So it's not my Acura because obviously if it was, it wouldn't be in the "Problems and Fixes" section . I was given a 1991 Ford Escort GT and it has an issue with the starter. The battery is new and when I try to start the car, I loose all power and here one click from the starter. The battery holds it's voltage under load. The car starts right up off a jump... What could cause this? Bad ground, starter, starter solenoid? The car is replacing the Acura as a daily driver (100 miles per day) so I don't want to dump a bunch of money into it. Help! On a more positive note, car still runs like a raped ape. My girlfriend drove the Acura home and she reved on me at a light, I smoked her lol. I had the advantage considering my Acura is an automatic and the Escort is a 5 speed...

 

Moving to appropriate forum...

 

Sounds like a bad battery. If the car starts with a jump, its not the starter. The battery can be bad and have enough voltage to power everything in the car, just not the starter.

Also double check the battery cables. If one is loose or really corroded, it could cause an issue.

 

You lost me on the "loss of power"... Does it recover when you let off the key or is the battery dead?

Cant go wrong with the old "Hit the starter with a hammer" trick, sometimes they get hung..

 

Battery is good. It's brand new. Voltage stays constant under load. Loss of power as in, when I turn the key, lights die, starter clicks once. Power returns when I turn key back off. Battery connections are tight, replaced them when I replaced battery. No corrosion. I would love to hit the starter, that was my first "fix" attempt. Can't reach it unless car is on ramps, jack stands, etc.. Starter is under intake manifold between motor and firewall. I wish other car companies would take after Acura/Honda. 195K still going strong with original starter...

 

:hammer:

i would have the starter tested.

 

Can a starter be tested without removing it from the car?

 

Have the battery load tested, check the battery connections like the ground and power. It sounds like a battery/ground issue.

 

i don't think so

 

I got it, bad connection between positive wire and battery terminal. Thanks for the help.