928autobahndreamer

I knew this day would come, I expected it. I was just hoping it would not come quite so soon. I have now owned the car for a couple of weeks and things have been going great. The car was driving great, the engine had been running strong, I was having a great time with the BWWWAAAAAA. I took the car to get inspected this AM and everything went fine. Then, after driving home, as I was pulling into the garage and before I shut it off, I noticed that the idle was searching just a little hunting between 800 and 1000. I made a mental note and shut the car off. Later in the day I went out to the garage to move the 928 so I could get the mower out. I put the key in, turned it in the ignition, and ......... nothing. The warning lights all come on as they should, there is a click and hum which I figure is the fuel pump, but no cranking. The engine doesn't do anything. The volt meter is reading around 12 when I turn the key part way (this is about right isn't it?) There is enough power to turn on all of the lights, radio, and operate the headlights. So, what is my problem?

My first thought is an ignition relay. Otherwise could it be a connection to the starter? Is my battery just needing to be recharged? Could the highly trained mechanics at the local Big O disconnected something while they were "inspecting" my car? I haven't had time to do any real trouble shooting yet, but I am a complete novice and if it sounds like something that could be simple I would love some direction from the sages of 928 here.

Thanks,
Steve

ZEUS+

Manual or automatic ? Our voltmeters dont always tell the truth. Where was the clicking coming from ? What was voltage when it was running ? Have you tried to charge battery ?

928autobahndreamer

The car is an auto. I tried jumping the car with no luck. As far as the click goes, it is a single click that preceeds the hum. I can't tell where the click is coming from exactly as I am in the car turning the ignition and have no one else available. There is no sound like the engne is trying to turn over. The car also cranked normally on previous starts over the past two weeks.

ZEUS+

Try it in neutral. Could be starter, connections, starter relay, ign switch, weak battery etc. Going to need more info.

Mrmerlin

check the battery connections and with the battery disconnected check the hot post under the hood for tightness and the black 14 pin connectoras well just pop off the back cover and look for corrosion, also remove the connector from its mate and look for corrosion. re connect battery and try to start you may have a starter going bad . Jack up the car and check starter wires for tightness make sure battery is disconnected and the car is on jack stands

928autobahndreamer

Thnaks for the responses. I tried starting the car in neutral. I read a thread a while back that mentioned not being able to lock the gear selector in park. So, I did try that, but nothing changed. I am going to put the car on a trickle charger overnight to see what happens. The battery was replaced about one month ago by the PO due to a cell in the battery shorting out. I looked at the connections to the battery terminals and they are clean and tight.
If I use a trickle charger, do I use the post under the hood?

Podguy

Remove the tool kit and take the wing bolt out holding the negative lead to the chassis. Get some scotchbrite and some white grease. Scrub the end of the ground cable and the connection point on the chassis until they shine. Coat with white grease and reconnect using a pair of pliers to tighten the wing bolt. The car should start.

You can connect a trickle charger under the hood, just be sure not to use a gas line as a ground. You can also connect it directly to the battery. Hell you can even connect it to the fuse panel it you are brave and know what to connect to.

Good luck.

Dan the Pod Guy

ZEUS+

It is best to disconnect neg terminal and charge battery, not from jump terminal.

worf928

If you don't find the problem after you've checked the items above (battery and electrical connections) you'll need to figure out if the problem is centered around the starter or the fuse panel. This thread discusses a similar issue and there's a step-by-step for isolating the problem to the started-side or the fuse-panel side of the 14-pin connector at the jump post. (Mostly that is...)

928autobahndreamer

Thanks for the help everyone. I went out with some scotchbrite and polished the ground so it was nice and shiny. It didn't look to bad to start with, but it was almost like there was a little glaze on the surface. I didn't put the white grease on it yet, as I will have to go out and get some. Once I got in the car, I turned the key and it fired right up. I hadn't even needed to run the trickle charger. This tells me how badly I am going to need to do the elecrical contact rehabing as outlined on rennlist. While running, the voltmeter isn't reading much higher than 12. Maybe 12.5.
Again, thanks for taking the time to post to give me some direction.

Steve

Mrmerlin

get a volt meter on the hot post under the hood and check the battery condition while off and running if its the same then the alternator isnt charging, you would be looking for anywhere from about 13.4 to 14.5 on the volt meter with the engine running blip the throttle to make sure the charging circut is excited

Podguy

Steve,

Glad things worked out. Some times it is the simple things. I bought the convertible in Oregon and drove it home without a problem. Go out later and no start. Unfortunately the trunk was electric release only. I hooked a jumper to the front post and opened he trunk and fixed the problem. First modification to the convertible was to cut a hole in the trunk lid and install a key lock.

12.5 volts on the dash voltmeter may be just fine. Sure connect a voltmeter to the front post while the car is running and you should see a increase in voltage than with the motor off. But it is not necessary to see 13.5 to 14.5 volts. If you have a very good battery then it might not need much of a charge. Current flow is determined by resistance. An older battery that gets drawn down easily may need a higher voltage to charge. All this is dependant on your system.

The test of charging is to put all the accessories on while the motor is running. If the red light starts to glow a bit then the car is using more current than the alternator is capable of creating. This is especially a problem if the light glows at driving RPMs. Driving a while with all accesories on will discharge the battery and eventually leave you stranded. If there is no excessiive drain then the light should stay off.

Dan the Pod Guy