Car clicks but won't crank. Battery or Starter?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

............
But, back in the day you could go to the wreckers and grab a ton of parts for next to nothing, if you took them off yourself. Extra parts were good to have! We used to just swap'em out until the problem was solved.

I like extra parts

Yep, I hear that.

While you were there and found a car like yours and had a pocket full of wrenches, even though you were there just for a generator, might as well pluck off that carburetor, distributor cap, coil, voltage regulator and fuel pump, to have on hand for spare parts.




humfrz

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Yep, I hear that.

While you were there and found a car like yours and had a pocket full of wrenches, even though you were there just for a generator, might as well pluck off that carburetor, distributor cap, coil, voltage regulator and fuel pump, to have on hand for spare parts.




humfrz

And Smelly would look at the pile and go "You got ten bucks cash? Gonna be $20 if you wantta write a cheque"

[Chaetagnath]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

This was a huge issue I watched closely a couple of years ago. It has slowed way down from what it was since most of the batteries have probably been replaced. When I was keeping track there were about 10 BRZs with the problem for every FRS that had it. Since there were about 100 FRSs for every BRZ at the time that difference is much larger than it seems. They both had the exact same battery so there is something about the BRZs that was drawing amperage. Many of the cases showed the battery to still be at the proper voltage range but they simply did not have the cranking amps to turn the car over. In ever situation where the person updated after getting a new battery there was never a reported return of the issue. There were a few theories at the time but I don't think we ever came to a final conclusion.


My 14 FRS still has the original battery and after 4 Canadian winters still cranks the car like it did when it was new. A while back we had temperatures of -10F for a few days and even then it worked as if it was August.

I wonder if this issue appeared more prevalent in BRZs because the BRZ limited has the push start, and the early FRS didn’t have that option. I had this exact issue in my FRS but only after I installed the easygo kit, particularly when it was too hot outside. Once I replaced the battery the problem went away. If I used the key start the problem didn’t happen. So maybe push start buttons require more amps to crank than a key or something? Any idea if the BRZ models you refer to were limiteds?

[JERM^]

So update guys... for some more complex diagnostic.

So it is a day and a half after the video was shot. Saturday 12:30PM and before I go put another battery in, I tried to start it again. Car did not move at all, opened the door, got in, clutch, push button. 0 problems, 0 hiccups. Battery didn't even struggle to start the car. Everything was normal.

My thoughts: Battery charge LEVEL is probably fine. The slow drain (if it even exists) probably not the reason now.

Variables 1: It is much warmer at noon than that night, battery may have more power?

Or simply as everyone says, connections? However since I am so noob at this, would a loose connection behave like this? That everything works but somehow when a strong current runs though it suddenly cuts?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by JERM^

Or simply as everyone says, connections? However since I am so noob at this, would a loose connection behave like this? That everything works but somehow when a strong current runs though it suddenly cuts?

Yes. That's exactly how it works. Loose or corroded (resistive) connections get hot. Heat expands and distorts the junction. Things start to burn and further corrode at the gap. The junction cools and reconnects. The vicious cycle repeats until the junction degrades enough to open permanently.

Think about how old flashlights with those D cells will dim before they actually die, and how we always shake them to get more life out of the cells. Exact same principle.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by JERM^

So update guys... for some more complex diagnostic.

So it is a day and a half after the video was shot. Saturday 12:30PM and before I go put another battery in, I tried to start it again. Car did not move at all, opened the door, got in, clutch, push button. 0 problems, 0 hiccups. Battery didn't even struggle to start the car. Everything was normal.

My thoughts: Battery charge LEVEL is probably fine. The slow drain (if it even exists) probably not the reason now.

Variables 1: It is much warmer at noon than that night, battery may have more power?

Or simply as everyone says, connections? However since I am so noob at this, would a loose connection behave like this? That everything works but somehow when a strong current runs though it suddenly cuts?

Dude. It has been said over and over. Just give it a try. Probably the easiest repair there is.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Chaetagnath

I wonder if this issue appeared more prevalent in BRZs because the BRZ limited has the push start, and the early FRS didn’t have that option. I had this exact issue in my FRS but only after I installed the easygo kit, particularly when it was too hot outside. Once I replaced the battery the problem went away. If I used the key start the problem didn’t happen. So maybe push start buttons require more amps to crank than a key or something? Any idea if the BRZ models you refer to were limiteds?

That is indeed among the possibilities. Don't really know how it would do it but it is a common factor among the failures.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

And Smelly would look at the pile and go "You got ten bucks cash? Gonna be $20 if you wantta write a cheque"

My favorite one was cash on the barrel head only, if the old man would charge me at all. His "junk yard" was really just part of his farm where he collected old vehicles.

All I had to do was help him move some heavy things he couldn't move by himself and then sit down under the maple trees in his front yard, have a glass of iced tea and listen to his stories. I learned that the longer I sat and listened to his stories, the more likely it was that he would say ...... ah, just take that stuff ......


humfrz

[BRZnut]

Originally Posted by JERM^

So update guys... for some more complex diagnostic.

So it is a day and a half after the video was shot. Saturday 12:30PM and before I go put another battery in, I tried to start it again. Car did not move at all, opened the door, got in, clutch, push button. 0 problems, 0 hiccups. Battery didn't even struggle to start the car. Everything was normal.

My thoughts: Battery charge LEVEL is probably fine. The slow drain (if it even exists) probably not the reason now.

Variables 1: It is much warmer at noon than that night, battery may have more power?

Or simply as everyone says, connections? However since I am so noob at this, would a loose connection behave like this? That everything works but somehow when a strong current runs though it suddenly cuts?

yes, and the first connection I would check is at the battery, if you haven't already. Are the battery connections tight? Any corrosion seen? (if so clean it up)

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by JERM^

..........
Or simply as everyone says, connections? However since I am so noob at this,

For cryen out loud JERM^, take your car up to a local automotive shop and let them sort it out. Then, ask them what they did to "fix" it. That would be your learning experience for the day .....


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

For cryen out loud JERM^, take your car up to a local automotive shop and let them sort it out. Then, ask them what they did to "fix" it. That would be your learning experience for the day .....

Maybe JERM is teaching us.

[JERM^]

Originally Posted by humfrz

For cryen out loud JERM^, take your car up to a local automotive shop and let them sort it out. Then, ask them what they did to "fix" it. That would be your learning experience for the day .....


humfrz

LOL the reasoning behind all these confirmation: I wanted to narrow the diagnostic as much as I could because I am still trying to get the dealership to "solve the problem" for me IN CASE it is some other electrical problem, after turning me away twice for the same problem.

Anyways been a busy day will clean them up tomorrow and see if anything goes wrong. Thanks for the help guys.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by JERM^

LOL the reasoning behind all these confirmation: I wanted to narrow the diagnostic as much as I could because I am still trying to get the dealership to "solve the problem" for me IN CASE it is some other electrical problem, after turning me away twice for the same problem.

Anyways been a busy day will clean them up tomorrow and see if anything goes wrong. Thanks for the help guys.

PS - Every automotive tool box should have one of these .......


humfrz

[e30kawi]

I've had this issue in the past, where the car won't crank one minute and the next it will. One time was a bad connection at the solenoid and a couple other times the solenoid was on the way out.

It's my understanding that once the solenoid goes bad or starts to go bad, it will or can try to draw twice the cranking amps as it normally would, making it seem like a weak battery.