parkside

1964 olds super 88. new battery. new voltage regulator. last started Saturday the 7th. tried starting it for about 20 minutes tonight. basic. pumped the gas and turned the key. no loss of cranking power, just would not start. then, it went black. no lights anywhere. I tried jumping if from a running vehicle. nothing. then, as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed two of the dash lights were on - I'd left the key in the ignition on the "on" position. opened the door. interior light came of. turned the key to try to start it again but the car went black.

any ideas?

tia

Robert

Charlie Jones

Remove and wirebrush the battery terminals .
Do you have any " quick repair " battery terminals ? If you do , replace them with new moulded cables .
Clean and tighten all battery cable connections .
Once you get it cranking , then make sure you have voltage at the positive terminal of the coil while you have an assistant crank the engine .
If you have no voltage while cranking , then replace the ignition switch .

parkside

hi and thanks. I'll check on the battery connections in the am.
best

robert

Tedd Thompson

Don't be surprised if the points aren't fried If it still is so equipped... Tedd

Olds64

x2

You need to make sure your battery cables are in good condition. If they are frayed or the insulation is broken they should be replaced. Here's a good thread on battery cables.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-cable-148421/

droldsmorland

Do you have a decent VOM? (volt ohm meter).
Why did you replace the voltage reg? Did you install a stock analog style reg or a new solid state type? Do you still have the old regulator?
Did you measure the alternator output? Is this an alternator or a generator car?
Whats the surface voltage on the battery?

Grounds Grounds Grounds. Check all of them.
The engine block needs a good ground source directly to the battery. Thats where the battery negative cable should be attached.The starter needs a good ground source to the block.
The rest of the car needs a clean ground path(s) back to the battery via ground straps. Should have one from the engine block to the frame. Engine block to firewall. Firewall to frame etc...

Closely inspect both battery cables.
A battery cable can look OK yet have very high resistance, Measure it. If those battery cables are anywhere close to original their expiration date is up.
New OEM type cables are/should be available. If not a good battery/starter/alternator shop can make good heavy duty battery cables using your old cables as a template.
Dont buy the big box house of chineasium junk.Only in a pinch to get you off the side of the road.

Load test the battery. A new battery doesn't mean a good battery. I have personally witnessed a new battery die within days due to an internal short.

JohnnyBs68S

Something got hot from all the cranking and opened up, killing the car. After it cooled down, it reconnected itself enough to light up the dash lights, but not crank the engine. This points to battery cables and engine block grounds since they carry the load during all that cranking.

parkside

hi everyone and thanks for all the good tips and suggestions. all sorted now. the cables are new. all grounds are good. the voltage regulator was dying so bought a new, modern one. yes, I have a good meter. I think the problem was the battery is new and the cables are new as well. After I roughed them up with a little sandpaper it started right up.

thanks again. I'm sure there will be lots more questions!

best

robert