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Unread 10-18-2009, 01:04 PM   #1
TMc993
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Default Starting Issue

I posted this over on Rennlist and got no responses...ALthough many (Most?) of the folks here also frequent Rennist, they seem to be in a more technical state of mind on this site...I'd appreciate any feedback anyone might have:

Car:
'97 NB Coupe with apprx 65K miles on the clock. All services up to date.

Problem:
Upon attempting to start the car Tuesday morning, the starter would spin the engine, but the engine would not fire/start.

Efforts so far:
DME relay with no effect on the problem.

Complications:
Upon replacing the "new" DME with the "old" DME after the "new" DME had no effect, I failed to completely close the front bonnet, leaving the light in the trunk burning and completely draining the battery (Light was "on" unnoticed for 48 hours ).

I then hooked up a trickle charger (It was all I had on hand) and let it charge the battery for about 3 hours.

Out of curiosity, I tried to start the car and it started immediately and ran perfectly with no CEL (Yes, the CEL does light up on turning the key).

So:
Is it possible for the battery to be strong enough to spin the starter, but not "power up" all the other electronic paraphenalia necessary to start the car or I am doomed to chasing this issue for the next few months?

Thanks,
Terry
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Unread 10-18-2009, 10:00 PM   #2
NC TRACKRAT
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I can't really give you a definitive answer to the problem but I can tell you that, if the battery was truly drained, I'm amazed that a trickle charger could allow it to recover sufficiently in just 3 hours. Since it's not the DME relay and the starter works, I'd start looking at things like fuel pump or ignition (coil packs). Carefully check your grounds in the power distribution boxes for loose or corroded connections, too. It could be something that simple. Good Luck!
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Unread 10-19-2009, 07:01 PM   #3
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Thanks for the ideas...I was amazed myself...The trunk and interior lights had been on for 48 hours...Everything was dead when I plugged the trickle charger in...How a trickle charger charged the battery in three hours is beyond me...I have the feeling that I am dealing with one of those phantom electrical problems that will take a while to duplicate and then locate...Nothing like going into winter driving a car I don't really trust to start from one day to the next.
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Unread 10-19-2009, 08:51 PM   #4
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Terry, I know the feeling! I think I finally found the failure to start "gremlin" with the elimination of the clutch switch (see below thread). You might also want to have your battery load tested. It may have a cell going bad. At least, if it passes, you can eliminate that as a cause.
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Unread 10-20-2009, 03:39 PM   #5
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Did you check the fuses? You can do this with a DVOM using continuity if you have one instead of pulling them all out to visually inspect them...you can also check power in/out of the fuses.

I suspect your trickle charger isn't trickling any longer - did you measure the current of the trickle charger by any chance? Maybe your alternator is toast or your voltage regulator? Did you check your alternator output?

As you can tell, my DVOM is my friend...not much happens to my 993 without Mr. DVOM being involved.
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Unread 10-20-2009, 11:18 PM   #6
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Trackrat and Helmet:

Five days after I hooked up the trickle charger, the car continues to start and run perfectly. Hopefully, at some point this weekend, I'll get a chance to go through everything and make sure all is as it should be. I hate the shotgun approach to this kind of problem, but it's all I have given that the car is now starting and running. I'm hoping it's a random electronic gremlin, but if I am realistic, I have to admit that I fear the original problem is a dying fuel pump that temporarily locked up, then released when I kept fiddling with the battery, DME etc. and trying to start it.

Thanks again,
Terry
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Unread 10-21-2009, 09:43 AM   #7
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Same thing just happened to me-and yes the starter would spin but not at full bore. New battery worked in my case. You can just take it in and (Sears in my case) they will check it out free. YMMV Good luck.

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Unread 10-27-2009, 11:08 PM   #8
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Terry, you may want to also check your ground strap. They are known to come lose/broken and cause all kinds of weird electrical issues.
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Unread 10-28-2009, 05:54 PM   #9
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Sergio,

Thanks...I've pretty much gone through everything suggested and have not had a problem since the one occurance...We had almost 4 inches of rain yesterday and I had the car out in it all day long...Fully expected problems at some point but it started and ran fine yesterday and today as well. Either I fixed what was wrong via the shotgun approach or it was some random blip that may or may not occur again.

Hope you are well...

T
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Unread 10-28-2009, 08:45 PM   #10
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Terry, just a thought: Have you tried getting a OBDII read-out? Even tho it didn't give you a CEL, it may have thrown a code that might give you a clue as to what went wrong.
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Unread 10-28-2009, 09:14 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NC TRACKRAT View Post
Terry, just a thought: Have you tried getting a OBDII read-out? Even tho it didn't give you a CEL, it may have thrown a code that might give you a clue as to what went wrong.
Haven't thought of that...I'll try to get one done in the next few days. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Unread 10-28-2009, 10:03 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TMc993 View Post
Sergio,

Thanks...I've pretty much gone through everything suggested and have not had a problem since the one occurance...We had almost 4 inches of rain yesterday and I had the car out in it all day long...T
Good to hear that. Let's hope it was just a glitch. I hear you on the rain, it was bad down here as well.
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