*DSM* Starter motor not going.

NYSpeed Automotive
1

So as most of you know I picked up this beautiful $500 Eagle Talon TSI.

Thing runs awesome… when it starts.(Bought the car knowing this)

Car info:
1995
Eagle
Talon
TSI AWD
Automatic
No mods.

Background:
I bought the car knowing it had this problem. Sometimes, the car does not even make a noise sometimes when you turn the key to start. The original owner put jumper cables up to it, messed with the terminals and the car started right up nothing funny. I figured it must have been the battery/Terminals. I cranked the shit out of the terminals on a new battery, and the problem persisted. So I took the starter motor out, had that tested and it passed with flying colors. I then put everything back together taking great care to clean the connections and make sure everything was where it needed to be.

Oddly enough, sometimes the motor just would crank over like a few times very very slowly. But the weird part is, sometimes I never get even a click, the lights on the dash don’t dim or anything.

So I hook up jumper cables assuming maybe my new battery is flattening out, and what do you know, after fucking with the terminals and what not, the car starts right up.

I take it for a ride, park it. Turn it off and then try to restart it. The car hesitates to turn the starter over but then it went full speed and started the car. I tried this about 3 times in a row and it worked every time.

I waited about 3 hours and go back out to the car, sit in it turn the car to the “on” position, all the lights on the dash are strong. I go to turn the car over and… Nothing. Not even a click!

I don’t know what gives, but It’s gotta be either the starter isn’t getting the signal it needs to draw enough power. Or that there is somehow a shitty connection between the starter motor and the battery(Hence explaining why jumping it will cause the car to work)I will admit the grounds between the battery, firewall, and starter look kind of rough.

Gimmie some ideas because now I don’t know where to start.

-Sobo

Gah every new car is a new adventure with a new problem. FML!

Thanks!

2

Could there be a draw on the battery when the car is off thats killing the battery after a period of time but you are able to jump it and go, and even re-start it right away after running because the alt was charging the batt while running?

just an idea

3

Actually you’re getting something because I just went out and tried to mess with the car some more and came to realize, the new battery is completely dead! Like no charge what so ever.

The alt keeps the thing up and running so now I just gotta figure out, whats causing the draw.

Any ideas? I really really am dumb when it comes to electric stuff, I’m completely stumped now!

Edit: Googles my friend. How to Find a Parasitic Battery Drain: 11 Steps (with Pictures)

Well, I gotta go to harbor freight anyways so It looks like I’m gonna get some new tools!

Same shit… different day

4

Check the ground connection from the battery at the firewall. Had something similar happen to me where it was corroded enough to give me starter problems. Clean it up and see what happens

5

EXACTLY!

I’ve had this same problem numerous times. Got 2500 knocked off of my first DSM because they couldn’t figure it out and this is all it was all the time. Check that ground thoroughly. Make a new wire for it, maybe 4ga. Sand the hell out of the area where the bolt goes to the firewall. The DSM engineers weren’t the brightest being they put grounds over top of paint which obviously isn’t too smart.

To be on the safe side, check and replace all of your grounds, even the ones from the alternator to the fusebox if you have time.

6

Well, yesterday I bought 2 multimeters from harbor frieght for $3 a piece. Glad I bought two.

Yesterday while learning to work the multimeter I discovered the car was drawing .8 amps completely turned off. When I went to check the miliamps I fried the first meter.

Today I used the second meter, put it on still reading a solid .8 amps completely off. So I removed my first fuse, the cabin lights fuse. The meter instantly dropped to .02 amps. Switched to miliamps, got a reading of 87 miliamps for a second or two, which then quickly dropped off to 31.5 miliamps. The safe zone!

I took all the grounds off, sanded the paint+connectors and reassembled.

Car started right up.

Hopefully my dash lights still work haha.

7

Glad to hear you got it all figured out. Figures its just a shitty ground that does it, pretty common.

8

So everything is good now?

9

Yeahhh. Once in a while it gives me issues but now shes all good.