Wont start/anything 18RC -

[toylica]

Hey guys.

I have a little problem regarding my 76' celica.

I tried to start the engine when the wipers & cd player were on. Cranked a little. Click.... and stop......... no lights - no cranking - no nothing.........

Now... i assume it would just be a fuse?.... my question be, where is the 'main' fuse... if there is one?


thanks


Dave

[maurice c]

Hopeing that there hasnt been any major mods to your electrical system first of all check you battery with a multimeter. You should be seeing 12.3-12.5 across the terminals. If you have this then check your battery clamps, are they clean and making good contact?

If both of these are good there is no main fuse on a 23 that i'm aware of check all the main cables for shorts and test the fuses in the fuse box with a test light.

[toylica]

hey - thanks for your reply.

Yep - tested voltage - got a regular reading.....

I ended up figuring out.... my battery had flattened through having my fan, headlights, CD, and windscreen wipers on at the same time. ( driving in pouring rain and fog with no demister.... great)

I would have realised this was the prob - except ... - it turned over healthily a few times? ... then suddenly went dead flat? so i think my battery is on its way out. On charge now - should be ready by tomorrow - good thing i was in the shed when i discovered this ... haha


Thanks


Dave

[toylica]

Accidentally repeated message....

[maurice c]

Some of your diodes are probly stuffed in your alternator, have it tested at an auto elec, they should do it for free and see what amps its giving out, then chuck it anyway and stick in a ea ford item. It gives heaps more amps and is cheap as chips to rebuild.

[allencr]

it turned over healthily a few times? ... then suddenly went dead flat? so i think my battery is on its way out. haha

'haha'

It's a chemical reaction for the electricity and those don't change suddenly unless they go BOOM, so a mechanical problem, a connection, is much more likely. Batteries just don't suddenly drain.
Wiggle the battery terminals first and see it's a clean bright tight contact or one that's dirty dull corroded & loose.

[o_man_ra23]

allen, I think you are just slightly off. There is a chemical reaction with the battery, it will store a certain amount of energy in the electrolyte which is quickly accessible (CCA rating of the battery) and then the chemical reaction needs to occur to build the energy back up in the electrolyte (RC rating). The output of the battery, especially when less than half charged, will drop off exponentially as the chemical reaction slows down.

I would go with Maurice's option, and also take your battery to Autobarn etc for a free "health check" to see if the battery has been hit badly by the lack of charge and is on it's way out.

Click stop is usually a symptom of a bad battery terminal connection. Hit both the terminal posts and the inside of the clamps with some rough emery paper (180 grit wet/dry should do it) and clamp it on tightly. You may be up for new clamps. If so, don't buy the cheap ones, they are worth their weight in dust.

[Hiro]

Remember, a battery that has dropped a cell can still give ~12V when no load is applied, but will die in the arse with AIDS when given a load (especially a big one like a starter motor). Which is why you can have lights/CD player on (not a huge load by battery standards) and running fine, but then you crank the starter and everything dies and the voltage will drop to ~5V or so, sometimes even less if the battery is really rooted.

Basically, if the battery voltage is dropping to less than 9V or so under the starter load, then it's either really flat or dropped a cell.