dying starter? or what...

[maxslomoff]

the other day i drove my aunt to the airport and it was raining hard.

i parked the car in doors and returned after 2 hours. it would not start. i thought to jump it so i tried that. it wouldn't start. i tried it again with a different car, and it wouldn't start.

then i called for help and realised that the dash lights were coming on but it wasn't trying to turn over. the car was totally silent.

while waiting for help, i went back to further investigate, i turned the car to the on position to examine what lights came on, then i tried turning it over and it fired right up!


what do you thing happend there? am i in danger of being stranded on the highway soon?

thanks,
max

[Hamfisted]

Hard to say. But how old is the battery? Terminals clean? If it happens again try and notice if the headlights are bright as normal or dim when you hit the starter. If they dim it's probably just the battery getting ready to crap out on you. If the battery is over 4 years old I would think about replacing it. If you replace it make sure you get a euro style battery with the vent connection for your vent tube, and it should exit out the bottom of the rear wheelwell.




-Mike

[ebelizard]

im having the same problem with my car, so im anxious to see the problem. My fellow mechanic is going to look at my car on tuesday.....when i spoke to him he said it could be a number of things including the battery......its not just the starter that we could point our fingers to

[97alpineM3]

Sounds like a bad battery... connection wise...

If not that... the starter solenoid is going.

Good Luck... get a bentely manual to help walk you through some things if you have trouble... very helpeful.

Les

[PhatCat]

Originally Posted by 97alpineM3

If not that... the starter solenoid is going.

That's what I was thinking

[ebelizard]

JUST replaced the batter in mine today with a BOSCH. Started up and purred like a kitten.

[maxslomoff]

hey guys,
thanks for all your reply's.

so it was raining agian hard the past few days and the car's been driving ok.
but last night it wouldn't start agian. same problem.

it did seem to be something wrong with the battery connection - but after i tightened that down, the problem persisted:

i would turn the car to on and the dash lights would turn on. then, i would turn the key to start the car and everything would go dead and it sounded as if there was some kind of short. no turn over sound, no nothing. i would turn the key off. try again. and the same thing happend, the dash lights would go on, but upon starting the whole car would short out.

what do you think about that?

thanks,
max

[PhatCat]

I think rats haved chewed your wiring.

[BImmerN2B]

That Happened To Me Even After I Bought A New Battery, Seems That The Connections In The Starter Were Loose. After That Was Repaired, Then It Was All Good, Start There.