1988 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham?

  • Thread starter Thread starter inaijrud
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inaijrud

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My boyfriend recently replaced his battery, alternator, & water pump with Brand new parts, but now the car wont start at all. The horn blows, powerlocks arent working, but the lights still come on. We took the alternator back to the store (because we were riding somewhere & the car just cut off, but since the horn & lights kept working we assumed it wasnt the battery) & they tested it & said it was fried basically, even tho it was brand new. They replaced it & we drove home. Two days later, same thing!! Car wont start.. Theres a mechanic around the corner who looked at it & said the starter may be the problem.. Does this sound like a problem with a starter?? I've had a car that needed a new alternator that did the same thing. He's also had to change the fuses a couple of times. Could it be the electrical wiring? We really want to restore the car, & have put money into it, but we are thinking about selling it if cant resolve this problem. Its been about 2 months of dead ends now.. Please help!!
It was turning over at first, just a click noise (one click) like it was possible to start it. Now, it doesnt turn over at all, it seems as if the battery is totally dead, but the horn & lights still work. Also, if he gets a jump it will crank, but only after the cables sit on a LONG time, like the battery has to do a lot of charging up first.. But when he turns it off, same thing all over again..
 
Sounds like a wire is shorting out. I would have agreed with the starter had you not said anything about the blown fuses a couple of times. It could still be the starter but I think there's a wire touching and shorting out somewhere (could be in the starter solenoid). Take the starter in and have it checked. Check the plug that plugs into the alternator. The inside of the plug could be bad. Which fuses keep blowing? Use that information to head you in the right direction. I might also suggest going to the local auto parts store and purchasing a repair manual ( Haynes, Chilton's, or Mitchell) are all good manuals and are a must have for restoring this car. They are loaded with troubleshooting information, wiring diagrams, as well as how to test a lot of things yourself. GOOD LUCK!!
 
If it won't turn over at all, then it probably is the starter.Although you may get lucky and only have a bad hot(+) wire connection (corroded or frayed wires, etc) to the battery,but whoever installed it should have noticed this.If it does turn over but just doesn't start, it could be the control module.When it goes out or has a loose wire connected to it, the car will just die, as if you turned off the key.Sometimes it will re-start and sometimes it won't.Hope some of this helps.Good luck.
 
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