1993 Taurus dragging

[Philip Reed]

my 1993 taurus it has 43000 and a 3.8liter auto trans must have turn over when i start the car it drags hart start but starts i has a starter draw test and battery test they show good some one told me to add a ground wire from the battery to the starter is this true? also have a engine oil pan and trans pan leak could it be getting on the starter engine runs good ,tryed to adjust dist , no luck don't know what the problem is.

[shorod]

Are you saying that the starter does not turn the engine over as quickly as you think it should, or does it make a noise?

If it doesn't turn over as quickly as you think it should, then make sure the battery cables are clean and tight. Do you have original battery cables, or the temporary bolt on type? If you have the bolt on type, replace them with formed cables.

Turn the headlights on and try to start the car. Do the headlights dim significantly during the cranking? You cannot always trust the battery load test, I've seen them show a battery as good many times even though the battery really wasn't. How old is the battery?

If I'm not understanding your dragging issue correctly, please elaborate (with punctuation between thoughts).

-Rod

[Philip Reed]

I dont know how old the battery is, but the engine is not turning over fast enought, battery ends are clean , they are the bolt on type, older style haven't start engine with lights on .

[TaurusKing]

3.8 engine, has the head gasket blown yet??? any coolant loss?? 43k isn't many miles for a 93,,, reason I'm asking is a friend of mine had the same problem, same year and engine, slow or hard cranking, coolant was leaking into the combustion chamber, engine would actually stop during crank and then turn over again and start,, weird, he saved it though, replaced the gaskets 40k ago, seems no problems, my son has a 93, gaskets were replaced.

[Philip Reed]

Brought car the other day , I think the mileage turn over , NO white smoke out of tail pipe, no coolant loss that i can see of for now

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Philip Reed

I dont know how old the battery is, but the engine is not turning over fast enought, battery ends are clean , they are the bolt on type, older style haven't start engine with lights on .

Regarding the battery cables, if they have the type that have two little bolts that clamp down on the bare cable, replace them. This type of clamp is only intended for temporary use and will corrode quickly. Since the cable is exposed where they clamp down, the corrosion will wick into the cable as well and reduce the conduction. Even if these connectors are not your problem, if you plan to keep the car a few more years, they will soon leave you stranded if not replaced (probably).

Remove the spark plugs and inspect them. Do they all have a uniform color when compared with the others? How would you describe the appearance of the plugs?

-Rod

[Philip Reed]

Had starter draw test done again , it was 10.7 volts, told that this is to low, starter problem?

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Philip Reed

Had starter draw test done again , it was 10.7 volts, told that this is to low, starter problem?

I think what was performed was a battery load test. They load the battery according to the CA rating of the battery. Underload, the battery should not drop below some threshhold. I don't recall what that threshold is. I think it's 10.8 Vdc, but like I said, I'm not sure on the number.

Anyway, if the test that is failing is the load test, then the problem is the battery and not the starter. The starter is not being used during a load test, but rather a carbon pile or similar high power load that is part of the load tester.

-Rod