Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Hi all
My buddy has an '07 that recently started doing something I don't quite get. It starts normally 99% of the time. Sometimes though, it starts like the battery is just about dead. Slooooow cranking.

This can happen even after a couple hours of highway so it's not a lack of charge in the battery.

I cleaned the terminals / posts and it was fine for a week. Just now, I heard him outside and again, it barely turned-over at all. I pulled out my phone and recorded this. This time, it did sort-of start but very slowly, as you can hear.

If it's not the battery or terminals, what do you guys think?

Thanks in advance

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

That battery LOOKS like hell.
Has it been load tested?
How low does the voltage drop during cranking?
How many amps does the starter pull when it works normally vs. when it cranks slow?


Many people have needed starters.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

2 hours HWY driving means nothing if battery is too old or if it is not charging

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

I don't even have a meter... I can only report observations, unfortunately

But if it starts NORMALLY 99% of the time (cranks quickly & starts instantly), doesn't that mean the battery is fine? If it always was sluggish turning over, I wouldn't even be posting a stupid question like this.

It's only slow & sluggish very occasionally.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

No.

Test, don't guess.

FYI the little handheld electronic testers most places use nowadays are only about 75% accurate.
A failing report is safe to accept as a fail, but a pass does not always mean it is good.
They can give a passing report on too many bad batteries.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Hmm, how little do I know. I assumed if it turned-over quickly and started instantly all winter long (in Montreal when it's -30 to -40 outside) and now that it's starting to warm-up a little, it starts normally 99% of the time, the battery holding a charge could be ruled out.

I guess I'll tell him to bring it to my mechanic or just buy a new battery.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Or a starter.
You don't think it's a battery problem, toss a starter at it and see what happens

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

When I lived in joliette (close to Montreal), the battery died in the spring, after surviving the winter. Cold is not nice to batteries.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Coincidentally, a guy on my bike forum posted a thread this morning about the same thing on his '08, even after replacing the battery (twice) and his still turns over very slowly

This at least confirms that you can see a slow-cranking starter even when the battery cannot be the culprit. I guess we'll "throw a starter at it" lol.

click

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Testing and diagnosis can help a person throw parts with confidence.:roflmao:

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

I'm still not at ease. I throw like a girl and my aim is sh*t. Prolly just take out the windshield and have one more thing to fix.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Diagnostic aim can be improved by obtaining optical sights:
LOL.

Oh yeah run us down and bad mouth us because YOU don't want to do any real testing.....



It's probably a flaky starter (like I said in my first reply, people have been replacing starters), but without being able to test a few things to help narrow down or rule out possibilities, all we are gonna do here is toss out some guesses.

I've seen some weird issues caused by batteries though..

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Baha
Run you down? You should hang out on gixxer.com for a while.... you have NO idea lol.

I'm trying to google the various ground connections to check before I start damaging paint or glass by hurling 20lb parts at the car.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Increase efficiency with the parts cannon

Attachment 113909




I've posted this so much that Google image search is finally linking this forum to the pic LOL

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Battery neg cable goes down to the body

A couple inches away from that is a cable from body to transmission

(see pic below, both connections can get pretty cruddy with corrosion)

Another cable runs from the passengers strut tower area to the engine mount


Attachment 113908

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

That's hilarious lmao

I will see if I can find a bad / loose / corroded ground and hopefully not have to try and find parts-cannon artillery for rent here in Montréal

Thanks ezone

PS: you were the most helpful peep out here when signed-up to help my daughter buy her red '05 coupe last spring. A big cheers to you.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

ezone forgot more than I could ever know, that's just how he is... glad to have him here, truly :)

Bonne chance avec ta voiture, mon ami! :)

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Right arm!

GIS for right arm
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROyOp3JJHH...ven%2Barms.png
LOL

Good gravy, how many languages do you speak?

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Yeah, I'm right-handed too so that's pretty-much what I looked like as a teenager in the 80s, until I got my first girlfriend.

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Pareillement. Il me fait plaisir de rencontrer un autre frenchie ici sur l'interwebz - cheers

Re: Intermittent slow-cranking (with video)
 

Hahaha, je ne suis pas frenchie, je suis un japonais-brasilienne :)

J'ai vivre au Quebec pour un anne et demi et je apris un petit peut du francais :) en vraiment, je oubli beaucoup... Ca se fait 6annes que je parti...

Francais c'est mon 5-eme langue :) (pas perfect...)