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Hi,
Following a successful electric fan controller with a relay (many thanks to all helpers on the forum!) my car has been having a few starting issues:
1.The engine turns over but the car will not start by itself, if i use jumper cables it starts, doesn’t run smoothly for 2-3 seconds and then runs perfect.
2. If i try starting it with no cables and push the gas pedal a bit it almost starts and even managed to start it a few times like that.
3.Tried charging the battery with a battery charger but the result is the same.
4.Battery is 2 yrs old, car runs once a week so it didn’t have an easy life.
5.Tested it for voltage and it always shows ~12.3V.Do these symptoms point towards a bad battery? Is there any DIY test i can do before replacing the battery?
Thanks!
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Well the battery is probably fine. Off: the battery should be around 12. On: the battery should be 13 something at the terminals.
It sounds like some kind of relay or fueling issue. Try checking the fuel pressure.
It would help if we had the year, make, model, and mileage.Thanks for the reply,
I’ll try starting it with the relay i just installed disconnected , maybe it draws allot of power on startup?
If it was a fueling issue, why would the car start OK with jumper cables?
Car is a 1995 Nissan 240sx, approximately 125K miles.
The relay might not be getting enough power (because it’s worn out) to kick the fuel pump on. Hook a fuel pressure gauge up to the fuel rail and have someone try to start it while you watch it. The fuel pressure should be around 30 something while off and jump up to around 50 as soon as the key is turned. It should stay around 50 the whole time you’re trying to start it.
If you don’t see these readings you may want to start hunting around with a multimeter.The relay i installed is only controlling an electric fan which is not active on start up (car is too cold),
I only thought it could draw too much power from the battery to cause trouble…
If it was a fueling issue and not an electrical one wouldn’t it still cause problems when the car is started with jumper cables?
Thanks!I’m talking about the fuel pump relay. I believe it’s a green or yellow relay in the engine compartment fuse box. You can try unhooking the relay you put in, since the problem started shortly after installing it, but the battery sounds like it has full charge.
Rent/borrow/buy a fuel pressure gauge and check the fuel pressure. You can try to listen for the fuel pump when you turn the key, but that isn’t a reliable test.
Do you have a check engine light when the engine is running?Fuel pump is a walbro so its pretty loud and i can hear it on with the switch on.
No check engine light when the car is running, just a battery light turned on for the first 2 seconds of it running.
Sorry for being naggy about it but how can any fuelling problem be solved with attaching jumper cables to the car? that’s what led me to believe its a battery / electrical issue to begin with…If the relay is worn, the extra (voltage) pressure can kick it in the ass and get it working. Normally when you start the car the starter drops the system voltage and a worn relay may not get enough voltage to trip.
Since you hear the pump this is probably not the case though.
Since it’s a ’95 (OBD1) we aren’t going to be able to use the OBD system for diag.
The next place to look should be your distributor:
Try pulling a spark plug, plug the wire into it, lay it on a piece of grounded metal, have someone crank the engine, and see if you have spark.
If you don’t have spark you’re going to have to check the leads going to the distributor.Hello 🙂 Have you try another well known good battery?
I just fix a Hyundai With crank no start.. it had spark and fires injector.. battery had 12.4 volt, but when crank it drop to ca. 8.5 volt.
i charge it a few hour, but no help.. i try another battery and it started right away..
so over 12 v on battery, dont mean that battery good..
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