Battery exploded!!! Need help diagnosing a no start condition.
05-18-2003, 11:45 PM
#1
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Battery exploded!!! Need help diagnosing a no start condition.
First off, as I was cranking the car trying to start it, I heard a loud explosion, kind of like a backfire sound, and I looked up only to find that the damn battery exploded
What the hell would cause that? And do you think it has anything to do with my no start condition? Here's my no start condition: The car has plenty of fuel, it holds a steady ~43 psi while priming, cranking, and then it holds it for a long time after the car has been shut off. So that pretty much rules out a bad fuel pump. I haven't checked the injectors yet, they're brand new SVO 30 lbs. I hooked up a timing light to the spark plugs and coil wire, both of which showed the car had plenty of spark. The timing chain was definitely installed correctly. The only thing I can think of is maybe I didn't install the opti correctly. But then again, the car is getting spark, I proved it by hooking up the timing light. The only thing I noticed is that when I hooked up the timing light to the spark plug wires, it didn't flash at an even rate, it flashed intermittingly and seemed to pause occasionally and then start to flash again. Weird. So, tomorrow I guess I can check to see if the injectors are squirting (whats the easiest way to do this?), and then do whatever you guys recommend to me. BTW, the first 3 times I originally fired the car, it started fine, but ran like crap, probably b/c its on a stock tune with the mods in sig. I only ran it for a few seconds at a time b/c there wasn't any coolant in it yet. If the intake gets flooded with fuel, how long would it take to dry out, and do you think thats a possible problem? I tried to start the car by holding the pedal to the floor, but thats when the battery exploded, so I couldn't really see if that works. Sometimes it sounds like it wants to fire, but it never does. Hmmm, little help
EDIT: BTW, all this is after a heads/cam swap, it didn't just happen all of a sudden.
What the hell would cause that? And do you think it has anything to do with my no start condition? Here's my no start condition: The car has plenty of fuel, it holds a steady ~43 psi while priming, cranking, and then it holds it for a long time after the car has been shut off. So that pretty much rules out a bad fuel pump. I haven't checked the injectors yet, they're brand new SVO 30 lbs. I hooked up a timing light to the spark plugs and coil wire, both of which showed the car had plenty of spark. The timing chain was definitely installed correctly. The only thing I can think of is maybe I didn't install the opti correctly. But then again, the car is getting spark, I proved it by hooking up the timing light. The only thing I noticed is that when I hooked up the timing light to the spark plug wires, it didn't flash at an even rate, it flashed intermittingly and seemed to pause occasionally and then start to flash again. Weird. So, tomorrow I guess I can check to see if the injectors are squirting (whats the easiest way to do this?), and then do whatever you guys recommend to me. BTW, the first 3 times I originally fired the car, it started fine, but ran like crap, probably b/c its on a stock tune with the mods in sig. I only ran it for a few seconds at a time b/c there wasn't any coolant in it yet. If the intake gets flooded with fuel, how long would it take to dry out, and do you think thats a possible problem? I tried to start the car by holding the pedal to the floor, but thats when the battery exploded, so I couldn't really see if that works. Sometimes it sounds like it wants to fire, but it never does. Hmmm, little helpEDIT: BTW, all this is after a heads/cam swap, it didn't just happen all of a sudden.
Last edited by allmotorta; 05-18-2003 at 11:49 PM.
05-19-2003, 12:01 AM
#2
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Battery exploding is usually caused by not having enough electrolyte in the battery (not enough distilled water). When you don't have enough eletrolyte in the battery the plates heat up a lot when in use and eventually the gases given off by the little electrolyte in the battery are ignited by the overheated plates.
Yes, it could have something to do with your no start condition. Since the battery was low on electrolyte, it was not able to supply as much current as it usually would during start up. Therefore, if you're cranking the car over you might not have enough amps to run the starter, fuel injectors, fuel pump, distributor, coil, computer, etc., which are all needed to start the car. Clean up your mess from the battery and install a new one and see if you have any more problems.
Yes, it could have something to do with your no start condition. Since the battery was low on electrolyte, it was not able to supply as much current as it usually would during start up. Therefore, if you're cranking the car over you might not have enough amps to run the starter, fuel injectors, fuel pump, distributor, coil, computer, etc., which are all needed to start the car. Clean up your mess from the battery and install a new one and see if you have any more problems.
