When I try to start my car (78 El Camino), I get a single click and the engine light on the dash lights up, but very dimmly. If it were the battery, I would get no light, if it were the alternator I would get no light. I have no idea of the porblem, but my friend suggested it be the starter, and perhaps even changing the starter solenoid switch would solve it (if it were the starter solenoid switch, that would explain the click so says my friend). Suggestions? Help? I'm getting my license soon so this car needs to be running.

Edit: I took a closer look and discovered that the filament in the dome light barely burns, not even enough to produce an actual light.
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-1978 El Camino- www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html (http://www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html)

[This message has been edited by Westopher (edited 12-02-2002).]

I would think you should explore the battery being the problem. Have it tested which most places will do free of charge. You should at least charge it up fully and then try to start your car. Once fully charged and it still does not start then I would look into the starter components.
Gutz

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1966 ChevelleSS LS-7/4spd
1966 Malibu 396/4spd
1971 RS Camaro 396/4spd
My66Malibu396 (http://pstr-m01.ygpweb.aol.com/data/00C/45/F3/6A/3E/Fpwo3LcZC0Wn9Yq8+EEkNp6cPP6Ti78i0180.jpg)

I don't see how the battery can be a problem if I am getting power, be it little or not. If my auto class at school has taught me anything (and I certinaly hope it did), I'm not getting the connection with the solenoid on the starter motor to get the current flowing to spin that flywheel. So is it possible to be making that connection, not hear something other than a click, and just not have enough power going through?
But yea, I'll take it into a place to get looked at.

EDIT: I just talked to my moms boyfriend, and told him of my little predicament. He said quite surley that it was the battery and that we have a charger in the basement. I'll give the battery a boost and tell you guys what happend.
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-1978 El Camino- www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html (http://www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html)

[This message has been edited by Westopher (edited 12-02-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Westopher (edited 12-02-2002).]

Try to "jump" the starter from underneath the car. BE CAREFUL though. take a bit of wire and touckh the constant power to the switched terminal. If the starter operates, it is most likley the solenoid.

I had the same problem. It seemed like a low/dead battery, but it turned out to be the starter. My headers roasted the solenoid so I replaced the unit and installed a heat shield to protect it from the header heat. Works great now.

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1969 chevelle
built 350/th350
SCCCC member
http://home.earthlink.net/~thebergmans3

It could be the battery. A battery can have power to light up lights but no cranking power. I'd start there by having it tested. (or just pop in another battery if available)

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Bob (Pa.)

1963 Impala 283
1966 Chevelle SS 409
1969 Malibu 307
1972 Malibu 307
1969 C10 stepside 350
1971 Cheyenne 20 3/4 ton
Somebody stop me... :)

Looking for Chevelle or Impala parts? Click here:
Chevelle parts for sale (http://www.angelfire.com/trek/mr409/items4sale.html)

The 348/409 Chevrolet forum
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/187005

All right, I had to buy new battery connectors so the battery is charging as I type this. I'll tell you guys later the story on it when its all done.

Side note: How do I change by password on here? Right now it is a random series of numbers and letters, I want to change it to my standard.

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-1978 El Camino-
www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html

On the header of this page look for the word "profile" and click on it. Just change your password and it will give you an email confirmation. Pretty easy.

Gutz

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1966 ChevelleSS LS-7/4spd
1966 Malibu 396/4spd
1971 RS Camaro 396/4spd
My66Malibu396 (http://pstr-m01.ygpweb.aol.com/data/00C/45/F3/6A/3E/Fpwo3LcZC0Wn9Yq8+EEkNp6cPP6Ti78i0180.jpg)

That's fairly common of a dead/bad battery or loose battery connections.

What happens is that the starter energizes and then the current draw of the starter "pulls" the voltage down because of the bad battery or connections.

If the battery and connections are good the lights should stay at about the same brightness as you try to crank it.

Peter

Here is a quick trouble shooter. Turn the lights on in the car and try to start it, if the lights go out when someone turns the key for you or they are already real dim, look at the batery. If your key turner turns the key and the lights dont blink, look at the starter.

Will

Lights don't go on, but I get an incredibly low electrical surge (a single dash light and the filament in the dome light). Heres why I don't think it's the battery, this car hadn't been run for about a week, so it would have to have drained itself out. Also, no word yet on if charging the battery work, were buying terminals tonight.

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-1978 El Camino-
www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html

Here is what a batery can do. I started my car up one day and drove it down town. I shut the car off and got out to do a few things. 10 minutes later I got into the car and tryed to start it up and nothing. In the drive down town, a cell shorted out and the batery was toast.

Will

Since the starter clicks, the solenoid is engaging the starter but the battery doesn't have enough juice to turn the engine over. It's the battery or the connections.

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1967 Malibu
406 cid / 350 TH
Under Constuction

Still working on all the battery connections. We keep buying parts, then finding out we need another.

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-1978 El Camino-
www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html

I have had this happening to my cars several times, solenoid clicks, lights go dim, and it won't crank. It almost always turns out to be a bad connection somewhere. Especially check where the ground cable connects to the block, for some reason I have had this connector cause problems more frequently than the others. Clean up, use some petroleum jelly to keep corrosion away and retighten.

Also make sure that you really do have a cable between the battery and the engine block, sometimes it gets lost in engine swaps. This happened to me: had a Camaro, and I forgot to install a cable between the engine and the body after swapping the engine, only had a braided ground to the body (trunk mounted battery). The starter current tried to make its way through the only metal connection available, which was the shifter cable, and it got fried almost instantly. A simple problem that caused a lot of headscratching... engine won't crank, shifter stuck, something smells burnt but all wires look good and no fuses popped... what the f**** is going on? Had a good laugh when i found out though.

All the pieces are in. We now have better connection points than before, and a charged battery. It's all good guys. We even solved another problem. It's all better than when I bought it.

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-1978 El Camino-
www.geocities.com/sleepyli0n/MyCar.html