sbx213

Im having problems starting the car up. I have changed almost everything and its still giving me problems. I always have to jump start the car. And sometimes that doesnt work. Today we had to push start it down the block. I just installed a new ground cable for the battery. I took my car to a mechanic this morning. They fully charged my battery and started the car. Another thing is my car will start when the battery is full but then it will die out quickly. He tested my alternator and said its good. !??! For some reason the battery dies quickly but will always have enough juice to keep the lights, radio, and other accessories on. !?!?!?!? My battery is only 1 week old and its already dead...

I have installed:
140amp alternator (1 week old)
new battery (1 weeks old)
new battery cables (2 days old)
starter (1 month old)
solenoid (1 week old)

Mechanic said I should change my battery. He said I should get a 900 CA. I dont know if that will solve the problem since I know my friend has a 88 lx with a 700 Cranking amps battery. He said if that doesnt solve the problem I should change my starter. My starter is less than a month old but watever. Like i said for some reason my battery dies quickly. Im getting frustrated with this. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

88blackgt

take your battery to an auto parts store and see if its good. if its good, you may have a draw on the battery when the car is off. another place to check is grounds. also you can take your starter in to get it checked for free too.

2 kwik

well you have a possible open curcuit....now a flat spot in the bendix on the starter will do what your saying as it needs more juice to start because of the extra clearnace....I had a starter one time would start my truck and work fine and when I put it in gear it would engauge and run til I turned the car off....they tested it and it popped the breaker for the whole store... now that's a major short....also check your alt wires see if car is charging while it runs

sbx213

I guess i'll have to get the starter checked even tho i doubt thats the problem. thanks for the replies.

Creetan

Remember just cause a part is new doesn't mean it can't be bad. I have got bad parts from the auto parts several times.

Blckstng93

Check the ground strp to the engine to. That gets overlooked a lot.

sbx213

Ill check that piece asap tho. Another thing, sometimes the starter wire going to the solenoid gets hot and smokes a bit if i hold the key too long.

Blckstng93

Wires shouldnt do that lol. If its smoking too much current is going thru it. A fuse shouldve blown or a link shouldve melted stopping the current. Thats an accident just waiting to happen. Replace it.

gspfunk

If you let the smoke out of a wire or 2, you may want to replace them. Some of them have fusible links that could have blown.

I'm having similar problems w/ mine... I want to get my battery tested b/c I don't think it's holding a charge. I ran my grounds from the battery to the block and from there to the chassis just to make sure it was all grounded really well. Mine is dead if I don't start it everyday.

06YellowGT

some advice about CCA:

CCA is largely a marketing tool for battery sales. Buying a higher CCA then what is recommended for your Mustang should not be necessary, unless you have mods on it which make the vehicle harder to start.

A battery with a higher CCA does not mean a bettery battery, and may not even last as long as one with a lower CCA. (higher CCA=more lead, more lead=less acid, less acid=shorter life)

Just as what was mentioned about new auto parts being bad, the battery tester is not 100% either. Even a battery which tests out "good" may not be. Buying a battery which is "fresh," or recently manufactured (if you don't want to look at date codes, going to a store which sells many batteries is the best idea) is the safest path.

If you have the ability, measure the battery voltage, make sure it's above 12.6 or so, and remove it, or detach the negative cable. If the battery goes dead.... it's not the vehicle, it's the battery.

good luck!