05-19-2003, 02:38 AM
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Originally posted by SteveZ Z-28
Battery exploding is usually caused by not having enough electrolyte in the battery (not enough distilled water). When you don't have enough eletrolyte in the battery the plates heat up a lot when in use and eventually the gases given off by the little electrolyte in the battery are ignited by the overheated plates.
Yes, it could have something to do with your no start condition. Since the battery was low on electrolyte, it was not able to supply as much current as it usually would during start up. Therefore, if you're cranking the car over you might not have enough amps to run the starter, fuel injectors, fuel pump, distributor, coil, computer, etc., which are all needed to start the car. Clean up your mess from the battery and install a new one and see if you have any more problems.
Battery exploding is usually caused by not having enough electrolyte in the battery (not enough distilled water). When you don't have enough eletrolyte in the battery the plates heat up a lot when in use and eventually the gases given off by the little electrolyte in the battery are ignited by the overheated plates.
Yes, it could have something to do with your no start condition. Since the battery was low on electrolyte, it was not able to supply as much current as it usually would during start up. Therefore, if you're cranking the car over you might not have enough amps to run the starter, fuel injectors, fuel pump, distributor, coil, computer, etc., which are all needed to start the car. Clean up your mess from the battery and install a new one and see if you have any more problems.
05-19-2003, 03:17 AM
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my car ran kinda crappy on first startup after the cam install, but it did not die...
I imagine it's b/c I used cam lube and the lube was just running through the system.. After about 3 minutes of constant running at 2k rpm the car was as smooth as it is now 1.5 months later. I ran for 20 minutes @ 2k rpm, then changed the oil right away.
Easiest way to check for the injectors firing (it's messy) is to have someone hold up the fuel rail while you try to crank it over.
I imagine it's b/c I used cam lube and the lube was just running through the system.. After about 3 minutes of constant running at 2k rpm the car was as smooth as it is now 1.5 months later. I ran for 20 minutes @ 2k rpm, then changed the oil right away.
Easiest way to check for the injectors firing (it's messy) is to have someone hold up the fuel rail while you try to crank it over.
05-19-2003, 11:26 AM
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Originally posted by Javier97Z28
my car ran kinda crappy on first startup after the cam install, but it did not die...
I imagine it's b/c I used cam lube and the lube was just running through the system.. After about 3 minutes of constant running at 2k rpm the car was as smooth as it is now 1.5 months later. I ran for 20 minutes @ 2k rpm, then changed the oil right away.
Easiest way to check for the injectors firing (it's messy) is to have someone hold up the fuel rail while you try to crank it over.
my car ran kinda crappy on first startup after the cam install, but it did not die...
I imagine it's b/c I used cam lube and the lube was just running through the system.. After about 3 minutes of constant running at 2k rpm the car was as smooth as it is now 1.5 months later. I ran for 20 minutes @ 2k rpm, then changed the oil right away.
Easiest way to check for the injectors firing (it's messy) is to have someone hold up the fuel rail while you try to crank it over.
I'll check the injectors later today
05-19-2003, 02:24 PM
#6
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Location: McAllen Tx. USA
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At first and with tuning, the only I could get my car started is by opening up the throttle blades a little, I readjusted after. I just bent the TB bracket where it sits on the TB screw adjustment on the tb itself. After the computer learned how to idle, I readjusted the opening back to stock.
i also had to hold down the gas pedal as I cranked it, it fired but I had to hold the pedal down or else it would die. Eventually it learned to stay on.
Anyways car still runs like crap though, but at least I got it started
i also had to hold down the gas pedal as I cranked it, it fired but I had to hold the pedal down or else it would die. Eventually it learned to stay on.
Anyways car still runs like crap though, but at least I got it started
05-19-2003, 05:38 PM
#7
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Found the problem! It looks like the cam dowel wasn't all the way in the opti slot. There are grooves all the way around the wheel with the slots in it on the opti. Looks like the dowel was just spinning freely against the wheel on the opti, it wasn't in the slot. Oh well, at least the opti still looks good
05-20-2003, 01:47 AM
#9
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Originally posted by taner
glad to hear you got it figured out!!
is it running ok now? or have you got it back together?
g'luck!
glad to hear you got it figured out!!
is it running ok now? or have you got it back together?
g'luck!
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