car wont start

[97rs]

well today i went to start my car, and it was dead. it wouldnt turn over or nothin. it has been doing this off and on for a week or so, but if i wait 10-20 seconds it will start up. now it is completely dead. if i try and start it, the dinging noise the car makes (when the key is in the ignition) will stop and i cant lock or unlock or turn my lights on. if i wait a couple hours, the dinging noise will come back, but only until i try to start it. what the heck is wrong? oh, also every time it hasnt started in the last week (probably 3 times at most) the trip counter thing on the odometer resets itself.

[99CamaroV6]

I think you have a weak/dead battery.

I remember one time while it was going when you start the car it wouldn't start with one turn of the key. When it did start all the gauges would peg to their max values, the trip/odometer would read 8888888888 and then reset the trip to zero and that was that. I had it checked and the battery was only giving out 10-11 volts which I think is kinda low.

[96_V6_Fbody]

A car should be able to start on 11 volts. It might be your cables. Are they corroded. Or maybe stripped. Might wanna check em out.

[camarofan]

It's more than likely your battery. A battery can hold 11-12 volts and still be bad, it's a matter of amperage. Abattery can show voltage, but if it doesn't have enough amps it won't stand up to the load of the starter. You can go about it a few ways, if you have a charger charge the battery and then take it into autozone or somewhere like that and have them do a load test, or you can replace the battery and take the car to the same place and have them do a complete start/charge test. I'd say it is more likely the battery though.

[97rs]

ok im a retard [img]graemlins/dunce.gif[/img] first i put the battery charger on it and it had plenty of voltage. so i checked the connectors on the battery and one of them was loose. so i tightened that and it started right up! [img]graemlins/dunce.gif[/img]