Help needed! 1974 firebird problem

Hi everyone ... need some help with my 1974 firebird. Ok here is the deal. My car had been parked in my garage for several months without being started because I was out of the state. I come back and try to start her up and she does not budge. I figure it's the battery from sitting so long without being cranked up. I charge it for over an hour and she finally cranks up. I pull it out of the garage to find the hose has come loose from the radiator and all the water had drained out. So we fixed that and let her sit overnight in the drive until I could get around to it again. I try to crank her the next day and she is dead again. I take the battery off and get a new one from o'reilly. I put the new battery on. I have lights and all before I start it. I crank it and it does not crank and I loose all power. No lights ...nothing. Since it is a brand new battery, could it be the wiring to the battery, the ignition or the alternator or what? I don't have a clue what to do now. If anyone could help me I would be so thankful.

Michele

Reply to
Miss heidi
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Check the wires on your starter/solenoid. Especially the small one which is actually a fuse that is made to burn in two if something draws too much juice. It may also be a loose or corroded wire on the solenoid or battery and it could be a bad ground wire at the battery or a bad ground on the engine block. You may have to put a wrench on each of these connections to find the fault. Good Luck.

Reply to
jbrainey

It still could be the battery or it might be undersized for your car. If you have a voltmeter the voltage should never drop below 9V at the battery terminals. I have had a lot of trouble with new batteries going into my 1976 TA and not having the potential to operate the starter. A rough way to check the battery is to put a light bulb across the battery while someone cracks it over. The light should dim but stay lit.

If this all seems to be ok, use the voltmeter to trace the voltage loss. Also consider the grounds. I had a bad connection to the engine block on mine.

Good luck.

Bill

Reply to
Starhop1

Since I have never had any issues with the battery before this incident is it still likely that it could be the battery? When I looked at it today it seemed that the positive connection was a little loose so maybe this is it. If not, I do not have a voltmeter. Can I just grab one at my nearest auto store? I will pick one up if I can and try that. Thank you for your help ... I don't know much about cars (although I love classics) because my dad is the mechanic who works on mine normally but he moved out of state so I am lost when something goes wrong with my cars now. Thank you!

Michele

Reply to
Miss heidi

I am going to check all the connections tomorrow and see what I can figure out ... just because I don't know though what will happen when I put a wrench to the connections? What is supposed to happen I guess is the better question. You guys are great thank you so much. Michele

Reply to
Miss heidi

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