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Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

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  • Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

    So last Sunday my car won't start. When the key is turned, the starter clicked once, but it didn't engage to start the engine.
    [img]graemlins/rant.gif[/img]
    some would say, Dead battery.
    OK, I take the battery out and take it to get tested, It is good. 13 volts strong and giving 800 cranking amps when it's only rated at 650.

    Ah, it must be the starter.
    OK, I know that the starter on this car is easy to get to, or so I think.
    Well, there's no way to get it out from under the hood, no big deal, I'll just jak it up and pull it out.
    NO, there's the transmission cooling lines and the bastards who put on the aftermarked exhaust put the pipe in the only location that the starter could possibly be pulled out.

    Well, after three days under the car, in the mud, because my car won't break down when it's not raining. ( no garage, either ), I get the starter out.

    I go to NAPA and get another starter, not too bad, 50 bucks for a rebuild with 3 year warranty.
    I ho0ok up the new one put it all back together, and CLICK, the same damn thing.

    I jack up the car again and take the starter out to have it tested thinking napa sold me a defective starter, but no, it works fine.

    I put the starter back in the car and am ready to have the car towed to a real mechanic, when a friend of mine tightens up the connector on the battery cable, and then starts the car up instantly!!!!!

    6 days and 100 dollars in various parts, (I redid the wiring from the keyswitch to the starter and the ground wires too) and all it needed was tightened up on the battery!
    It wasn't the part where the battery is connected to the battery cable, but rather the connector that is attached to the cable has two bolts/nuts holding it to the cable. I had already tightened the connector to the battery, but it was the connector to the cable!!!!!
    Anybody have any good ones like this to share?

    nandrew

  • #2
    Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

    [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] These's a reason why after just two years of mechanic work, I decided I'd rather get a factory job!
    That's a great story. I'm laughing with you...really!

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    • #3
      Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

      Been there done that to many times myself. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I usally burn myself by saying "it will only take an hour", 8 hours later you want to get the BFH out and go ballistic on it.I also did what Chuck did. I worked at a parts store for 5 years then mechanic for 4 .I now have a nice factory job.
      Mike
      --------------------------------------------------------------------
      SLS TG // SLATQH TSB // 2 CS Soloists both 24.75 scale // 5 Archtop PROs //

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      • #4
        Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

        I just resigned friday as Service Manager of one of the largest volume repair shops in Cincinnati - there isn't much I haven't seen !

        But, yeah, we would get a lot of cars in on the hook that people fudged around with and only made things worse when the problems were usually simple. One of my favorites was this guy with a Ford Econoline. Came in as a "crank / no-start". This guy replaced the fuel pump, ECM, module, coil, plugs, wires and I think a few other things. He had about $600 and a week of his time in it. I went out to the van with a pretty good feeling.....the guy was standing right next to me as I filpped the "fuel pump cut-off switch" back on and fired it right up. You should have seen the look on his face [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

        Of course, if it were my car that probably would have been the last thing I checked too !

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        • #5
          Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

          The only assured rule of working on cars is that, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong...

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          • #6
            Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

            Just after droping in a built 455 engine in my '69 442, I was linking up new Holly carb. My buddy fired it up and it had a big stack fire. It shinged my hair on top to a half inch. That is how I got my first mullet. This was in '77, so I guess I was ahead on my time.
            ...that taste like tart, lemon yogart

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            • #7
              Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

              I learned a lesson on that one, I 'm not sure what the lesson was, but I learned it. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

              From mechanic to factory work? Around here where I live, the mechanics are making a killing, the labor jobs aren't doing bad, but the mechanics are cleaning up. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

              nandrew

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              • #8
                Re: Damn Battery Cable!!!!!!!!!

                It wasn't about the money. It was about standing under a rusted Dodge Dart having rust chips land directly in my eyes while trying to change a gas tank that's REALLY content where it is.

                Its about laying under a car cutting the exhaust system off with a cutting torch and having unburned fuel in the pipe explode right next to my head.

                I could go on and on...

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