88.B.5.0

1988 5.0 5spd all stock, I crank the car too turn it on it does as if battery is dead but its a bran new battery then it makes a bunch of clicking noises im a rookie and dont know much any info on what it could be would help thx.

ponyponer

try the alternator.

FoxGT

It's definitely NOT the alternator. Jump a wire from the starter solenoid positive (where the battery cable bolts onto) to the small threaded post on the solenoid (you may have to take the old wire off to get to it) The wire used to jump the two doesn't have to be thick, it can be 20 gauge wire (very small)

If the car starts the wiring problem is inside the car.
If it clicks alot when trying this way you have a bad solenoid or the solenoid isn't grounded well. (the metal plate on the back of the solenoid is the grounding plate)

Let us know what happens when you try that.

btw: Make very well sure the car is in neutral when doing this the car has potential to move if it works.

FivePointOhh

i love disclaimers...

88.B.5.0

well we took the battery to advanced all it needed was to get charged back up i did not leave nothing on inside the car and shut off a my lights and closed doors nothing was on and the batt. went dead any ideas on what could cause that??

mjr46

[sm=chairshot.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif][sm=icon_rofl.gif]uhh no^^^^^^^.........anyway if your battery went deads on it's own first you need to verify if there is a parasitic drain on the battery and to check for such you need a multimeter set to amps and hook it inline with the neg battery terminal to post and there should be no more than 25-50 milliamp draw on system at rest..if there is more then you'll need to pull fuses until the draw is removed and then that'll be the circuit on which the draw is and fro there you'll have to trace the circuit down to a shorted component ... but doors and hood light must remain shut /hood light off to not skew meter reading while pulling fuses/checking for a draw

ponyponer

what? i've had the same problem as he explained, and it turned out to be an alternator. it kept draining the battery, and it would click. then again it did a similar thing when my starter solenoid went. the reason i assumed alternator was he said it started as if the battery was dead. if someone told me that or if that happened to me and the battery was new the first thing i would troubleshoot would be the alternator.

Joel5.0

.... don't take this the wrong way, but one problem is not automatically transferable to the same symptom all the time. I've worked my share of drained battery problems, and there are several possibilities that will cause it. You're right about a faulty alternator as one of those possible causes, but he needs to ID what is causing the parasitic drain first, something as simple as leaving the dome light on would also drain the battery....... BTSTDT with my junk as well......

ponyponer

definitely. there is nothing set in stone. when my solenoid went for the starter it just wouldn't even start to crank. i took out a meter, and tracked it down to the solenoid. i bought a cheap $7 one. plugged it in, and no more problems.

FoxGT

Do you have anything wired straight to the positive side of the battery?
Or perhaps ran something off of a 12v source from the back of the fuse box, ignition, or tapped into the fuel pump feed wire? If the engine relay is off it's going to be something ran off of a keep alive 12v & constant ground.

You can trace it with an ohm meter pretty easy, but you may have to take your dash off, then again you might not. Any way you can get an ohm meter? If you can I can help walk you through it.


btw, if you haven't given the battery a chance to charge fully it's not going to want to start after sitting for a while.
hey you never know