Car Is Acting Weird..Need Some Help

[82CapriceClassic]

yesterday i went to start my car and it wouldnt turn over, the inside had power, but the car wouldnt crank or even attempt to make the cranking noise..i checked under the hood, nothing was lose that i could see..i sat for about 10minute..pressed the gas pedal a little..then it cranked right up with no hesitation...the same thing happened again today after i washed my car..what could it be? maybe the carb or a bad fuel pump?

also when i go to start my car for the first time in the day..it wont crank directly up..it'll half way crank but then i will have to press the gas pedal to get it to fully crank..happens also on a warm start..and i thought pressing the gas pedal all the time floods the carb with gas and thats not good..

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by 82CapriceClassic

yesterday i went to start my car and it wouldnt turn over, the inside had power, but the car wouldnt crank or even attempt to make the cranking noise..i checked under the hood, nothing was lose that i could see..i sat for about 10minute..pressed the gas pedal a little..then it cranked right up with no hesitation...the same thing happened again today after i washed my car..what could it be? maybe the carb or a bad fuel pump?

also when i go to start my car for the first time in the day..it wont crank directly up..it'll half way crank but then i will have to press the gas pedal to get it to fully crank..happens also on a warm start..and i thought pressing the gas pedal all the time floods the carb with gas and thats not good..

cranking means the engine does not rotate when the key is in the start position/////if this is the problem stepping on the gas pedal will have no effect...step one check battery connections / 2 battery load tested 3 test starter for proper operation remove if necessary to test/check out clean secure connections etc...

most likely a bad starter solenoid...or starter connections..

[82CapriceClassic]

i just replaced the started a couple of months ago, a brand new starter and battery. so it may be the connections..i'll have to get that checked out this AM..

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by 82CapriceClassic

i just replaced the started a couple of months ago, a brand new starter and battery. so it may be the connections..i'll have to get that checked out this AM..

the solenoid sets on top of the starter motor,,there is a nut securing the wire going into the starter motor///this nut I have found to be loose from factory///this nut is not used in the installation...this is something that will cause your problem as described..

[82CapriceClassic]

i ended up having to get it towed on thursday to the shop, it was fixed friday morning and so far so good...it was the starter wires...i thought it was my carb...so we'll see how it goes

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by 82CapriceClassic

i ended up having to get it towed on thursday to the shop, it was fixed friday morning and so far so good...it was the starter wires...i thought it was my carb...so we'll see how it goes

I'm happy to hear that is was a simple fix...did the repair shop that installed this starter repair/secure electrical wires for no fee???

MY opinion///if you want to keep this old tired vehicle,,,,you best start doing most of these small jobs yourself..unless you have money to burn...

[82CapriceClassic]

it acted up again yesterday...it seems like it keeps happening almost a wk apart, starting like 2 thursdays ago...ive noticed it happens when its really hot outside and before it happens i notice a small amt of smoke coming from my undercarriage..i thought the smoke was just oil from my oil leak falling onto my engine ..but since i had my starter wires fixed im not sure what else it can be now

and im a female in college i know NOTHING about cars, i wish i did otherwise i would spend almost every wknd trying to fix my car lol..and i go to an "tree shade mechanic" or whatever you call them, i just purchase the parts and he charges me only for the labor which is pretty cheap..

[82CapriceClassic]

also, after popping the hood and leaving it open for a few minutes, my car cranks right up

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by 82CapriceClassic

also, after popping the hood and leaving it open for a few minutes, my car cranks right up

call some auto part stores and ask if they can load test your battery...this puts a large power drain on the battery to see if its still in the good green range...

the other thing it can be is the fuseable link in the wiring,,,these little devils are hard to find / troubleshoot ,,because of the vehicles age this is another high probability...these can be very intermittent also,,,usually the discoloration of the fuseable link gives them away as being defective..

I forgot that you are a woman,,,but you can still learn about vehicles,,,and with that protect yourself from being ripped off...

as you are using these forums you have already learned much..

[82CapriceClassic]

ok im going to advance auto today and see..the mechanic did mention something about me possibly needing to get it checked out, even though i did replace it with a used one when i had my starter replaced..hopefully i can get a decent priced battery today

but as far as the fuseable link, would the inside of the car still have power if it was the fuseable link? because the few times my link did blow, the car had NO type of power on the inside at all..this time is does have power to the point where i can turn on my cd player

i cant even lie, i have learned ALOT just by reading some of these topics/posts...to the point where i can diagnose my car with whats possibly wrong, just wish i was under the hood savvy so that i could fix all of my car problems on my own lol

thanks btw

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by 82CapriceClassic

ok im going to advance auto today and see..the mechanic did mention something about me possibly needing to get it checked out, even though i did replace it with a used one when i had my starter replaced..hopefully i can get a decent priced battery today

but as far as the fuseable link, would the inside of the car still have power if it was the fuseable link? because the few times my link did blow, the car had NO type of power on the inside at all..this time is does have power to the point where i can turn on my cd player

i cant even lie, i have learned ALOT just by reading some of these topics/posts...to the point where i can diagnose my car with whats possibly wrong, just wish i was under the hood savvy so that i could fix all of my car problems on my own lol

thanks btw

the battery must be load tested ,,this is the only way to be sure its good..

your vehicle has a few fuseable links,,,one is the ignition power ,,,the other is accessary power..so if the ignition one was bad it wouldn't start ,,,but the radio would work..

[82CapriceClassic]

ok thanks..i think im just going to replace the ignition fuseable link, fan, and the battery..and hopefully that'll fix the problem..

thanks again