Difficulty Starting

[Greig8]

The other day while i was at work i left the interior light on (due to the fact that my bell doesnt work - it can be annoying but it keeps your battery alive) and when i went to start the car it hesitated but finally started. Ever since then if the car has been sitting for several hours it won't start on the first try. I have to kind of 'twitch' the key back and forth to get it to roll over and then it runs fine. It starts up again after sitting for a short time. The batter was replaced just before I got the car which was about 15 months ago. The alternator was replaced last winter. Before this started if the car was sitting for more than a day it took a bit of cranking or two tries for the car to start. So is it the starter or the battery or could the alternator be bad? I do have a bass tube that could be sucking some power. Could it be the ECM or ICM (??) i dont know what those are though? Any imput is greatly appreciated.

[HotZ28]

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=480777

[Ron AKA]

Originally Posted by Greig8

The other day while i was at work i left the interior light on (due to the fact that my bell doesnt work - it can be annoying but it keeps your battery alive)

Are you saying you keep the interior light on to keep the battery "alive"? If so, the light will take power from the battery and draw it down. Ideally you want zero drain on your battery when it is not running. If this is what you are doing then suggest you make sure the light and anything else is not one when the car is not running.

It sounds like a starting system problem, not an ignition problem. Remove your battery connections and clean them. While they are off, remove the connections to the starter motor and clean/tighten them as well. Put some silicone grease on the battery terminal connections before you install them, and after tightening then put a little more on to prevent corrosion.

The general checks of the alternator and battery require a voltmeter. Check the voltage after the car has been running for some time. Voltage should be about 15 volts. If not then suspect the alternator. Stopped the voltage should be 12 volts or slightly more. If not suspect the battery. However, it is still not certain it is one or the other. Best is to use a plug in charger and charge the battery. Confirm it takes a charge. If not the battery is likely done. When charged and holding voltage do the voltage chech with the car running. If it is now not 15 volts then it is nearly certain that the alternator is the problem.

Ron

[Greig8]

Well I tested the battery and it was at about 11.7 after sitting for a while. Then I started it and it went up to 13.8. Then I shut it back off after a few minutes and it fell back to 9.5. So I attempted to start it and it took that type of twitching to get it started again so I called Sears and drove the 45 minutes and got a new battery since the old one was under warranty. I don't know why the battery would be acting that way - I'm just glad that it's fixed.
P.S. - No I do not leave the interior light on to keep the battery charged. Duh

Thanks for your info.

David