Please help! No start on my 92 taurus.

[mintra]

Vehicle: 92 taurus wagon 180,000 miles

Last night my car won't start after parking for about 5 hours. The engine cranked a little, all the lights came on but very dim. I thought the problem might be the battery so I tried jump start. It worked but it felt very weak when the car is not running. I decided to ride on highway for a while to recharge the battery. It seems fine when running.

When I got home and turn off the engine and restart, the car won't start at all. No noise ,no click, no lights. even the clock is dead. I just had my mechanic replace the alternator and battery about 9 months ago when the car died on me while driving and the starter about 6 months ago.

Anybody has any idea what's wrong? Is the alternator at fault? Please help me. I really appreciate all your input.

Thanks
Mintra

[KimMG]

Possible causes
bad battery (defective cell)
loose or slipping belt
poor connections to the battery (need to check both ends of each cable)
poor connections to the alternator
alternator defective (need to have output voltage tested)

[TomV]

Originally Posted by KimMG

Possible causes
bad battery (defective cell)
loose or slipping belt
poor connections to the battery (need to check both ends of each cable)
poor connections to the alternator
alternator defective (need to have output voltage tested)

In my experience alternator related problems tend to cause the ALT light to come on. Battery related problems will usually not cause the light to come on.

[RLKester]

I did have an alternator cause this problem on my 90 Taurus.

I also had my 2000 taurus have this problem that i traced to the electronic relay tht is a relay ( about 1" square) under the hood in the forward fuse compartment. I located this problem through the use of ALLData at my public library. the part was $11 and solved all the problems.

[mintra]

Thanks everybody for your reply. It turns out the 9-month-old-Napa battery is defective. The shop replaced it without charge.