> the voltage across the resting battery is 12-13 volts. i clean the posts
> before when i had this problem so i dont think thats it. i broguht the
> battery before to auto zone for them to test it and they chartged it and
> refilled the fluids and said it should work.
Justin, your battery may well be OK, but I sure wouldn't take AutoZone's
word for it.
A few years back, the battery in my Chevy started to fail. I took it to Pep
Boys (a west coast chain very similar to AutoZone) to be replaced under
warranty (3 yr old battery with a 5 yr warranty). They put it on their
tester while I watched, it said the battery was OK. Less than a week later,
it would not start the car at all, even after being charged overnight, so I
went back again. This time, their tester said it needed to be charged, even
after they charged it.
If you are certain the battery has been charged (and 13 volts at rest would
indicate that it is fully charged), but the engine still cranks faster with
jumper cables connected at the battery, the problem almost has to be the
battery itself, or the connection between the clamps and posts.
> as for the alternator and
> starter, what should i check and how? this is my first car so im just
> starting out here
Check the battery voltage with the engine running at fast idle, after a
short drive. If it's 14 volts or so, then the alternator is almost
certainly not the cause of your slow cranking.
Testing the starter really requires an ammeter capable of reading it's
current draw, I think you can buy these for around $50. I've never bought
one, instead I would substitute a known good battery (borrow one from a
friend if you don't have another vehicle) and check the voltage at the
battery terminals while cranking. If your starter will suck a warm good
battery below 10-11 volts at the terminals, it's drawing too much current.
Or, you could just pull the starter and inspect it. High current draw is
usually (not always) a result of internal rubbing between the armature and
field coils, which will be very obvious when you get it apart. The solution
may be as simple as new bushings.
Randall
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