huskerpower02 said:
wow man you might as well have typed that whole thing in spanish cause i have no idea what you just said. i have tried to jump the car but to no avail. it clicks when i try to start it but doesnt turn over. same thing when i try and charge it.
ok, from the top, simply. you may have done some of this, but i will just say it again cuz im slow.
battery cables: check the connections for cleanliness and conductivity. the cables can look good on the outside, but be almost dust inside. when you start the car, that is by far the largest drain on the battery and the biggest strain on the cables. really check them.
grounds: there are several grounds. one is for the battery. it MUST be in very good condition. there are also grounds on the motor to the frame. they must be up to par - here is why:
electricity flows from negative to positive. so if you dont have proper grounding, you could hook up 6 batteries to your battery and it still would not start the car. the starter achieves its grounding via the motor. ergo the motor must be grounded properly.
if that is all good, i would go to the battery. you could have a dead cell or another reason it wont start the car (a bad cell can also make it seem like the alternator is bad, since it can inhibit the alternator's output from being 'stored'. a parts store can load test your battery (take the battery out and take it inside the store, if the car is not driveable).
what i would do: check all the cables and connections, per above. if you want and have something like spare cables around, temporarily attach one from the battery negative post to the motor (like an accessory bracket - something FAR away from the battery itself). dead batteries or half dead batteries tend to outgas - highly flammable gas. be careful! (this is why you ground the jumper cable on the motor, away from the battery. you dont put in on the dead battery negative cable!).
then get a buddy to bring his car over and pretend you are jump starting the car. be careful and all that. will it start? if so, play with extra grounds as above and see if it is able to start on its own. or/and have the battery load tested.
it does not sound like you are getting sufficient juice (either positive or power ground [negative]) to start the car. i would not be lookin at the starter or alternator, unless once it starts, you are discharging or not within spec (battery should have ~12.6 volts when the car is off; ~14.5 volts at 2K rpm with no accessories on). one can have good volts without enough amps to start the car (a motorcycle battery is a 12 volt battery, but would not necessarily start the car [some guys do use one for racing, but that is the easiest analogy i can think of]).
the last thing within reason i can think of is that the power cable from the starter to the battery is not up to par. that is the least likely.
is it a stick? have you tried to compression start it (push start)? the puter can sense when you are trying this and will open up the coil's dwell to make it easier to start.
lemme know if that makes sense.
do be very careful, esp with regard to the risk of fire or explosion. good luck!