Greg D.

After repainting the wheels and replacing the A/C ballast resistor, I lowered my car on the ground and it will not start !

If you turn the keyt in the ignition, it goes something like a machine gun staccato of tak-tak-tak-tak real fast, and the all the dash lights and interior lights blink real fast too... The car is NOT cranking, the noise is something else... The engine does not turn.... Actually, it does about 1/8 of a turn but there is evidently an electrical issue...


I don't see how th e Ballast resistor (on clip) could do this but I will undo it anyway.... I have replaced the DME realy, no dice...

Any idea what this could be ? The car was running great when I lifted it ! Coincidence ?

Please advise ! Bozo's broke ! I hope it's not one of those Cd units thingies, assuming 911s still have'em....First Schumi wins in Italy, then this... ****ty day !

David in LA

I've gotten the "rat-a-tat-tat" sound when my battery was too weak to crank the starter over....I think it's the sound of the starter relays opening and closing.

STLPCA

Your battery is dead. Try a charger & some prayer. You didn't do something dumb like listen to your car radio while you worked, did you? BTDT

SLVR

Charge the battery or jump start, working on the car and leaving doors open will drain battery.

BTW, what 's wrong with Schumacher winning? He won outright, no tricks, I thought it was a very good race if not terribly exciting.

911

SLVR97TT,

I take it that Greg is probably a JPM or Kimi fan. I'm with you, Greg. I'm rooting for JPM in this WDC race, but I think it's Schuey's title to lose. Schuey drove a flawless race today, as well as JPM, but I think Schuey was in complete control. He allowed JPM to get close (.9ths) at one stage, but JPM wasn't close enough to make an attempt. Nonetheless, the next two races are going to be awesome as both drivers & teams (Williams & Ferrari) do well at these venues.

Rich

PS: I hope you get your car started, Greg.

Greg D.

Thanks Guys ! I had pretty much come to the same conclusion in the meantime.... Even though the battery showed 12V, it was lower than my wife's car so I pulled it out and hooked it on the charger and it showed 25% only ! Hurray !!! Maybe... I am recharging it but don't hope too much as it's as old as the car...

Why it happened ? Not sure... I might have left the hood open overnight, but just cracked open so that should not be a problem with the hood light. Not sure... might be 100% coincidental...

Are regular optimas a good fit in there or is there a special model I should get as a replacement ? Thanks !

PS: as for Schumi, yeas, I am not a fan. The ferrari-michelin whining, the "cut across you" maneuvers at the start, the team orders and careful team mate selection, all the stuff he's done in the past (vs Hill and Villeneuve), I think the guy is a dirt bag - though I do not deny he his the best . I was hoping Montoya would pass him on the outside again and make Ross brawn choke on his lunch... Too bad...

STLPCA

Optima Red Top 75/35 is the one. I'll be looking soon to replace my almost 4 yr old Interstate & will likely go that route.

SLVR

Glad to hear the car's oke. Sorry about the F1, hope you didn't put money on JPM.

I agree there are guys who are a bit less agressive than Schumacher but that does not include JPM. I don't think that JPM would not go out of the way of some good ol'wheel banging........ He is hungry and has shown that he will not compromize if he thinks he needs to pass, even this morning they came very close.

Personally I don't mind who wins as long as there is some real racing involved.... :-).

Rgds
LV

Anir

Well said (although I do have a soft spot in my heart for the heirs apparent to the throne - JPM, Kimi, Fernando).

Indy's going to rock! Time to get the 3-case capacity Foster's rolling cooler out of storage for the annual Rennlist turtle migration to section H.

Greg, you'll be happy with an Optima!

chris walrod

Greg, sounds like it was your battery. If you even release the trunk lid via the lever in the car, the light turns on in the trunk. Prolly the reason why your battery drained.

The F1 race was pretty good, qualifying was even better, even though JPM missed the pole my a misfire. I am routing for JPM to win the drivers chase, mostly because I would love to see a different world champion for a change. Wouldn't it be cool to see MS and JPM in the same car, for an apples to apples comparo.

Who would win? Uh oh, did I just open a can or worms?

SLVR

Hmmmm....more like opening a truck full of dirt..... :-). Probably it would only lead to them taking each other out in turn one all the time.

Remember the Prost vs Senna vs Prost, etc.? If the match of the machinery is too close it becomes too tempting to sort things with a little force here and there, as is popular in some US series.

I am only lukewarm on mr. JPM but he is dang good and almost as consistent as Schumi. If he can be a little more consistent he'll have the no1 spot. There are others who are good but still a bit too erratic.

Again, mostly I care about a good race and this year we have seen a couple of very good ones. :-) :-)

chris walrod

Ok everyone, let chant together:

Long live a good race, Long live a good race, Long live a good race, Long live a good race....

This is the first year in a long time that I look forward to the F1 race.

911

Anir,

Are you going to the GP @ Indy in a few weeks? (seeing that you are somewhat nearby). I'm seriously considering go out there for that weekend. I may never get to see an F1 championship title fight this close. The last time I went to a GP was in Phoenix, 1991.

Rich

Anir

Rich,

I sure am. This will be the 3rd year for my wife and I.

There's always a large contingent of Rennlisters in Section H. You should join us.

According to the ads, there's still a large # of tickets available. Some Rennlisters may still have extra ones available in Section H.

Hope to see you there.

911

Anir - I'll let you know if I decide to come out. It's great to see that there are a few GP enthusiasts on this forum!

Rich