so ive got a 94 protege that wont start
couple things I can think of

Battery (replaced but can be bad)
alternator (not charging battery)
starter (not turning over at all)
cables (poor connections)

so my protege wont turn over. I can sit there and hear a couple clicks if any (like power isnt getting the the starter and cap)
then it stops like its a low battery and indicator lights are very dim (CEL, brake, ....)
HOWEVER if I hook my car up to jumper cables from my other car. it will kick over very very easy.
the kicker to this, is when I first got the battery it turned over a couple times but then nothing after it was on for 5 minutes and some high revs to hear the intake.

tell me what you guys think
A: replace all
B: replace starter
C: replace Cables
D: replace battery again
E:replace alternator not charging (weak battery)

 

start by checking your grounding point off of the negative side of the battery. if the battery has just been replaced, i don't think it will be the battery. they usually last one day past the warranty then they crap out, but it might be a good idea to have it tested.

sounds like more of an alternator issue. not the alternator itself but the connections on the alternator. i'd just get under there and poke around the wires on the alternator to see if anything is loose. if not, have the alternator tested to see if it is any good. a very simple way to do this is to jump start the car then disconnect your battery. if the alternator is charging, the motor will keep running. if not, it will die.

finally check your contacts on the starter and see if anything has jiggled loose. this would explain the clicking with no action. i really think that it is just a contacting or grounding problem and not an equipment problem so i would check all of the hot and ground wires on all three of these places.

 

The best thing to do would be to have it all tested. Most places will do this for free, such as Autozone, or Discount Auto Parts. And they have the equipment to check your alternator, battery, and starter.

If you have a volt meter you can do a few tests yourself. With the vehicle turned off check the voltage of the battery, should be around 12.5 volts if fully charged.

Next you can check the starter, have someone try to start the vehicle while you have the volt meter attached to the battery. If you get a clicking and the voltage does not drop, its most likely the starter.

Once the vehicle is running, check the voltage of the battery again, it should be 13.5 to 14.5 if the alternator is functioning correctly. However a shorted battery or completely discharged battery can give you a false reading.

If the battery initialy shows less than 12.5 volts place it on an overnight 6 amp trickle charger.


Josh
Http://www.BohannonBattery.com
"For All Your Battery Needs!"

 

LOL come to find out the negative ground cable was corroded on the inside. didnt even check it. lesson learned. runs like a champ now.