Dead battery

[Mr. Tasty]

So we got some good rain here in Arizona. I figured I would go play around in it with the eta. It was parked outside and was pretty soaked. Go to start it, dead battery. Tries cranking very slowly. So i go to jump it, still doesn't start. Battery is only 1.5 years old. Should I be checking fuses?

[spike68]

if its a fuse, i dont think it would be cranking at all. go get the battery checked at an advanced auto or autozone to see if its that. I know its not that old, but batteries can become defective prematurely sometimes. Its rare, but it can happen.
you could also try and waiting til it dies and see if its the same issue.

[Mr. Tasty]

It sounds like it is full of the electrolite, not sure if that matters. It is a bosch so it has a 3 year warrenty. It just didn't seem battery related.


Edit: Tried jumping without battery and same symptoms...

[Mr. Tasty]

checked the starter relay. It looks fine. Could it be a dead starter?

[e30Villain]

checked the starter relay. It looks fine. Could it be a dead starter?

Dead starters usually make a pretty noticeable clicking noise.

[AndrewBird]

Check the ground strap on the engine. It connects from the frame rail to the oil pan on the drivers side of the car.

[Mr. Tasty]

does it need replacing? It has a somewhat green residue

[SmokeE30]

ive seen worse ones that worked fine, its usualy just when it is loose or not connected that it will cause a no start, have you checked what voltage your getting at the starter terminals compared to at the battery, i would check what the battery is putting out against what you get at the power block on the firewall and also against whats at the starter terrminals

[Mr. Tasty]

I am thinking it's a short between the starter. I tried jumping from the firewall and no such luck

[jlevie]

If the battery is deeply discharged, a jump start may not work until the donor vehicle has charged up the battery. It can take 15-20 minutes of charge time with the donor running at 2000-2500rpm.

[Mr. Tasty]

I will give that a try, thanks