Is my car suffering from a bad alternator, starter or something else?

Question

My car is a Mitsubishi Galant 89 model.
Recently it decided not to start up and killing all power with it when attempting to startup meaning not even the clock works. I have checked all the fuses and have found none blown. I have attempted to jump start the car but it still refuses to start killing all power when attempting to start the engine, there is also sparks from the battery terminal in the car. So next I tried disconnecting the battery in the car and jump starting without the car's battery. I can hear clicking now, but still cant get the car cranking up. There seems to be a blackout power drain for a split second when trying to start. I guess the clicking means my solenoids are working, battery not connected means the battery is not at fault.
Does all this isolate it down to the alternator or starter?
How do I test for these?
Thanks

Thanks for all the info so far. Yes it is an old car, I should get rid of it but if the fix is as simple as changing the battery, why not?

No I did not disconnect the battery while it was running, I disconnected the car battery and connected the jumpstart cables directly to the battery of another car whose engine is running.

I get the clicking sound when trying to start the engine with the battery disconnected and the terminals connected to jump start cables connected to the battery of another car with engine running.

I doubt the battery was hooked up backwards because it was working fine the day before with nothing changed and I am familiar with jump starting having done it many times before.

Also what is the definition of a engine turn over? Is it when the engine tries to start with the Ruhhh reving sound? And how do I do it manually?

Answer 1

You just have bad battery cables or connectors. Most jumper cables won't start a car without some help from the original battery.

Answer 2

Sparks from the battery terminal mean one thing, the battery was hooked up backward and the alternator is shorting.
The electronics will run even if the battery is backward, but as soon as the car starts the alternator is going to be producing power opposite the charge coming from the battery.
The alternator would send juice through the positive terminal back to the battery, which would then send the electricity directly back to the alternator through the ground.
The worst possible short circuit, because it bypasses the fuses.
The windings in the starter may have been shorted by the alternator, because as soon as the car turned over the started would have been a huge short circuit between the positive on the alternator, the negative on the starter, which is now attached to the positive on the battery, which is already connected to the positive on the alternator by a separate wire.
It would be one huge short every time the alternator turns, which is every time the engine turns over.
By jumping it, you cant possibly get it wrong unless you are completely blind. Thats why it acted so differently.
The moral of the story is that the clicking is the ignition system, not the starter solenoid, and you may have both a bad starter and a bad alternator, but you wont know if the alternator is bad until you get it running and disconnect the battery.
If you want to know if the starter is fried, then cross the two negative electrodes on the starter, which will bypass the solenoid.

Answer 3

The sparks could have been from a short circuit. Perhaps the short was within the battery itself.

I think you should find a battery that you know is good and put that in the car. Make sure the key is "OFF" when installing the battery. Then turn the key "ON" but don't start the car. See if the accessories work (radio etc). If not, I would suspect a short somewhere if there are no blown fuses or blown fusible links. Also, any big sparks when installing the battery would indicate a short.

It was a bad idea to try to jump start the car without a battery in it. A voltage spike may have fried some expensive parts and added problems to your car. But maybe not. I wouldn't do that again. You could do that with antique cars but modern transistors and computers don't like it.

Answer 4

Generally a bad starter will click a few times before it will start the car (sign of it starting to go). IF you have a mallet and leverage to get to it, a couple of wacks will sometimes allow it to engage to start the car. IF your alteranator is bad the little charge icon on your dash will come on and off. ON when the car is a idle and when you give it gas it goes out. When you get it tested at your local parts store, they will be able to tell you if your alternator is shot. Like the other post, I believe its your starter. Most shops like Pep boys or Autozone are open 7 days a week and the test takes about 5 minutes and free of charge. Sorry you took shop first. Others will tell you, that replacing a starter is an easy DIY job that will take about a hour. Good Luck

Answer 5

If your battery is 4 or 5 years old, you probably need a new battery. The battery in your car should never be disconnected when starting or running the car. Any professional repair manual or shop will tell you that. Hopefully you have not damaged the electronics in your car by disconnecting the battery. Take the battery to an auto store and have it tested.

Answer 6

Clicking means your starter has some power but not enough. You probably have a short. The car is 18 years old. Maybe it is time to think about a replacement.

Answer 7

does the engine turn over at all?with the ignition turned off try turning the engine over by hand, could be the starter is jammed and may free up if you can turn the engine. check that your main battery cable to the starter is not loose and your ground cable is tight and not broken .if not you will have to pull the starter out take it to an auto electrician and have it checked..