Hey everyone what’s up. I drove my 72 cutlass from Dallas to okc Sunday and i was pretty nervous because I didn’t think it would make it. But the next day I went to Sonics and my car wouldn’t start so I thought it was the starter since my lights and radio worked fine luckily there was a shop next door they said it was the battery so I got a new battery and when I got back to campus it wouldn’t cut back on again. So then I thought well maybe it’s the alternator. So I changed the alternator. Guess what? Still won’t start. I’m convinced it’s a wiring issue because we got my 2nd pair of headlights installed and the brake lights and the turn signals and the license plate light. If you guys can give any advice that would be great and I am not familiar with electrical terms and stuff so I’m a noob at electrical stuff.

 

Make sure you have good battery cable connections. Must be clean and tight.

Wiggle your shifter while turning the key and then.... try to start it in neutral. See if that helps.

 

Battery cable connections are good. I used to have to do that wiggle the shift to start some time ago but I fixed that. It cranks but then you just hear the ticking from the starter solenoid against the flywheel.

 

is it a floor shift ? if yes try turning the collar on the steering column or try to start the car in nuetral instead of park

 

That means the solenoid is not getting sufficient current. This could be due to a low charge on the battery or something else that prevents full voltage / current getting to the solenoid. Loose cable connections, corrosion on the cable connections, poor ground from starter back to the battery, etc. Many things to check, but it seems to be isolated to the power / ground to the battery.

 

The alternator isn’t getting any voltage . I’m hoping it’s just the regulator and not the main wiring.... 🤦🏼*♂️

 

No it’s a column shift.

 

What is the battery voltage measuring with a meter?

 

I'm suspecting the same as Fun71. Either your solenoid is malfunctioning or the connections between the battery and or the starter are poor. FYI, battery cables can look good but be corroded/broken inside.

If you don't find anything obvious you might soon be replacing the starter and or solenoid.

Also, you might have a misunderstanding of how the alternator works, no biggie. Just make sure you have all the connections correctly applied.

It might be helpful if you could post a pic of the back side of the alternator or maybe even a short video of how the car responds when you attempt to start it. Heck, maybe a pic or two of the previous and current wiring repairs you've done.

 

It was 12 and then I tried starting it then it went down to like 7

 

Okay I’ll try and do that later. It’s cuz I put in the new alternator and it’s getting no voltage so I’m hoping it’s the regulator.

 

12v is 50% dead, the decimal point is very important. Take your measurement again.

 

Right now it’s probably at 4 or 5 cuz it’s been sitting overnight. Then I got a jump today to take it to a shop and I put it in reverse and it died.

 

That narrows your problem down to the battery. Charge it completely then try again.

 

Yea but it was a new battery. I can charge it all the way it will still just run down again.

 

So your post was about the car not starting, which we have isolated to an issue with the battery. Now you are saying your battery won't stay charged. Why didn't you just start the post about your charging issue?

Ya know, you can have the local auto parts store check your charging system for free.

 

OK, so we have a direction. Charge the battery, start the engine and while its running test the voltage at the battery. Your testing needs to be done with a digital volt meter and post the full voltage including the 2 digits past the decimal point.

 

I don’t have any of those tools I just towed it to a shop. Hopefully it doesn’t cost that much.

 

because I thought it was electrical sorry. It stopped at sonic and it was right by a shop and I kinda need a shop out here so they hooked me up and i think they’re good I also saw a 67 impala being worked on in there so that Intrigued me.

 

It will cost more than a simple digital multimeter.

 

Similar issue with my wagon now. New cables and a 3 year old battery not holding a charge even after on a charger. My bet is you need a new battery. The shop can also test your alternator to make sure it's charging. Good luck. Are you in college here in Okla? I'm in the OKC area if I can help let me know.

Matt

 

I had that issue in the 90s and it was a shorted diode in the alternator. You can check that by unplugging the two-wire electrical connector on the alternator to see if the battery still discharges overnight.

 

Yes I’m here in okc for college in Bethany. I’ll definitely message you if I need something!

 

It was the voltage regulator. Thanks everyone for your help! I appreciate everyone’s input.