how much voltage doe's the 99 TA need to start the car.

[qwik219d9]

this morning the car would'nt start the battery display showed real low inbetween 6-8 volts. it's usalley allways low around this 6-8V area however
it allways turns over now it won't turn over.

last time the battery ran down this low I accidentalley left the key turned on over night do'nt think anything was left turned on.

I removed the battery and the multimeter says it has 12.53 volts so how much voltage doe's the TA need to start the car.

edit I think the battery is about 5 years old it's a replacement the same Delco as the car orginalley came w/

maybe you Guys can recommend a better battery I don't have powerfull stero amps ect.

thanks for any helpfull advice.

[theorangeguy]

this morning the car would'nt start the battery display showed real low inbetween 6-8 volts. it's usalley allways low around this 6-8V area however
it allways turns over now it won't turn over.

last time the battery ran down this low I accidentalley left the key turned on over night do'nt think anything was left turned on.

I removed the battery and the multimeter says it has 12.53 volts so how much voltage doe's the TA need to start the car.

edit I think the battery is about 5 years old it's a replacement the same Delco as the car orginalley came w/

maybe you Guys can recommend a better battery I don't have powerfull stero amps ect.

thanks for any helpfull advice.

AC Delco, Duralast, and Optima are the ones i'd recommend personally...

[SMWS6TA]

Part of the problem you have is that the Battery gauge in the 99< yrs are more of a suggestion then actual.

Now addressing the battery. 5 yrs is a great long time run for a battery. It wouldn't surprise me that a cell has died. Best bet is to take to any parts store and have them test it.

I'd also test the alternator as well. When one goes the other usually follows.

IIRC it takes 725-750 cranking amps.

[qwik219d9]

I'm pricing batterys right now I like the AC delco 6 year warrenty
don't like the Optima 3 year warrenty.

what blows my mind is that w/ the battery removed from car it reads 12.53 volts on the multimeter.

so exactly how much voltage is required to start the 99 TA

[SMWS6TA]

It kinda varies with engine PCM and load of the electronics. It's more important that the cranking amps are enough.

You can have 12 volts reading but still not enough cranking amps to turn over the motor.

[qwik219d9]

I set the multi meter to amps. setting 10 amps. reading was .01

so I have the voltage is .01 just not enought current?

the AC delco that orginalley came w/ the TA is only 550CCA
which I allways thought is why in the morning the guage read 6-8V

is this why you say I should get 725-750CCA

[qwik219d9]

I checked all the fuses they are all OK don't know how to check relays.

I hear the fuel pump come on.

Just swapped in a new AC delco 550CCA battery when I turn the key to on the dash guage is at the same place directly inbetween the 6V and 8V.

same as before no engine turn over or start.

Guess I'll check the voltage at the starter. any suggestions on why this new battery reads the same voltage as the old battery?

I've read the old thread just above mine I wonder how to check the ground at the starter relay?
Thanks

[0rion]

your battery is just done......if you really want to prove it put the multimeter across the terminals and have someone try to start the car. I bet that 12.53 volts drops to almost nothing. Static the battery may show just fine but when a load is put on it that's where you're problem is. I just replaced 2 batteries in my truck, 1 in the firebird, and the one on my 4 wheeler is about done. I've had my fill of batteries this year. I used exide batteries but only because Menards up here had a great deal on them. I ran the "silver" battery from advanced auto in the firebird and got 9 years out of it. Not bad considering that battery gets abused every year by sitting for extended periods.

[qwik219d9]

I just swapped in a new fully charged battery please reread post #7

[0rion]

ahhh....sorry....didn't catch that one when I replied. I would start looking at corroded cables next. When you pulled the battery did you notice any green on the terminals? I've also seen the actual wire get corrosion on it up into the shielding. I'll usually take a razor knife and trim off a little shielding by the terminals to look at the wire. The other place could be down at the starter itself.

[qwik219d9]

just crawled under car to attemp mearsuring voltage at the starters signal wire.

I can only see one terminal not sure if it's the battery lead or negative going back into starter or if it's the signal wire from ignition?

must the starter be removed to test the wire from the ignition switch?

like can I remove the 2 bolts holding the starting to access the ternimals and ground the starter w/ a wire.

I can't fit my hand around the start I can't even see the terminals

[RONS98TA]

The starter does not have a ground wire. The body of the starter is the ground. You will find a thick gauge pos battery wire on the starter. Its prob 6-10 gauge wire. This wire is a hot wire directly from the battery, so be very careful not to touch this wire with a wrench and ground it to any metal, or you will see some electrical sparks. Very close to that is the ignition wire. It will be very small in comparison. I believe its 14-16 gauge. If your not familiar with the location of these wires, I would recommend going on line and looking at a picture of a starter, so you have a better idea of the location of the wires. You can also try taping on the starter lightly with a hammer while someone else is holding the key in the start/cranking position. When a starter is starting to go bad, the internals get locked up, so to speak.

[qwik219d9]

I had to unbolt the starter left it hanging connected multimeter to the ignition terminale
Looked like a torques 14AWG guage wire and common of multimeter to the negative of battery while turning ignition key to start result zero volts.

I traced the torques wire see the big stereo fuse I cut the insulation see the two yellow arrows result still zero volts.

Should I continue to trace this torques wire I guess it ends at the fuse box or the ingintion switch.

Or doe’s the starter have to be grounded to the body?

Edit: I also checked the big 50 amp ignition fuse got 12.47V
Thanks





edit how do I remove images from LS!.com it seans I'm at my limit of uploads at 1MB?

[qwik219d9]

update I was able to trace this torquese 14 guage wire has continuity from the starter to the bottom of the fuse box.

can the relay be tested w/ the multimeter ? if yes how is this done?

[qwik219d9]

Is my starter relay bad? it's a omron12177236d00

I hear the click inbetween pins 87 - 86

I see 1.7ohms at pins 85-30

[0rion]

swap it with the air pump relay to test....pretty sure they're the same relay. I have no idea what those should ohm out at but most likely if you hear it clicking that would make me think it's probably good.

[qwik219d9]

OK I try the air pump relay (if I have one) is it inside the other fuse block?

If I don’t have one can I use a short jumper wire to make a connection if yes which pins should I connect and should this jumper just be used to start engine then removed?

I checked all my fuses continuity w/ the beeper on my multimeter all where fine
However I then observed the multimeter to continue to beep even after the connection was broken
Are the batteries in MM low or is the MM malfunctioning?

How many ignition fuses are there I see the big 50amp in the block are there others?

So this purple torqese wire is it the 12V signal wire to starter?
Thanks

[qwik219d9]

going by the y tube videos on testing relays I believe I should of had applied 12V P and 12V neg to pins
87 -30 to hear the click

I got the click on pins 85-30


I think I'll rechack all the fuses this time use the ohm and just look for very low resistance if I don't see very little resistance then inspect the fuse.

[0rion]

you can see on the schematic on the side of the relay that 87 and 30 is where the connection is made......I can't make out the other side of the relay because it's blurry. If it's clicking though it's most likely fine. What exactly is the car doing when you try to start it? Does it try to start at all or do you hear the starter solenoid click? Nothing at all happens? Interior lights dim when you try to start it?

[RONS98TA]

The wire with the clear stereo fuse is something aftermarket and has nothing to do with the starter circuit.