Hey there, ive been having trouble getting this thing started and im not a genius when it comes to electrical stuff, much less so with cars. I feel likes its obvious but im retarded so any help would be appreciated.
Vehicle is a 78 bronco
>The best i can describe is that when i try to start the car, it will crank for a couple tries, and then the crank slows down to a stop.
>In the process, the battery gets drained so much that it can barely power the dash lights >I basically have to go charge the battery every time i want to try to start it
>Have replaced (and had tested) the battery >Replaced the starter >Replaced the alternator >Replaced voltage regulator >Replaced starter relay/solenoid/whatever its actually called >Replaced and cleaned battery cables and connections
I'm all out of ideas now, and i dont have pictures at the moment.
Ive been awake for a while so if something doesnt make sense ill try to make it make sense
Why the fuck are you bumping a two minute old thread? Have some patience goddamn
Lucas Martin
That bump wasnt me, i dont know who did that or why
Nolan Barnes
"crank for a couple of tries" mean several seconds where its cranking just fine, or just a few individual revolutions of the engine before its nearly out of juice?
Elijah Bell
Uh, the first one i guess? By "crank for a couple tries" i meant tries as in key turns. Its like 10 seconds total spread over a few key turns, slowing down as it goes and stopping eventually.
I forgot to mention that onces it does stop, any further key turns result in buzzing/really fast clicking from the starter relay/solenoid.
Easton Ortiz
What kind of engine, what kind of battery and date of manufacture on the battery?
Nathan Adams
5.8, 351, I guess. Thats all i really know off the top of my head. Ill have to go out and look at the battery real quick
Eli Anderson
All i can get from the battery is: >575 CCA >cranking amps at 32F 720 >part number 26r-3 >reserve capacity 81 a sticker on the side reads 2/16 which im assuming is the manufacture date
Hunter Campbell
Does it start if you jump it from another vehicle?
Dylan Reyes
If i remember correctly, no. I think the same thing happens. Its been a while since ive tried though so i may be remembering wrong.
Grayson Morgan
does it have fuel?
Kevin Sullivan
Yes
Aaron Cox
Dumb ass question ffs.
OP you might have a bad cell in the battery. Do you have brake clean spray? Charge your battery, and give the brake clean a SMALL SHOT into the intake to try to get it to fire faster. DONT OVER DO IT.
If that gets it running, take it to a parts store and they will load test your battery for free. Even a one year old battery if not charged regularly can shit out. Especially since it saw cold during winter of 2016.
Hell 575 CCA is a tad small for a 5.8. I have a 2000 4.8 chevy 1500 and my battery is around 7-800 CCA off the top of my head.
But regardless either you aren't running the vehicle regularly and the battery is shot, or there is an electrical draw somewhere on your bronco that is killing your battery.
Go get it load tested and buy at least a 700 CCA battery.
Charles Reed
Get a photo of it aswell
Angel Evans
I had it tested like 3 times at the same store and they said it was fine, unless there are multiple tests they can do and they're only doing one or something?
I don't think i have any brake clean spray.
I'll go get some pictures but i gotta see if i can find my usb first so i can actualy upload em.
Carson Howard
Also i did have a draw at first, thats why i replaced the voltage regulator, but that was the only cause as far as i know
Noah Wright
Where did you have the battery tested, and how?
575cca is quite low for an engine that big (I run about 1350cca for a 2.5 diesel), and if the battery is slightly broken (dried out cell or something) then you're fucked
From the way you describe it I can't think of anything else than a bad battery
Andrew Peterson
It was tested at advance auto parts, i'm not really sure what they tested it with, some small machine that printed out a paper at the same time it was doing whatever it was that it was doing.
As for the picture, did you mean of the battery or the engine?
Jaxson Butler
so, if you're cranking the engine for ~5-10 seconds with that small of a battery this is expected behavior
>Have replaced (and had tested) the battery >Replaced the starter >Replaced the alternator >Replaced voltage regulator >Replaced starter relay/solenoid/whatever its actually called >Replaced and cleaned battery cables and connections
it's probably not your electrical system to REALLY make sure pull one of your spark plugs and have someone else try to start it so you can verify a good spark then pull a second plug to see if it's wet with gas remember you need 3 things for an engine to fire, fuel+spark+air so long as all of those things are happening and happen at the right time your car will at least attempt to start
Asher Brown
So do i just go down the line and pull each to test it? Or only one or two will work?
I got some pictures of everything, they may suck but the phone i use as a camera is dead and takes forever to charge
Hudson Gonzalez
Here is the relay/solenoid
Also battery is corroded a bit but i clean it off all the time so thats not it, apparently i need to put grease on it to make it stop doing that
Christian Brooks
This one's a mess but maybe it'll be of some help.
