NewWorldYota

my "new" 94 3vze has started throwing trouble my way for the past month.
first it was the oil leak and pressure drop, then it was warped calipers,
next it was windows and lighting and now it refuses to start.
long story short, when i try to crank it, it just clicks and stays asleep.
i thought it was a dead battery because it still seems to have just enough juice
to turn the starter every once and a while, very reluctantly and with a lot of struggle.
i would hate to take the starter out and get it tested only to find out its in proper working order
(which has happened before)
so heres my question: should i just shell out 100$ for a new interstate battery?
or is there anything i can do to diagnose and and/or get closer to the real issue?
ive been in danger of losing my job because i cant get to the site in time every day,
and i could really do with some knowledge!

thanks in advance and keep on truckin

Kiroshu

-Check Battery.

-Check battery terminals/connections for damage/corrosion/proper fastening.

There are lots of tools/testers to check batteries.

*Battery Testers*

*Multi-meter*

*Get a friend to jump you off*

*A loaner battery*

NewWorldYota

Well ive tried to jump it but it doesnt seem to work,
ive been forced to park on slopes where i can clutch start it by myself.
What im hoping to find out is if the battery has a problem with a heavy load like powering the starter?
It seems to lose a bit of charge overnight but nothing it wouldnt be able to start on normally.
I actually replaced the ground from the terminal to the chassis and it started sluggishly about twice.
So tommorow ill take the batt to autozone and have them test it but im pretty sure ill end up with a new interstate anyway.
Letshope it solves the problem, but if you or anybody can think of anything else itd be great to get a sort of head start.
Thanks for that quick reply kiro! Im jealous of your 88 btw

Kiroshu

Punchy

Break bolts loose and retighten on starter to make sure good ground.
Same with the ground cable.
Also check the starter relay (you can test swap it with one of the other except the EFI).

NewWorldYota

So i checked the starter relay, looks good,
didnt get a chance to swap it with my buddys yet.
I did swap with his battery and after the second attempt to start, the electrical popped and shut down.
Key was turned to on and it acted as if there were no battery.
Got old batt back in and had power again, still no start.
Must be a short in either the batt wires, starter relay or bridged connection on starter..
Thats all i can think of, anything else i could check??