From SLOW cranking to NOooooo cranking.......

[cptnsolo77]

Been having some issues with the Vibe cranking very slowly since cold wheather came in. On Friday it started up in the morning slow, then I stopped off in Walgreens and when I got back in the car it didnt crank up at all (heat soak??) I then got a jump start from a very freindly police officer & she cranked & fired up.The battery is 2 1/2 years old and in South Florida batteries dont last too long due to hot wheather. So im thinking the battery is weak so it may be having trouble cranking due to cold wheather. Cold meaining 40 degrees F. So I....*Replaced battery under warranty. New one has 540 CCAs *Cleaned off battery terminals, ground cables to chassis & block. Didnt notice any bad connections or frayed cables.Today car started up this morning very slowly again, but fired up. I checked the alternator from across the battery terminals & these are the voltage readings:Engine off 12.5 VEngine Idle 14.1VEngine Idle with high beams on & blower motor on high 14.1VSo the alternator checks out. I then shut off the car and tried starting up again, but no dice. Car doesnt crank I have dashboard lights beeps & all. Same exact thing that happened to me on Friday. So I try a boost from my other car & but no crank. I get the dashboard lights but no cranking. I rechecked the battery: 12.5V. I then tapped on the starter and tried to crank it over & nothing but dash lights & beeps.So that leaves me with the started solenoid & OR starter. I found the starter relay behind the flip out storage tray but cant seem to get it out. It is clearly marked starter relay, so I know I got the right one lol. Does it have tabs on it or do I pull it straight out? Its really tight in there & hard to see so I dont want to yank it out & break any tabs. My arm is literally shaped in a "hook" postion. I found how the test the starter relay through Sublimes Service manual link....if only I can get the relay out. HELLLLPPPPPP!!!!!.....LOLAlso, is the starter relay like a fuse? where its either good or bad? Or can it degrade over time & give me a slow cranking symtom & then crap out?

[star_deceiver]

Sounds like a dying battery... or some of the cells are low on water...Voltage wise the battery is fine but it just doesn't have the oomph to turn the car over. The heavy load on the dying battery just kills it!

[cptnsolo77]

Thx for the quick reply. I did buy a new battery, but it still cranks over slow. Now Nothing at all. Me confused.

[star_deceiver]

Starter could be fried... but check the relay first. Go to the wreckers and pull one out of another Vibe/Matrix/Corolla and try that first. No sense in replacing an expensive part when a $2 relay fails! ... but while you're there, check for starters and solenoids too!

[dgekiere]

well since you have a new battery that leaves like 2 or 3 other things it could be.positive wire to starter starter or ground from engine to batteryif you have a volt meter you can check the wiringyou will want to check the voltage drop on both sides of the starterfor the positive cable put one lead on the positive post and the other on the b terminal on the starter and have someone try and crank it there should be less than 1v reading on the volt meter. you may want to unplug fuel system relay before doing this to prevent it from starting.for the negative cable put one lead on negatibe terminal on battery and the other end on the starter housing and crank again voltage should be less than 1v.if both wires check out then the starter is pry badto check the starter it helps to have a amperage gauge to see how many amps the starter draws.hope this helps

[cptnsolo77]

Update:Vibe cranked over this morning very slow then fired up. Found it very strange that it sat overnight and cranked over but didnt crank at all during the day. I decided to pull the starter bring it to Autozone to have it bench tested. Turned out it was bad. Picked up another one, dropped it in & cranked over effortlessly on the first try! Had to remove the fan shroud to get access to the starter & the top bolt was a little tricky to find but it was pretty straightforward. Lesson learned this weekend....follow troubleshooting steps & DONT skip over ANY steps. If I would have WAITED & had the alternator tested the next step would have been the starter. Instead I took a chance THINKING the battery would have solved the problem without veryfying if the alternator was working correctly. I would have saved myself a day of trouble & 25 bucks would have went towards the starter..... its ok though. It was a learning experience cause I know how to test an alternator myself! Thx for the input guys!

[star_deceiver]

Glad you solved the problem!!!