Hunter Sanchez
Front picture of the relay/solenoid
Easton Bennett
Listen to what I told you earlier.
Go get a battery with at least 700 CCAs.
WalMart has them for $50-60.
Go.
Now.
Report back as to what the progress is.
Landon Fisher
just pull one, it will probably look dark but shouldn't be all fucked up like most of these
then just look for gas, with as much as you are trying to start it the cylinder and the end of the plug should be wet with gas if it isn't then check fuel line/filter/pump
this might solve the issue if the current battery is not powerful enough to sustain a high enough crank speed long enough
Elijah Williams
I'll go check that now.
Wouldn't it just not turn over if it didn't get gas, as opposed to killing the battery?
Adam Wright
Not the gas poster, but no.
Your fuel pump probably isn't getting a lot of juice either as your starter is eating most of what little juice you have available, therefore not making pressure and delivering the correct amount of fuel.
Stop listening to that dipshit and go get a different fucking battery holy fucking shit.
Jace Brooks
your cranking the engine over and over killed your small battery
Daniel Mitchell
I've heard way too many stories about batteries being "tested" fine and still being shit
Buy a brand new battery, as big and as high performing as you can get. The higher CCA and AH the better. This sounds to me like a case of a small battery that is also fucked
You're running a battery that, when new, had 575-ish CCA. A modern, small car is often found with a battery with maybe even a bit over 600cca - and thats for a 2 litre engine or similar. Its a battery that is baaarely sufficient if you live in a very hot place and you drive longer distances... but just barely
Get a new, strong battery and I guarantee you the problem is gone. Does it run alright when it starts?
Xavier Russell
It seems to run fine, save for a a couple of times when it just shut off as i was moving (i wasnt on the road, so there wasn't any real danger), though i was able to just turn the key back and start it again.
Nolan Cook
>batteries being "tested" fine and still being shit those battery tester machines basically just test the voltage under a load and most of the time it's only ~100 amps for a few seconds
Nicholas Thompson
I want to add that you're retarded. He has an almost two year old battery with 575 CCAs on a 5.8 V8. Battery isn't maintained or charged regularly at all, let alone through winter months. Battery dies after seconds of cranking and you want him to check the fuel filter?
You're a fucking moron. Where do you even get this shit? Are you 19? Did you just talk to the guy at VatoZone for 17 minutes and now you feel smart? Fucking shut the fuck up. It's dipshits like you that can't do deductive reasoning to determine a problem that make my life hell when I have to work with your kind.
Not to mention the poor people that bring you their cars at a shop and pay for your 3 days of "diagnostics" because you don't have a dash of mechanical reasoning and knowledge.
Fuck you.
Hunter Torres
Yeah that's a good damn sign of a bad battery. Sometimes they get fucked and won't take a charge.
I swear to god if you don't have at least a 700 CCA battery in the next 5 posts I'm going to find your fucking Ford and turn it into a pile of ash.
Michael Perry
Doesn't it run off the alternator while running and not the battery?
Its already a pile of rust, ash isn't going to hurt it much.
Benjamin Morgan
I'd like to note that he actually has the proper battery size for his car, 22F and according to the internet original equipment was 575 CCA
wait, so you can start it and it runs for awhile?
Isaiah Walker
Also, CCA is just for cold weather, isnt it? 720 is the amps for everything above 32 F unless im retarded
No not anymore. It was running for a month or so and then this started up.
Brayden Brooks
The alternator keeps the battery charged while the vehicle is running. The car runs off of the battery.
If the battery is fucked and not taking a charge then it won't work.
Go get a fucking battery.
I'm not talking out of my ass.
Luke Cooper
Yes that's when you found the electrical drain right?
(Just go get a FUCKING battery you nigger oh my god)
Ryder Watson
a car with a good alternator will run indefinitely with a dead battery provided you can start it the only reason it would quit is if the alternator wasn't putting out enough power
if the alternator put out less electricity than what the car required to run you would eventually run the battery flat from just driving the car for too long
Tyler Sanders
Timing too far advanced? Try running vac advance off of manifold vaccum and see if it helps. You'll also have to adjust initial to compensate, but it should idle cooler and smoother.
Brody Clark
Please tell me you think that Bronco boy has a bad alternator.
Please. I need to laugh after seeing white from anger at the fuccboi who suggested fuel pump
Justin Brooks
Yes OP this is the solution as to why your battery dies within seconds of you turning the key and cranking the engine.
Ian Myers
No i found and fixed the drain a while ago.
Also i don't have the means to go and get a battery at the moment and nobody is available to take me.
I don't know if you saw the thread title but i am stupid and don't know what any of that means.
Caleb Morgan
No, but too much advance at idle will cause hard cranking and huge power draw as the starter tries to overcome it.
OP, does it crank slowly, or quickly before it dies? If the starter sounds labored, this could be your issue.
