Hi all.
I skimmed through the forums, and I'm hoping it's just the batter, but then agian, thewre is something that's throwing me off with from that diagnosis.

Anyways, I'm on a 2000mile camping trip with my son, and are currently stuck in Custer SD.

Here is what's been happening.

Sign #1 pointing to the battery; For the last two or three days, starting the car, it seemed like the engine was cranking rather slow, but it's still started. After running for a while, shutting it off and starting again didn't seem sluggish anymore. I measured V on the battery terminals yesterday: 12.11V

Sign #2 its battery; After starting the car today after a 3hr visit at Mt Rushmore, I was getting crackling, buzzing sound out of the radio. Even with the volume all the way down... Like it was running off of not well filtered alternator. The buzzing would go away after a few minutes of running the car.

Sign #3; After Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse, went into town for dinner. After about 1.5hrs of being off, I get in, start the car, and let it run in P for a while as my son is on the phone in the back. Here is the funky stuff: radio is buzzing, revving RPMs up seems to help but as soon as RPMs return to idle, buzzing comes back. Then all of the sudden radio turns OFF and ON by itself, and keeps on doing that about five times, before I turn it OFF, and can't turn it back ON. The seatbelt warning light comes on, even though I was wearing it. Turned ON the fan without AC just to get the air circulation. Whatever lights were on, were dimming in alternating pattern. I figured I'd drive, and maybe it'll go away. It wouldn't let me put it in D.... WTH! Shut the car OFF. Waited a few. Turn key, lights come ON, started clicks, but wont crank.... Try again, same result.... Get out, check V's, it reads 11.3V. Gotto be battery...

Here is what's weird; Found a guy to try to jump me. His got a Chrysler minivan, (newer) with a smaller battery than mine. Still, I figured his van is running, jump cables have good contact, I try cranking, same thing. Starter clicks, but no crank..... Had him rev up, and I tried again. In total tried about 10 times. No go... I'm really worried now.

I really hope it's the battery, but in the past I was still able to have somebody else jump me.

Sorry for the long write up, but I'm trying to give as much info as possible. Again, stuck in a small town, with only two "mom'n'pop" car shops, where anything other than the battery would probably mean I'm here for much longer then desired.

PS
The battery is a 2yr old Duralast.

Thanks!

 

Check the battery cable under the hood on the right hand side, it's often called the false bulkhead. It's a heavy cable going to a post to the rear of the right hand shock tower. That cable can come loose. The plastic panel just pops off, then you need a screwdriver, Philips or maybe TORX, to pull a few screws out, then that plastic panel comes out, revealing the other part of the "false bulkhead" connector.
Also the engine to frame ground strap is also known for corroding. It is under the car on the RH side, and it goes from the frame to the transmission bell housing. Mine was corroded, and cleaning it up with sandpaper fixed my problem.

Now your problem kind of sounds like an alternator from the whining, but it should have cranked with a jump start. Good luck, it sucks being stranded. Keep posting, we'll try to help.

 

Sounds like a loose ground cable like avt007 said...

 

Thanks for reply avt007.

I'm gonna try to locate the "false bulkhead" connector tomorrow morning. Not too familiar with it. I did however clean the ground strap in Nov 2011, thinking it was causing issues with starting back then, which turned out to be "cylinder wash" and after getting it running back then, I've had no other issues.
The alternator was "rewound" in 2008, but when it died, I actually got a message on the dashboard "Battery not charging" or something to that effect. Nothing like that now.

Again, thanks for suggestions.

 

Take with a grain of salt:

It may be a severely clogged (faulty) injector... With the
hood open, did the ticking sound of injectors/
(the valvetrain may make a similar operating sound,
but...) seem louder than usual? And the stereo
EMI (Electromagnetic interferance) sounds
like when I set my phone, with Sat Nav active,
in front of the stereo head unit.

Sorry I am not more help, I hope a battery replacement
will ameliorate some of the problems. I am sure
someone will post something more useful in the next few
minutes.

Good luck,

Ian

 

Had a similar problem out in the Desert in AZ, it was a bad connection on the false bulkhead connection from the Battery to the engine compartment.

 

OK, go to this thread on another site. http://www.lpgforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=11189
Scroll down and you'll see a picture of the engine bay with a guys foot in it. The connector is right by his heel, you'll see the cable running to it. His car is supercharged and right hand drive, but the cable is the same. Hope this helps.

 

Awesome... Thanks for the clarification. I'll get in there first thing in the morning and look around.

This forum was the first place I think of looking at any time I have issues/questions, and you guys don't disappoint!

Thanks again!

 

Avt007 gets the prize!!!!

Bad connection at the "false bulkhead".

Basically the thing melted. I was able to disassemble it, and do some cleaning, and "jerry-rigged" it back. I still needed a jump since the battery dropped to 11.3v. But it started right away with the jump. Let it run for about 10min, revving it up. The connection still gets hot, but it'll have to do for now.

Pics self-explanatory.

 

In the first picture, there is a nut/thread connection under the insulating boot.

One reason it is still getting hot is that there is still a connection with resistance in it ... probably the one that has not been disassembled.

There is no direct surface contact between the leads. The current path is terminal face>nut face>nut thread>stud thread>stud>stud thread>nut thread>nut face>terminal face. So, all of those contact points need to be clean.

 

Ouch! That's ugly. I'd like to take credit, but that info I got from this site. Mine was a bit loose, but not like that! It looks like a nice jury rig job you did.
I'm glad we could all help.

Now get back to camping!

 

Hi
Here is a JPEG I created from the JEPC (Jaguar Electronic Parts Catalog) showing the Starter Cable - LNC3730AA.



Jaguar Retail price is $79.00 - Discounted Price $64.19 --- Used on Ebay about $20.

Jim Lombardi

 

Check alternator

 

Thanks plums...

Today I had some time, (and hardware stores around) to get back in there and see what's going on under the rubber boot on the cable going to the starter. And like you suspected, it wasn't pretty, since the whole stud was still getting hot after I cleaned the exposed part first.





Got some metal brushes, copper washers, and new nuts, cleaned the whole thing and assembled back. Night and day difference. No scorched finger after 1min of running. Bottom line, if anybody else runs into the same issues, make sure you disassemble the WHOLE thing on both ends and clean it good.

 

It's a common trouble spot and a bad design.

You have to really think about it to realise that the current flow is through the threads.

If the cable eyelets had direct contact, that is the cables were both on the same side of the bulkhead, then the current flow would be directly across the contact faces. There would still be some flow through the thread on the nut because of the path from the outside faces of the eyelets but the main path would be directly across the inner faces.

An inline barrel type cable splicer would cure the problem permanently as long as there was sufficient slack to cut the eyelets off.