'89 88 Battery/Starter Issues

[bhutchis]

This may fall under the realm of general knowledge, but honestly I know very little about cars and I'm hoping to take any ideas from anyone now.

For the past six months my Delta 88 has been losing the charge of the battery. At first, I got the battery replaced (Battery was about two and a half years old, so I thought maybe it was just time). The battery was replaced, and about a month and a half later it outright died.

I thought that was suspicious. I tried to jump the car but it wouldn't take the jump, wouldn't do anything. So I went to the battery place, got a new battery and returned the old replacement, put it in and the car ran fine. I took it to get it checked (dad told me to check the charging system) and the system was fine.

So, I figured that was the end of the situation. Wrong. Just this morning I went to turn on the car and it had trouble turning over and starting. I let off the ignition for a moment and tried again. For a split second it tried to start, and then outright died.

At that moment I lost all power throughout the car. Power locks don't work, dome lights are out, headlights are out, everything.

One person I know (who works on BMW's, but has a lot of automotive knowledge) told me they thought it was the starter fuse or the fuse link and that perhaps a blew it. She said that I probably ran too much power through the starter and it blew. This sounds like the only (probable?) situation, but I wasn't sure if anyone else had any other information.

And then, if it is the fuse, is there anyway to check to make sure that it's been blown, or should I just buy a new one and replace it?

With that in mind, where exactly would the fuse be? I just have the owners manual and I'm unsure if it'll tell me it's location. (Not near my car, had to walk to work)

Any information would be helpful or diagnoses. I appreciate it and I'm sorry I'm so stupid when it comes to cars

Thanks,

Hutch

[maxwedge]

Welcome to AF. Try jump starting it, if no good look for corroded battery cables/connections especially the grounds. They can look good and fool you. You should use a dvom to check cable resistances also. Once running make sure there is no drain on the electrical system with everything shutdown and the alternator puts out under load.

[bhutchis]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Welcome to AF. Try jump starting it, if no good look for corroded battery cables/connections especially the grounds. They can look good and fool you. You should use a dvom to check cable resistances also. Once running make sure there is no drain on the electrical system with everything shutdown and the alternator puts out under load.

Thanks Maxwedge!

Just got home from work and had power back in my car, and then when I turned on the ignition I lost it again. Car -tried- to start again and died, which is promising.

When my housemate gets home, we'll jump 'er and see what happens from there!

[Alibi]

Hmm...ya know, it almost sounds like a bad ECM. If the ECM is storing incorrect information, replacing the battery would give the computer enough time to reset (No power, no Memory) with default information. Try disconnecting the battery (might as well charge it while you have it off) for about half an hour, and then try to start it.

Edit: Naw....that really doesn't make much sense considering everything including lights and what-not die also. It definately sounds like you are having issues with the battery properly connecting to electrical system.

[Derrik Foreal]

I had the same problem and The same symptoms. Try checking if the alternator is putting out any juice. You would hope its this because that is an easy fix.

[Derrik Foreal]

Don't feel bad. I will say that I had the same exact, to the tee symptoms and I was directed in the direction of the altenator several times. But, still the same wiring problems are always tricky. I just had some wiring done to my car and I only got charged 140 Euro (about 180 dollars). But it was worth it. I replaced my starter first, which turned out not to be the problem, so maybe it would be worth it to have someone come out and look at it. Hope you get it fixed though. I love these cars.