Ryder Jones
Look it up if you are going to be dealing with a car of this vintage. Carbeureted engines aren't that complicated, and a lot of the concepts cross over with modern engine management as well.
Austin Cox
Okay well fair point. Didn't know that. Get off of here because there are nothing but fucking idiots throwing out stupid shit such as When you are available to get a battery do it. Then make a new thread and update us.
Please. Leave this one. You're going to get all screwed up if you keep listening to these fucking idiots.
Daniel Peterson
here's a wiring diagram for a 78 ford bronco
see how the battery is a "dead end" nothing flows "through" the battery and the battery could be fucking removed from the car while it's running without making a bit a difference to the engine
Thomas Russell
It's as i said, it cranks normally and slows down over each key turn, eventually stopping because the battery is dead
Daniel Flores
Timing is a valid reason for the battery to be drained while cranking. Nowadays people just buy parts left and right, no matter if they can fix the actual problem without buying parts.
Jeremiah Brooks
I'm not really sure how to look something like that up.
Eli Harris
>He can't see where the alternator is tied into the battery positive cable providing a battery charge
Also that "dead end" is a fucking ground you stupid faggot.
OP these are the kinds of people you are dealing with here.
Leave. Buy a battery. Drive your bronco.
Jayden Richardson
yes, the alternator charges the battery and how would removing the battery sever a connection between alternator and distributor/accessories?
also, everything on that diagram is grounded
Joseph Moore
If i wanted to sit there and read a bunch of shit i wasn't familiar with I'd just keep googling and wouldn't have bothered to make a thread about it.
I've been awake for a long ass time so that doesn't help either.
Lincoln Anderson
Just want you to know that I'm saving that diagram and taking a screen shot of your post to show my co workers and laugh at tomorrow night.
Do you know what a "B terminal" on an alternator is?
Do you know how anything works?
Will you lose good boy points for being a fucking moron?
Carter Taylor
No, but by not actually learning what the problem is, you're going to stay ignorant. And next time something simple goes wrong, you will just make another thread about it and still be just as stupid.
What is it with millennials that makes them not want to learn how anything works?
here are four random youtube videos I found of people removing batteries from cars while they are still running
Xavier Ramirez
To be fair i've been trying to figure this out but all existing threads on this kind of thing are about slightly different issues or contain info that i've already tried and had no success with.
It also doesn't help when people use weird slang terms and abbreviations of things as i'm trying to learn.
Half of this threads' posters are already arguing and insulting each other, let's try not to keep that going.
Oliver Butler
Then agree to go buy a battery and leave the thread dude.
Jack Bennett
My plan was to try other things in the absence of a means to get a battery, on the off chance it's something else.
I am a desperate fool and i'd rather not dismiss anything that could be remotely useful.
As of right now i am trying to figure things out about timing and vaccums and initials and such.
Isaac Fisher
Threads aren't the end-all-be-all of information.
Learn what does what on a car, then it will be infinitely easier to figure out what's wrong. If you learn the terms people abbreviate, you will understand the abbreviations.
We can't diagnose and fix your car for you, kid. Get off of your ass and find out what's actually wrong.
Start with a battery, and if that doesn't fix it, check and clean your connections. If that doesn't work, check the timing. One of those WILL fix your issue.
Jack Morris
I have done two of those suggestions, did you read? Obviously I am in the process of figuring this out, no amount of insults will push this along faster.
>we cant diagnose you car
You were literally helping me do just that earlier
I'm not trying to run a flame war here so i may just abandon the thread for now as the battery guy suggested
Thanks all for your help.
Adrian Martinez
if you do go get a new battery yours is likely still under warranty and should be replaced at no cost
Samuel Clark
are you going to print out these video's as well? to take to your fake job? and laugh with your fake friends? sad!
Luke Mitchell
I'm going to side with the user calling you an idiot. Get on Wikipedia and search for "alternators" and then start reading until you understand.
John Ortiz
what witchcraft is this?!
Michael Powell
Wow great child. Go ahead and take your battery out, turn your lights and radio on, and drive around. Tell me how long you can drive for before you've smoked your alternator you dipshit.
Christian Howard
Is it called a "charging system" or a "when running you don't need The battery at all cause the alternator totally doesn't rectify voltage to the battery to keep it charged so it can supply the voltage necessary to run all of the electronics on a vehicle" system?
Jacob Foster
>Tell me how long you can drive for before you've smoked your alternator you dipshit. as long as you have gas?
if anything you are removing load from the alternator by not having to charge it
again, if you draw more electricity than your alternator put out you would constantly be killing batteries actually it's called a voltage regulator
Jayden Foster
have a 78 f150 with same engine. i had to run two batteries parallel to keep them from dying. it is a big problem.
just make sure they are the same size. also clean your carb, make sure your timing is correct.