconnect a battery, connect the positive first and then the negative.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

Hi Joe,

So, this is what I tried today:


On the suspicion that there might be a short somewhere, something could be drawing power. I checked all the switches inside and noticed the valet switch inside the glove box was left at on, so I turned it off. So, I charged the battery by jumping it to 12 V. Had all the doors closed, the control switched off. Disconnected the negative terminal of the battery and placed a multimeter in series to see if it was drawing any current. Reading was 0.01 on Amp scale. It makes me think I should rule that out.

Also, I checked the fuse box with multimeter for continuity and I noticed a few blown fuses.
Im going to pull out the starter relay tomorrow and check for continuity.
I have also noticed that my trunk doesn’t open, even with the key from outside.

Could it be that there is a faulty trunk switch that is continuously drawing power?

Is there anything else you suggest I should try out?

Thank you.

Hi,

Is the .01 in volts or millivolts? It should be approximately 50 to 80 millivolts. If you suspect a short, which makes sense, remove one fuse at a time in the under-hood fuse box until the draw stops.

If you do this, we can narrow down the circuit.

Let me know.

Joe

Hi Joe,
Here’s an update:

I repeated the test to see if there was a parasitic draw again by connecting ammeter in series. I recorded 76 mA with everything off and all doors closed. I also checked the fuses and starter relay by applying 12V and checking continuity with meter and they all turned out fine. So, I know electronics is ok.

Also, I disconnected the battery terminals to see if the battery continues to deplete without being connected to car. Its holding steady at 11.45 Volts, been an hour. I will go back and check again in few hours

Is 76 mA draw significant enough to suggest parasitic draw ?

What else can we try here ?

Thanks

Hi,

That is a little higher than I would like to see, but I wouldn't consider it a problem. As far as the battery, if it is at 11.45v disconnected, it needs to be charged or there is a problem with the battery itself. I would have it load-tested at a parts store to see if it passes.

Let me know.

Joe

I will try to charge the battery for a bit longer, to see if it can stay at 12V steady.

Also, I plugged the code scanner, and it popped up P1800 code - “Transmission Clutch Interlock safety switch circuit failure”. I googled it and it is related to VIAS solenoid.

Again, will this impede the engine from starting up?

We know now that there is no parasitic draw, all the fuses and relays are good. When jumped with other car I try to start the car , I hear the starter cranking which tells me starter motor is ok but just wont start the engine .

What else could be it ?

The vias solenoid and transmission interlock are not related. The code is specific to the VIAS valve. The VIAS solenoid controls the vacuum flow that operates the power valve inside the intake plenum. The vehicle will still run with a faulty one, but you would likely feel a difference in response and engine performance.

As far as the battery, let me know what you find.

Take care,

joe

Hi Joe,

Here’s an update:
I have put the new battery to charge with an external charger, but I think it's a bad battery. It won't go above 7 volts even with 12 hours of charging. It's a 6-amp charger.

But here’s what I tried:

I jumped the car leads directly with my other vehicle, bypassing battery completely. I had steady 14 volts at the car leads. I checked the voltage at the starter motor terminal, and it was 14 volts which tells me wiring is okay.
Dash got power and tried to start the engine. The starter cranks but the engine won't start.
I noticed that when I was trying to crank the engine it was recording 6 Volts at the starter terminal. Not sure if that is a concern.
I could hear the starter relay clicking too, all the fuses are good, and all the relays are good.

So, can we say now that the starter motor itself isn’t turning? And needs replacement? Or is there anything else we can try (like spark plug, ignition coil/switch etc.).

Also, I’m thinking it can’t be the alternator because we aren’t even reaching the stage of engine starting where it needs to take over to supply power to the car. I suspected that it could be the ECM relay, but I checked and it's working fine.

Hi,

It sounds like the new battery is faulty. For the engine to actually start, you should be seeing approximately 9.75v while cranking. Otherwise, the electronics won't properly function.

Since you were using jumpers, chances are the extended wiring length (jumper cables) are the reason why the voltage dropped that much.

Now, if the starter motor itself is not turning and it is getting power, that too can cause the low voltage reading when trying to crank it, so I would recommend removing the starter motor and having it bench tested at a parts store. Most will do it free of charge. Also, if you can't get the new battery above 7v, have them replace it as well.

Let me know what you find,

Joe

Thanks Joe. But if the starter is cranking when we turn the ignition on, does that still mean that starter motor could be faulty?
I mean is there any other permissive that are required to fire up the engine that might not be met that could cause the motor to not turn . I’m just asking cuz taking out the starter motor is a bit of work so I want to make sure it's not the spark plugs or anything else…

Thank you .

Hi,

I read that wrong. However, we need to determine if the starter is causing the voltage to drop that low when engaged.

When did you see it drop to 6v? How was the battery connected when that happened?

Joe

Battery wasn’t connected, was taken out of the car. I had gone directly to battery terminals with jumper cable with my other vehicle. The starter motor cranked but couldn’t get the engine to fire . Somehow we can’t get combustion to start I’m thinking.
Could that be spark plugs then or ignition coil ? It’s a 6 cylinder , Not sure how many spark plugs are needed to fire or if they are all bad .

Or is it still worth taking out the starter motor even if its cranking ?

Thanks , I appreciate you taking the time to respond .

Hi,

I would start with replacing the battery. Once that is done and the starter properly engages, we need to check if it is getting spark and fuel to the engine.

Here is what I need you to do after the battery is replaced. See if the engine starts if you use starter fluid. If it does and then stalls, we know we have a fuel-related issue. If there is no change, then we need to confirm there is spark to the spark plugs.

Here is a link that explains how to check:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-for-ignition-spark

Let me know if you are comfortable performing the test.

Take care,

joe