2000 Lumina not starting

[pgtechwriter]

My 2000 Lumina LX is simply not starting. I replaced the battery, and got one start from it, but after that, when the car stops, it won't start again. Sometimes the lights are on, but usually they will go away until the car is completely "dead" with no electrical at all. I had the alternator checked and it is giving the battery 14.5 volts. I even put the new battery on a charger overnight, and it still would not start without a jump start. Is it my bad luck in getting a Wal-Mart battery that doesn't work? or is this something completely different?

[logankelly]

you have a short or your connections are not tight on starter

[pgtechwriter]

The problem started last week, after a day of driving in a snow/ice storm. Could that have loosened the connection? Or colder than usual weather? I'm just confused as to why it would suddenly stop like this.

[pgtechwriter]

Thanks for the quick response, logankelly.
Anyone have any tips for finding a short? Maybe tighten everything & spray it with WD40? I can't find my Volt-Ohm meter, and even if I did, a monkey can usually work it better than me, so...
.... and my wife wants this (actually her car) fixed yesterday... HELP!

[nymorey]

Does the vehicle run after it is jump started? If you can jump it then the problem is most likely a bad battery or a bad connection at the battery
Did you clean the connectors (with wire brush) before you installed the new battery? I have had several vehicles that would not start because the connection was just oxidized enough so that it prevented enough current from getting to the starter.

[pgtechwriter]

I put the battery on a charger again, and it took all of a minute for the charger to say the batt is full. Didn't clean the connectors before installing it, though... and I'll be looking for loose wires later today. But how/why would the car start with a jump start? Electrical problems drive me nuts!

[nymorey]

Originally Posted by pgtechwriter

I put the battery on a charger again, and it took all of a minute for the charger to say the batt is full. Didn't clean the connectors before installing it, though... and I'll be looking for loose wires later today. But how/why would the car start with a jump start? Electrical problems drive me nuts!

When you put the jumper cables on your car, you effectively bypass your battery. The current required to turn the starter comes from the jumpers through the connections on your car (presumable the (+) is on the battery cable). Sooooo....If you are able to jump it then you can rule out anything downstream of the battery and probably have a connection on the battery terminal that is either loose or built up enough corrosion to form a high resistance (hence not enough current to the starter) or a bad battery. Make sure you clean the battery posts as well as the battery wire clamps, I use a rat tail file and wire brush. You need a clean connection surface

If you can't get it started by jumping it, then there is a problem further down the line.

[pgtechwriter]

Thanks everyone for the info! Well, I cleaned the battery terminals and connections (looked new-clean, but roughed them up with a wire brush anyway) and checked all the connections... all tight, at least the ones I could get to.

There is a space between one of the A/C metal pipes and engine block where the wires from the battery to the starter are squeezed in, so I pulled on these to get a better view-- and one of the wires was frayed enough to expose bare metal that had been touching the metal A/C pipe.
I wrapped it with elec tape and pulled the hard plastic covering far enough up to cover it, and turned the wires (the other was worn some, too) so they didn't touch each other or the metal A/C pipe (even with the plastic in between).

Gorilla'd the battery bolts tight, and the car starts and runs fine now. Started 9 times on its own, drove around the block, and still starts, acting fully normal.

So I guess it was the frayed wire or battery terminals not tight enough... or both? Probably the wires. I was going to reroute them just because I didn't like how they were pinched at that point, but seemed like a lot of effort, maybe later. But if other Luminas have the wires pinched at that point (just to the right and above the starter, when facing the front of the vehicle), then others might want to check it out-- before it becomes a problem.

Thanks again for all the help! I probably wouldn't have done it if not for so many people (even in other threads) saying to check the wiring, etc.

--Paul

[callalilly81]

i had the same problem. the connectors kept getting loose. anyways. i replaced the battery 3 times with the same brand before i took my ass to sears and bought a die hard gold. no problems since.