Well, at least it's a different Olds this time! My in-laws are in town and expecting to leave in the morning. But, when leaving our house to go back to their motel for the night, their car wouldn't start; the underhood light just went dim and the solenoid ( I think ) made the chattering sound we're probably all familiar with. It started after taking a short jump and got them to the motel just fine. Over the telephone, though, I was advised that it wouldn't start again. The in-car voltmeter reads a little on the high side of normal, but it's still in range ( key on, engine off ). I was also told that on the drive to the motel, the meter read around 14 volts. Again, I was not there to observe what the vehicle was doing - that's my plan for the morning. My thinking is that the starter is getting tight when hot, and needs more amperage available to turn it. An attempt to start it cold in the morning should indicate this, right? Also, are there any other ideas anybody might have? Vehicle is a '96 Olds Bravada with a 4.3l v-6, every power accessory known to man ( so probably the highest output alternator available) and unknown mileage. Any help I can get before heading over in the morning would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Chris

 

check the cables for corrosion and clean if any, but just sounds like a junk battery to me might take it out and go have it tested.

 

Is the battery original? If it is, it's wasted and way overdue to be replaced. As Bejay said, check for a poor connection too.

Does it take a jump? If it does, it's probably a bad battery. Just do an alternator output test as I have in my "The Basics" below to check the alternator to be sure.

Tell us what you find.

 

No, the battery was not OE, but neither was it a high-end replacement. Showed 12.5 volts just sitting, but turning the key to "on" made that around 9 volts. Connections were tight and clean when I took the cables off to remove the battery. Took it to the source ( our local Wal-Mart ) and they made good, even without the receipt. In-laws are now back on the road headed home - battery was the fix. Thanks yet again for all you do! - Chris

 

Good job.