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96 Cavalier Z24 not starting

Hi all,

The car hasn't been used allot this summer. Sometimes just once or twice a week but always ran fine. It wouldn't start one morning so I boosted it with my other car and all was well until I shut it off and tried to restart it. Had a friend look at it in the driveway and assured me it was the battery.

So I bought a new battery and put it in. Problem solved. I drove the car every other day for a week and then didn't use the car anymore for about a week. Now it won't start again.

I guess my buddy was wrong. Only problem is I can't even boost it anymore to get it to a garage. With the booster cables hooked up it will turn over for a second and then nothing.

Somebody suggested leaving the cables on for 15 or 20 minutes before trying. Is that hard on the battery in the car that's doing the boosting?

Thanks, Sherman

Reply to
Roweshe
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First, clean your battery cables and terminals, both at the battery end and at the starter end if needed. Some of those GM multicable side terminal jobs are bad about getting corroded UNDER the rubber terminal cover. They can be slipped off and cleaned too.

Connect the two cars together, positive terminal to positive terminal, and metal chassis ground to metal chassis ground. Have the key OFF in the dead car. Start the donor car, and let it run for a while to put a precharge on your dead battery. Then attempt to start the dead car with the donor car still running.

This will help avoid surges which can take out the donor car alternator.

If you can find a cheap 6-8 amp 12v charger at Walmart or such, maybe you would be well off to buy it. Leave it on the car overnight and try to start it the next day. You may need it again.

Once you get it charged and running, you need to see if the electrical system is draining your battery when the car is turned off. Lights staying on when they should turn off, hung relays, etc can cause unusually high electrical drain, and you'll have to find out why the car is acting up or the problem will drive you nuts. Could even be a shorted diode in the alternator.

Reply to
<HLS

Sounds like your alternator has been toast for a while now.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Mackie

Hey,

Thanks for the replies. Letting the dead battery charge for a few minutes before trying it worked great. At least I can get it to a garage now and like you said find out what's draining the battery.

Thanks again. Sherman

Reply to
Roweshe

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