Several Cranks before starting

[rodneydiller]

Hello. I go to crank my car and it does a 1/2 second crank and nothing more. I do this 3-4 times and then it starts as usual like it never had a problem. I looked at my battery/connections and nothing looked loose and the posts were clean. Hope to go somewhere and get battery tested tomorrow...could it be the battery? When I've had a bad battery in the past, my strongest crank was the first turn of the key...not the fourth. I guess my only question is from what I've described, could it be anything but a starter? Thanks for your help.

[maxnix]

Could be your battery, but what kind of car do you have?

You are not engaging the accelerator are you? Is this only for an absolutely cold start, not a hot restart, or vice versa?
Modified by maxnix at 9:59 PM 4/6/2005

[rodneydiller]

sorry. 96 Q. I'm not hitting the gas or anything. Just turning the key like I always have. I'll get battery tested tomorrow. I thought since the engine turns over on the 3rd or 4th try, that it wouldn't be the battery... guess I figured each unsuccesful crank would drain battery and chance of starting on 4th try would not be high. Hope this clears my situation up. Thanks for any input.

[maxnix]

And the anwer to the second question is?

[DAEDALUS]

Quick check--measure the voltage before and during cranking. Should be ~12.6V and >10.0V, respectively. Any less, and the battery is probably gone. Weak alt? Maybe, maybe not.

[metaverse3]

I cannot place your question.. When you mention a half-second crank, is the car giving up after half a second of cranking itself, or, are you just giving the ignition half second and expect a start ?

For the first scenario, I would check the battery, alternator, and starter itself. For the second scenario, I would check the fuel system. Leaky injectors can cause a hard start when fuel dribbles down the wall of the cylinders flooding the plugs and delaying the start.

[Jesda]

Alternator failure is unlikely. Possible, but unlikely. Have one of the guys at Autozone plug in one of those meters (free).

If you end up needing a new battery, be sure to charge it overnight BEFORE you install it.

[Q451990]

Still sounds like a connection issue, or possibly a starter relay? Try loosening the battery connections, moving them around a bit, and retightening....

Heath

[gniknave]

I had this problem last month (though mine is a 90 Q).

Along with the starting troubles, I also couldn't rev the car past 3000rpm. I traced the problem to my crank position sensor. A wire had come loose causing it not to start on the first few tries.

The other time I had this problem, I had blown the 75amp main fuse.