Electrical issues..... Please help

[cuda72777]

I am having electrical issues and need some help. I lost all power to the car when I tried to start it this morning. I do not have an blown fuses in the fuse box, and cannot find any problems anywhere. My battery is good, but there is no power to the interior of the car. Can anyone help me with what could be wrong? Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Thanks,

Rob

 

[cuda72777]

With further testing, there seems to be a hard draw on the system (a constant draw of 12 volts). I cannot find any shorts in the wiring, and the interior lights will come back after checking multiple connections. Once I turn the key to start the car again, there is a click, then everything goes dead and I have to start over with trying to find what is wrong. I am not sure what to do next.

 

[Turbota6]

I'd say start with the basics. Have you disconnected the battery and checked the terminals for corrosion? I've had this happen on several GM double positive cable connections and once they're cleaned up they are good to go. Also, on that drain you may want to check the power antenna as they are known to break and then constantly run draining your battery. Good luck.

 

[cuda72777]

Thanks for the tips. It seems it was a draw on the starter solenoid. The odd part was that power was killed to the whole car. I have never seen this happen before.

 

[fast400]

There's alot of amps going to the solenoid/starter when you turn the key! Glad you found it.

 

[Quiky One]

Thanks for the tips. It seems it was a draw on the starter solenoid. The odd part was that power was killed to the whole car. I have never seen this happen before.

So the fix was a new starter solenoid? How did you find the problem? How does the negative cable look?

This is good info for all of us as these cars are aging...

Thanks! Jason

 

[cuda72777]

The starter solenoid would lock and there were dirty connections on the solenoid. It would engage but not turn the starter over. When I got power to come back I would turn the key and there would be a click and then all power was lost. The battery cables looked good. All I could find was a dirty connection on the solenoid. It was a low amp draw, and this is the only thing I could find. It is working now, but I am looking to replace the starter now. I would have never thought that it could kill the whole car.

I originally thought it was a connection at the terminal block on the firewall. The lower red cable would have power with the block disconnected, but when I reconnected the block it lost power. I thought the connection through the block was bad, but with a jumper cable attached I lost all power when I turned the key.