Op have you tried checking your Neutral Safety Switch, i.e. clutch switch?

 

Sorry if I am stealing the OPs thread lol.....if this is for me, my neutral safety switch in not connected.

 

What is the voltage from starter +terminal to engine ground during "key turn-crank"?

 

The neutral safety switch has been unplugged for a while, so that was not the issue.

The constant 12v post on the starter was getting like 8v I think. Thats most likely due to a poor ground cable to the battery negative terminal. That will also be fixed before trying to start the car again.

 

Little update on this (finally). I ended up replacing the ignition switch and the starter, but the car still wouldn't start. So yesterday I decide to try and read from the ecu to see if something is wrong, like maybe the immobilizer code got messed up. Unfortunately the battery was left plugged in and it has been very cold here, so the car had no power. So I decided to jump it with my truck, just to read the ecu. Well, I decided to try and start it and see what happens. Low and behold she fired right up! Took off the jumper cables and it was running fine. I let it get to operating temps, turned it off then tried to turn it on again. No dice, same issue. The car has power until you try to start it, then it goes dead.

I'm thinking this might be a bad ground issue? This would explain why I was getting less than 12v at the starter. I put in a new ground cable, but maybe the grounding point is not great? Maybe I should ground the battery to another spot? Thoughts? Help? I'm horrible with electrical stuff.

 

Until you turn the key you should be reading very close to or the same voltage at the starter as you read across the battery. So, yeah, I think you are right.

The main ground for the engine is on an engine to transaxle bolt, top front. There are a couple of others including one manifold to firewall. The manifold to firewall ground tends to fry if the main ground is loose or corroded and takes the wiring loom there with it.

Also make sure your battery cables and cable connections are shiny and happy as well as the main connection at the starter. A bit of sandpaper here is your friend.

Then again maybe your battery is toast. Just because it has voltage doesn't mean it can supply power. If you haven't, pull it and take it to an auto parts store for testing.

 

I've taken the battery to the parts store for testing, and it read 630 CCA before putting it on the tender or charger...whatever they have at the parts store.

Can you point out where that ground is that goes from engine to trans? I don't think I removed it when pulling the head, but I'd like to just make sure. I know the ground from manifold to firewall is there.

And isn't there a ground point where the wiring that goes to the negative battery post is bolted to the chassis? Or is that not a good ground? And I ask because the ring terminal for that wiring that goes to the negative post broke, so I purchased a new 2 gauge ground cable that attaches to the negative post and the bolt in the chassis right near the battery where the wiring harness is also attached. Sorry if that explanation doesn't make sense, I wasn't sure how else to phrase it.

 

You would have removed the ground on the bell housing bolt if you ever did a clutch. Looking from the driver's side fender it is upper left on the bell housing. But you are not going to see it, it is buried. Also, I don't know if the ground to the body is sufficiently large (meaning I don't time now to stop and figure it out). Lots of things ground to the body.

 

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense. I know I didn't remove that bolt on the trans for ground. I think I just need to find a better ground spot for the negative battery terminal wire. At least I'm fairly confident that's it. I wish I wasn't such a dummy when it comes to electrical.

 

Just an update, I'm moved in to the Chicago land area and now can revisit this issue as I'd like to drive it again. I searched the car for disconnected or poorly connected wires or ground. I couldn't find the ground cable on the transaxle as mentioned above, but I know I did not remove that. I see the ground strap from manifold to firewall and the ground point near the battery. All of which seem fine to me. Battery terminals and connectors were cleaned off. Battery reads just over 12v on the posts, but I didn't know what else to measure.

I tried to start it again, but like before when moving the key to the start position, everything dies. I hooked up a jump box to try and start it to move it to the garage and when I put the key in the start position, I got clicking noises. I don't know if that helps anything, but just throwing that info out there.

I also am looking into some local shops to see if I can just bring it somewhere to get fixed since I don't know what to do, dont' have time or space to really work on it, and its damn cold up here!

 

I had a similar issue one time. I am running a mini battery and when i left it connected in the car for too long without starting it ended up completely killing the battery. I was able to jump it and it ran fine but as soon as i shut it off it wouldn't start. I had to buy a new battery and it was good. I would test with a known good battery.

As for the other guy that posted i would also check the little connector on the starter. Those sometimes like to loosen themselves up and give you starting issues. trying wiggling it around and see if you can get it to start.

I recently has a starting issues where it didn't want to start at all. I would get fuel and hear a click but that was it. Did not want to turn over at all. Took the starter off and got it tested at auto zone. They tested it and it cranked right over. I believe the starter had somehow got seized a little and needed that powerful check to knock it loose. Haven't had an issue since. Just my 2 cents.

 

Also i forgot to mention but right now i don't have the ground on the ground cable that connects to the battery grounded. I know thats weird to read. I haven't hooked it up yet but the car still starts right up without issue. I have had batteries read good on machines at auto parts stores and pass but still end up being bad.

 

Thanks, but the starter was replaced as I originally thought that was the issue.

I attempted to check and see if something is drawing amps, so I disconnected the negative terminal and put the voltmeter in between in series to read amps being drawn. I read about 3 amps. So I started pulling fuses under the hood, no change. I grabbed my fiance to help watch the readings as I pulled fuses in the car. When she came out, I put the voltmeter back on, and it read 0.00. I couldn't get a reading at all?! So I tried to start it and still nothing, but now I have zero idea. The fiance said when I went to start it she saw a spark of some sort on the positive terminal.

Thoughts?!

 

Hey guys, I finally resolved my issue and wanted to post the results. Long story short, a friend of mine suggested the terminals on the positive or ground leads were not tight enough on the battery post. The ground cable is new, so I ended up replacing the terminal on the positive lead (keeping the fuse box thing from the factory), tightened both terminals down, and boom, started right up.