97 SL2 wont start, even with jump

For the last 2 months or so it's been taking longer and longer for the
engine to turn over. I have to leave it in park for a little while for the
engine to idle stedily. If I put it in reverse to soon it will stop. But
now it wont start even with a jump. But with a jump the stereo plays and
the fuel gauge works. Otherwise it just clicks. Please help!
thanks!

-Oh and I had a new alternator put in a year ago

 

I'd check the battery and all connections (including grounds).

 

cables and battery look good. If I keep the key half turned, wanit a
minute, then try im it gets closer to starting. Now it just makes a buzz.
But with a Jump it almost starts. HELP. Thanks!

 

Sounds like a bad shorted battery. Disconnect your car battery and use jumpers
directly to the cables, eliminating your battery in the system. If it starts,
do NOT disconnect the jumper until you turn off the engine.

If it starts, go buy a new battery. If it don't start, look for a bad
connection or defective starter/solenoid.

James

 

sounds like a bad battery or alternator.
if its getting power from a jump there is no bad connection.
New alternator about $140
Good luck,
matt

 

When you have an electrical problem it is difficult to troubleshoot without
a multimeter. With a meter you can start isolating things eliminating one
thing after the other until you find then cause of the problem. A digital
meter is very inexpensive these days (about $20) and it could save you
hundreds of dollars in parts while you play the guessing game. A fully
charged battery should measures about 12.8volts. So if you are having
problem starting the car you can use the meter to measure the battery
voltage before starting the car. If the voltage is lower then 12.8V then it
could be the battery is too weak to turn the motor over. When the car is
running the alternator is used to maintain the battery charged for the next
time it is needed to start the car. You say you installed a new alternator a
year ago but how do you know it is working today. To do a quick check you
take your meter again and measure the voltage across the battery posts with
the motor running and if the alternator is working you should measure
approximately 13.5 volts or at least more then 12.8volts or what you
measured in standby. If you measure less then the standby voltage then the
alternator is not working (usually the regulator inside the alternator
shorts out). If the battery and the alternator check good the next thing
you check is the starter. When you turn the ignition switch you provide
power to the starter relay (that is the little clicking sound you hear). The
relay provides power to the solenoid which pushes the drive gear towards the
motor's flywheel to turn the motor and at the same time closes the contacts
inside the motor which provide power to the starter windings. If you hear
just a click and the starter does not turn then it is possible the contacts
are worn out and have to be changed. or the starter has to be replaced. When
you are having problems in the future then you can be more specific by
stating the measurements and results that you have made and then people can
help you better. Right now you are not providing any meaningful information
for anyone to help you diagnose the problem. Hope this helps.
Alex

 

Just to clarify what James wrote -
A car battery serves to limit temporary surges that can occur when an
alternator goes from high load to low load. Without the battery in circuit,
as in a disconnected battery and a jump start from a remote battery, if the
cables are disconnected while the engine is running, there is no ballasting
action. In this case the alternator can put out bursts of high voltage
enough to fry all the vehicle electronics.

In a similar case, a completely discharged battery has a high internal
impedance and may not properly ballast the alternator until 5 minutes or so
of charging. As a precaution, if the dome light is not even a glimmer, I
leave the jumper cables on for 5 minutes before starting the engine just to
make sure that the battery impedance has normalized. A battery with any
decent amount of charge has a low impedance (which is good and allows a high
current to flow in and out).

_________________
| Sounds like a bad shorted battery. Disconnect your car battery and use
jumpers
| directly to the cables, eliminating your battery in the system. If it
starts,
| do NOT disconnect the jumper until you turn off the engine.
|
| If it starts, go buy a new battery. If it don't start, look for a bad
| connection or defective starter/solenoid.
|
| James