Car won't start!
 

Hello

I drove the car on friday, and i left it in the garrage until this morning, monday. When i went to go start up the car, nothing happened. I think the battery got drained or something, i didnt have the headlights on or anything. The lights are very dim when i turn them on.

Anyway, when i turn the key to the right, all i hear is this faint noise like a motor is running or something. but the car won't fire. There is no cranking at all. I tried boosting the car, and still nothing happen, can someone tell me some of the things I can check??

The battery is brand new, maybe 3 weeks old.

I have a 87' 300E.

Re: Car won't start!
 

If the battery is completely drained, you may need
to put a good set of jumper cables on,
positive cable first, and run the "donor" car at a good
2,000rpm for fifteen minutes before you even attempt
to start your car. WARNING: when your car does start,
do not remove the cables until you turn on your headlamps, blower motor on high, and maybe your rear window defogger as well. This is to prevent voltage surges in your electronics when your alternator suddenly realizes you have a flat battery as you disconnect the GROUND cable first, then the positive cable.

AND, if your car refuses to start after a major assistance from another car's alternator with good jumper cables, I would suspect a bad connection in your positive cable to starter solenoid, or ground cable to car's chassis. ymmv
Colin

any other suggestions??

Flat Battery
 

Check the electrolyte specific weight, if cell difference is noticeable the battery is deffective with a dead cell. After checking all connections, as per above instructions by Colin, check alternator commutator and replace if necessary.

Clean all electrical connections, including alternator plug, starter, and esp all earthing points, and go from there.

just had battery/alternator problems on two cars a few months ago. This is how I'd proceed:
1) put a battery charger on the battery. 2 amp for 12 hours or 10 amp for 4 hours.
2) take a digital volt meter and check the voltage on the battery - it should be above 12.4 volts. If it is lower - remove the positive terminal from the battery and check again. If the voltage goes up - you have an electrical problem - if it does not - you need another new battery.
3) once you have 12.4 volts or higher on the battery with the positive terminal hooked up - start the car. Check the voltage on the battery again it should be 13.5 volts Minimum to 14.7 volts. - If not you have alternator problems
Try these and report back and I can tell you the next steps.

i've got a 1 AMP charger
does that work?

A i amp charger will work but you may need to charge it for about 10 hours. Don't over charge it. Make sure that all cell have electrolite in them. My battery was losing capacity as it was cranling over a little slowly in the morning until one day it wouldn't start. I remover the battery and charged it. When I went to start the car I lauched the battery,it exploded. This is the first time this has ever happened to me it my many years of tooling around on cars, so be careful.

a one amp charger will work but since it is only a trickle charger - leave it on for at least 24 hours. It is a good investment to get an automatic charger that shuts off when the battery is fully charged. They usually come as a 10 amp fully automatic or a 10amp - 2 amp with a switch fully automatic charger. They run about $35-50. Great investment as if you forget to turn a manual charger off because you got busy doing something else - you won't damage the battery. JDUB had an excellent idea about checking the level of electrolyte first. Up here in cold country it is not a problem, but if you are in an area that is hot a large portion of the year - the elecrolyte will evaporate and lessen the capacity of the battery even causing the plates to warp and destroying the battery. No matter what make of car you own - a cheap digital multimeter and an automatic battery charger are very essential DIY tools. Makes problems like yours a snap to fix.

thanks guys, how do i check the electrolyte?
I have a AC delco battery

Do I have to remove the battery to charge it?

how do i check spark plugs?
where are they?

Car won't start.
 

START SIMPLE!!!
First,
Check to see if the connections for positive and negative cables are tight at the battery! I've found more non-starting problems directly related to that than actual dead batteries.
Next,
I'd remove each of the cables (one at a time) and clean the terminal and the post, then replace the terminal onto the post and make sure that the terminals are snug. Try to wiggle it with your hand after you've attached it.
Next,
Start checking the electrolyte levels (hardly likely with a new battery but who knows) if your battery isn't of the "sealed" variety.
Good Luck! BTW, what type of car is this? (W124; w201; W126 etc.)

yo......87 300E...says below my message.

anyway..its not connection..my mechanic installed it.

anyway.where are the spark plugs.
and the battery is sealed...kind ac delco.
a lot of sticker ****.and stuff
the warranty crap or something

The plugs should be obvious. They are on the right, (psgr), side of the engine. 6 of them in a line near the top of the engine. Each has a wire running to it.

how do i check th em?
i cant seem to pull them out