I have a new battery and ground wire and all the lights and radio will come on but when i try to start the car, everything goes dead and it will not start
Answers from the Automotive Experts
Jane,
Thank You for writing into AskPatty!! To address your concern; you may need to have your alternator tested. You battery is a sole function for starting your vehicle, to keep it running the alternator is used. When you have a faulty alternator, possibly from a worn stator, this can prohibit your vehicle from staying running.
Hope this helps!!
A. J. Valle
Hi Jane!
This sounds like you still have a bad connection either on the positive or negative cables (provided the battery is fully charged) I would recommend performing a voltage drop test across both cables then I would check and clean all connections, and measure voltage actually getting to the starter. Once these tests are done I am sure the problem will be found.
Good luck and thanks for your question!
Judy
Dear Jane,
Sounds like you have just enough juice to power accessories but not enough to start the vehicle. If you have a meter, put it on Volts and check the battery with the key off. You should see 12.6, if not, you need to charge the battery. Also check all the connections to make sure they are tight. Check at the terminals and at the ground.
If you can jump the vehicle take it back to where the work was done. They should be able to diagnose your problem.
Lori Johnson
www.ladiesstartyourengines.com