N9TE Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 I tell ya, when it rains, it pours for me. I take ONE car off-line and all of a sudden there's a mini crisis. I had 3 cars, all running fine. So, I decide to do some major work on wife's car (89 Cressida). Then, the heater goes out in the backup car (85 Cressida) and now, my 505 starts acting up. I've needed to replace/rebuild/whatever the injectors as I'm sure the fuel rail empties overnight. A fair amount of cranking is required to get it to go. But, a few days ago, it cranked and cranked and battery "died". Or, it sounded like it died. So, I jump it (with the no-heat Cressida) and take off. Yesterday, I figure, batter is on it's last legs so I better put the Battery Minder (slow, 1 amp charger) on it overnight. I come out today and the charger is blinking green meaning the battery is fully charged. Get it and get maybe 20 seconds of cranking. Not enough. The battery is less than a year old and it was a top of the line item. I'll have it load-tested. After dropping the F bomb a few times, I go about figuring out what's happening. Measure voltage: 12.5 (!) Try to jump with other charger 12 AMP (not exactly STARTING charge, but it should be enough). Nope, another 20 seconds. So. I figure either a) the starter isn't getting required voltage or the starter is tits. I can handle a) no problem. But, if it's I've never R&Red a starter in a 505 turbo. Any sly ways of getting it out? It's near freezing out and my candy-ass just can't take too much cold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Hey Koll, Measure the voltage under load - ideally when you're cranking. You can also "load test" it with all the lights on to see how fast the voltage is dropping. Monitoring the voltage under load should tell you if it's got enough amps in it to do the job. Another thing to help diagnose is to check the lights (or voltage drop) during cranking - if the dim/fall drastically you know the starter is pulling too much load and is probably on it's way out. Lights and voltage should return to close to normal levels after the cranking though. If it turns out to be the starter - it's pretty easy to pull out. I've R&R'd one in about an hour outside. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 oh man, i know the feeling, and it sucks.. sorry to hear your going through the "when it rains it pours" phase.. as far as teh starter goes: i'd remove the intake, but i've seen it done before with some stupid long extensions and swivel sockets. the nuts on the *back* are what suck if i remember right.. it's been years though.. sorry i couldnt be more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted February 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ya, I'll check the voltages, etc. Damn, Rabin turns out to be the stud. An hour. Do you get at it from the top or the bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 The starter isn't hard to get out. If I recall correctly, it's mounted with three bolts, and one of them has a nut on the back-side. I think they all are 16mm hex. I removed them from the top. Removing the intake is a bit drastic, just more work IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 yep - from the top. You'll have to work by touch, but with extensions making the ratchet just longer than the starter it should be straight forward. I swapped the starter out after work and before an event - so it wasn't too bad at all. Having the right tools makes a HUGE difference though... (Used to be a mechanic so I got a LOT of hand tools!) Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 You might try checking the check valve on the fuel pump for the rail pressure drop issue. It's a ball and spring affair. I know it comes on a new fuel pump, and I was able to purchase one separately from Sunset years ago, and I don't have the Bosch number anymore. I have had two fail over the years. When it fails, it allows the fuel to flow back from the rail, and can even be restrictive on the output from the pump. Once, when one failed, the car was a pain to start, and I started having starter issues, even though I though I was being careful not to overheat the starter. I guess it doesn't take much to melt them. Bill now, my 505 starts acting up. I've needed to replace/rebuild/whatever the injectors as I'm sure the fuel rail empties overnight. A fair amount of cranking is required to get it to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Fixed. Turns out driving for a while without the hold-down bracket, the turbo's harsh suspension and Seattle's notoriously under-maintained roads caused the battery to jump up and land down on that angle bracket that's welded to the tray to keep it in that certain position. I had secured it with the OEM hold-down, but like a retard, I must have reefed it down where the battery was incorrectly located. When I removed the battery it was appreciably lighter than it should have been. One cell was punctured. Strange thing is that it fired right up. "Old 5 cell" couldn't handle it's age (20 months) and (relatively) cold weather. I figure the weakened battery couldn't handle all the start-up tasks (cranking, ignition, fuel pump, etc.) and start right away. I'm sure you race guys have already been there and done that. I'm tempted to have a real battery box fabricated. But for now, I'm driving a car with heat - and a 505 turbo, so life is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Glad to hear you figured out the power issue - but is the hard start issue still and issue? Or was the lack of juice causing the long starts too? Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 It appears to be not an issue anymore. But I've only started it twice since putting the new battery in. The thing that got me was a well hidden rupture and the battery was holding 12.55 volts. Got to check the basics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Cool - originally it sounded like it could have been two issues - hopefully the hardstart (initially thought as a fuel issue) was due to the battery as well and you have no other issues. Gotta love it when it's an easy fix! Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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