battery smokin?

[Anonymous]

last night my car was acting kinda funny. i would go to start it at it would just clikc, but i tried again and it would turn over. so i got to my friends house and hang out for like 10 minutes and go back and get into my car, sty to start it and it would turn over, it kept just clicking....then all of a sudden i smell somehting burning, so i open my hood and there smokein coming from my battery and the thing is smking hot...to hot to handle, so i try jumping the car and nothing....so my dad brought me a new battery and my electrical would work but still wouldnt turn over....so i had it towed over to my mechanic this morning and he said the voltage regualtor was wenting to much voltage by to the battery and it friend the battery starter selenoid and start =(......193 bucks for parts and labor....bummer

 

[wallaka]

That at least sounds like a reasonable diagnosis. I've generally found that when one part of that trio goes bad, the rest are not far behind. Labor sure is pricey though, isn't it?

 

[ludwig]

You said a mouthful, Wallaka. When I was a youngster, the local garage was always saying I had a bad starter solenoid. It was always unbelievably expensive. If I only knew then what I know now. I would have got the whole big three and changed 'em all out at the same time.
You could do this yourself and save some $$$.

 

[JackFish]

my mechanic this morning and he said the voltage regualtor was wenting to much voltage by to the battery and it friend the battery starter selenoid and start =(......193 bucks for parts and labor....bummer

OUCH :!:

 

[Mustang Boy]

get the parts and do it urself itll save u loads of money cause i konw for a fact that the selenoid is like a 5min fix

 

[ludwig]

the selenoid is like a 5min fix

That's what chafed my loins. It was like $35.00 a pop back then. The solenoid itself is only $20 now. It must have been a nickel when I was in high school. And I changed it out myself in 5 minutes.

 

[250mav]

a starter w/ solenoid is like $30 and is very easy to change especially on an I6. 2 bolts hold it to the block thats it. where do you live? bring that thing over here next time you need some work done if you pay that kind of money lol j/k but the I6 is a very easy motor is very easy to work on and you can save alot of cash doing your own work

 

[ludwig]

Here's the deal. 'Starter solenoid' sounds to most people (like me back then) something on the order of STARTER. Sounds big, isn't really. The solenoid is a little gizmo in the front of the bay not a big honkin' thing bolted to the engine and transmission waaaaay up under the body. But the mechanic will never wise you up.
Get a Chilton's manual if nothing else, then just for reference and find out what this stuff is and how it gets fixed. For example, you can change out your alternator (with built in voltage regulator) with a pouch of Globemaster tools from the Hye-Vee. You'd be better off using Craftsman or Snap-On but the job is the same.
I mean, it's not like having the Johnson rods adjusted. That takes special dealer-only tools.

 

[CobraSix]

Yeah, that price is a little high. The solenoid is a 10 minute job, and that's if you take all the precautions of unhooking all the possible ways of getting shocked (IE, disconnecting the battery completely).

For that price, you could had done the solenoid, the regulator, the battery, the alternator, and the starter in about 2 hours. Hope that doesn't bumm you out, but that rate is high unless he is charging you for the tow as well.

Slade