96 bonneville goes clunk once when i try to start


  #1  
Old 08-01-13, 09:48 AM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: usa
Posts: 2
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
96 bonneville goes clunk once when i try to start

check engine light came on and was flashing drove it very easy 2 miles home next morning all i get is a clunk will not turn over at all i checked voltage going to starter was 11 volts checked continuity of negative battery cable had continuity and swapped starters no diff just the clunk as i call it
 
  #2  
Old 08-01-13, 03:56 PM
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 736
Received 24 Upvotes on 19 Posts
Sounds like you need a new battery then get the code(s) read for the CEL
 
  #3  
Old 08-01-13, 03:59 PM
chandler's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 36,607
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
Welcome to the forums! Have you had the battery load tested? Most parts stores will do it free of charge. 11 volts is marginal, and may drop to 6 or 7 once you engage the starter. Voltage that low won't start the engine.
 
  #4  
Old 08-01-13, 07:32 PM
A
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: usa
Posts: 109
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
flashing check engine light means a class (A) misfire capable of damaging the catalytic converter.hopefully engine didnt seize up.take a breaker bar with a socket and try to manually turn the crank.
 
  #5  
Old 08-02-13, 03:56 AM
the_tow_guy's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: SW Fla USA
Posts: 12,236
Received 250 Upvotes on 202 Posts
I would also be checking to see that the engine is not locked up. Get a socket on the crank pulley bolt and try to rotate the engine as Joe suggests; if you have more resistance than simple engine compression you have either an accessory that's seized or the engine is locked up. One possibility would be a blown head gasket; that could have caused the CEL and you may now have a cylinder full of water. Continuing to try to get it to turn over can bend a rod, much more expensive than replacing a blown head gasket.
 
  #6  
Old 08-03-13, 09:44 AM
Z
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: usa
Posts: 2
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
ty for responses

i put battery charger on battery as battery is less than a month old when i got home after 8 hrs still just clunked got up next morning and car started after i brushed the key and wiggled the battery cables so i then replaced the 6 spark plugs and negative battery cable then i tried starting car and once again all i get is clunk now im really at a loss as to what causing it not to start
 
  #7  
Old 08-03-13, 02:29 PM
E
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Posts: 989
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Just another possibility. Your car has an early generation security system on it called Pass Key 2. That one cuts off both the starter relay and fuel supply. Have you tried using a spare key yet? Is there any security light flashing when only the ignition is turned on? Security system issues are just something else to eliminate as the problem. Besides bad keys, that system also sometimes had frayed wires that ran from the key switch down the steering colomn that could cause problems. With your kind of problem all anyone can do is throw guesses at you in hope that enough possible causes will be eliminated and that the real problem will be clear.
 
  #8  
Old 08-03-13, 05:01 PM
A
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: usa
Posts: 109
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
could it be a bad starter motor?have starter tested?just a thought.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: