drwhosc

So car sat for a month or two, and went to go for a drive yesterday, The battery was pretty low, and car did not start. I plugged it in to my trickle charger, but did not give things enough time. I got a fire and a brief run, under 2 seconds then engine cut out. So I decided to let the battery fully charge.

Got into the care today, and defiantly have a strong battery, but now the engine will not start. Engine turns over well. I will begin the workup in the next day or so It is raining now.

I have an 88 and Theos tool to look at my EZK and LH. I plugged it in and got my EZK and LH to show up. Checked the input signals, and they were the right voltages, so I am fairly certain my Ignition and LH relays are OK. No fault codes on the LH, but EZK showed a code 34 Hall Signal Change fault.

My next step is to change the fuel pump relay. How do I jump this puppy. I should have a spare 53 relay, but just in case. Also the car is outside, and it is raining, so I was not able to test the injectors. Can the LH be receiving inputs and voltage, but fail on the output??

thanks in advance

Mrmerlin

before you do anything else,
charge the battery with a 6 amp charger for 3 hours,
your trickle charger is not a battery charger.

Then make sure the battery connections are clean and tight,
then hold the pedal to the floor and crank it till it runs.
After it starts,
drive the car for 15 miles,
then retest with the tool.

NOTE make sure to do some full throttle runs so the computer will adapt

drwhosc

Thanks for the advice. I did go out in the Rain. My OCD got the best of me. It turned out to be my fuel pump relay. I will take your advice on going into adapt mode, and doing a spirited run. I noticed my WOT is not triggering.

Will have to see if I can do some tightening and adjusting without taking of the throttle body. Otherwise, glad to be back on the road.

The Deputy

This was exactly my first thought, so many times I read about folks putting their car on a battery-tender...after it has been run low or dead.

The above info by Stan is exactly correct...they are not a battery charger, same goes for your alternator...they basically maintain your fully charged battery while not in use, nothing more. I'd follow the above advice...before doing anything drastic.

Good luck,

Brian.

Mrmerlin

NOTE with a fully charged battery the relays will also operate the way they were designed.

NOTE with lower voltage being supplied,
the relays may not fully close ,
or a relay with worn contacts may not have enough close force to make the contacts touch.

drwhosc

Thanks Stan.

My dash voltmeter is simply not working. It is usually pined at the top. On Occasion, it will work its way into reading, but just not reliable. I will check the battery with a voltmeter, and I will also give it a good six amp charge. I have not opened the relay yet to see what it looks like on the inside. I had a bit of oxidation on the spades which was a bit disappointing. A little more dioxit is in my future.