Need help car won't start

ivan12 · Apr 2, 2010

I swaped my headers today, I finally got everything together. I looked the car over and under 3 times. When I turn the ignition on everything lights up, gauges, lights, etc. But when I try to crank it, the car looses all power, I have to unhook the battery for the car to get power again. Any ideas? I did plug up the EGR, but that's the only electrical thing I did to the car

sn95gtvert · Apr 2, 2010

is the terminal on the back of the alt good n tight??

CC'S95GT · Apr 2, 2010

ck your battery cables and grounds. and the connection on the starter.

ivan12 · Apr 2, 2010

The alt connection is good, I'll check the starter next. But why do you guys think it goes dead? It's like if I unhook the battery when I try to crank it.

CC'S95GT · Apr 2, 2010

It goes dead because the batt pwr isn't getting to the source and is being used up by the loose cable end. Corrosion inside of the insulation will do the same thing. Electricity doesn't flow through paint or grease either.

You can use a makeshift (jumper wire) by using 1 half of a pair of jumper cables.: ie: connect the black clamp to the neg. post on the battery, follow the black wire down to where it is bolted to the block and connect the other end to the of the jumper cable to the bolt. What you've just done is bypass that ground cable with a known good cable. Now try to start the car with the jumper still connected. If it starts you've found the bad cable. If not test another cable. This should work with either the pos or neg cables.

since you just put headers on I'd look around the starter first.

rz5.0 · Apr 2, 2010

check all your grounds. when i was working on my car i forgot one and my car would not start with the lights on. i had to turn the lights off then start the car.

94RockinGT306 · Apr 2, 2010

it definitely sounds like an unhooked ground or untigt connection at the battery or cable somewhere. I had the same thing happen to my park avenue (gotta have a family car too), it wa the ground on the battery , the bolt was stripped and wouldnt tighten up. It would work , but as soon as i tried to crank it, it went dead until i messed with the battery. Go through and check all your connections for loose, stripped , or broken bolts or terminals.