1955 President Speedster. Turned the ignition switch to start and the car attempted to start as normal. Because the car had not been started for several days it sputtered and quit (this is normal). I then tried to restart the car. Normally it does take two attempts. However, there was no electrical power for the second attempt. There was no power to any electrical component (starter, horn, lights, etc). It is not the battery, the battery is less than 6 months old. I think it is a master fuses or relay, but cannot find a fuse block or master relay in the car or the wiring diagram. Do you have any suggestions?
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Unless the car has been modified, there is no master fuse or relay. It's not at all uncommon for battery posts to grow a layer of lead oxide that acts as a perfect insulator. Job #1 is to remove the battery terminals, and clean both the outside of the post, and the inside of the terminal with a good battery terminal cleaning tool. Lacking such a tool (which should be in every old car nut's toolbox, because they are cheap), a pocket knife or sandpaper will do an adequate job. If that fails to solve your problem, examine the battery cables inch-by-inch, paying especially close attention to the terminals. Many older cars now have clamp-on terminals installed in lieu of the originals, and corrosion can also build up between the wire strands and the clamping device.
If verifying and cleaning the battery cable terminals does not help, find the point where the main power feed to the car is taken off, usually the "hot" side of the starter solenoid, and make sure that wire is sound. A test light will help you trace the power from there to the ammeter, voltage regulator, and ignition switch.Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands -
Most total electrical failures, (providing that the battery is OK), are due to loose corroded battery terminals and that's the place to start troubleshooting first...Originally posted by billwaergo View PostComment
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Thank you for your reply. However, the battery is less than 6 months old and I am sure it is not the problem. The first time I tried to start the car it started just fine. Sounded normal power crank. It did not continue to run because of lack of fuel (normal after the car has set for several days. The second time I started the car it was dead, no electric to anything.Comment
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Never be sure that the battery is not the problem, six months old or not.Comment
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Well, when troubleshooting something like this, you have to be methodical. Simply assuming a part is good because it is new can lead you astray. For that matter, do check the battery. The modern "hard top" style has inter-cell connectors which are simply a spot weld between two lead tabs through a hole in the cell wall. Those spot welds can fail abruptly, and when they do, your battery voltage goes to near-zero. The break might pass enough juice to illuminate the dome light. Or not. And a bump to the battery might close the gap, and it will start the car again, until the next bump opens the gap again. I have seen this type of failure with my own eyes.Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta BadlandsComment
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Please go back and read gordr's response #2. He was pointing you more to bad cable connections than to the battery itself. Although a battery can certainly die suddenly for a variety of reasons, your symptoms match exactly a bad battery cable connection(s).Originally posted by billwaergo View PostSkip LackieComment
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Whether the battery is new or not-take it down to your supplier, have it load tested, if it proves to actually be ok, then proceed. New cables, if they have been connected to a battery at all for any time they corrode inside the plastic covers. With new clean cables and connections, then if still no starts, use a jumper across solenoid big posts, starter works. Turn your attention to the ignition switch and solenoid. Either can go bad with no warning. My best guess though, bad contact of the cables, ground or frame to engine ground strap, arcing on first try and working but now too dirty to carry current. I have, in the last year returned 2 batteries, less than one year old, all fully charged and showing 12 volts, hygrometer readings of fully charged, but only had 50 amps output under load. All replaced at no cost, one for my Avanti, and my 99 S10--!!!Comment
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A series of voltage drop tests will root out the culprit(s) pretty darn quick.
Cleaning the electrical connections is good maintenance, but reaching all the connections "just because" can be a very frustrating chore.
AND cleaning would not fix a problem like a cable with internal defects, which a voltage drop test would identify in less than 10 minutes.Comment
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