07 PT Cruiser Start Issues

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straightlinespeed

straightlinespeed

Sometimes I pretend to be normal
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I'm stumped! My daughter has the above car. Been running great until today. She was heading to work and stopped at a gas station for coffee about 15 miles from home. Went back out to the car, tried to start it and it would turn over once (very slowly) and that was it. Tried again and same thing. She called me on the phone and had me listen, same thing. One very slow crank and that was it.

She was only a couple blocks from work so walked there and drove to the gas station. I get there put the key in and it started normally. No issues at all. I had her try it numerous times during her work shift and started great every time.

She drove home and parked the car, came in the house and we told her we wanted her to park it in the garage. She went to start it again and same thing as in the morning. She came in the house and got me right away, of course I go out and it started normal.

It seems to only be affecting the starting after extended drive time and the engine is to full operating temp. I've tried it numerous times in the past hour and normal starts each time.

I've checked the battery connections, they are all clean and tight, starter connections look good, although tough to see way down there and cant get to them easily. Battery is at 13V. No check engine light and no codes. Im kind of leaning towards the starter.

Any thoughts as to what is going on?
 
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Long shot here, but true story, worth mentioning. Yours could be a starter, but like Demonracer menrioned,
load test the battery!
As a young mechanic, I once had a bad plate in a battery. When the internal plate moved, the battery died. No start, customer called AAA, put the car up on a tow hook. When we received the car at the shop, it started right up.
Crazy. Intermittent short drove me nuts.
Only found it after the 2nd time it happened.
 
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Im thinking battery more than starter. Voltage check while cranking.
 
Weak, but not terrible, as long as it bounces back to 12.
(Technically you should should test a fully charged battery to get proper results).
20201229_194250.jpg
 
That being said, I would tend to lean toward starter motor.
Of course, It would be great if you were able to check that voltage when the no crank issue presented itself.
 
Most of the parts stores have fancy load testers. You'll have turn turn the key on, then off, then start it, then turn on the lights, Pat your head while rubbing your tummy, walking backwards. But, it's accurate. I'll bet a nickel it's battery, also.
 
408 swinger said:
Most of the parts stores have fancy load testers. You'll have turn turn the key on, then off, then start it, then turn on the lights, Pat your head while rubbing your tummy, walking backwards. But, it's accurate. I'll bet a nickel it's battery, also.
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:lol: I hope I dont mix up that order! I suppose it all has to be done with in 5 seconds too.. Ugh! I can see a sprained ankle coming out of this.
 
straightlinespeed said:
:lol: I hope I dont mix up that order! I suppose it all has to be done with in 5 seconds too.. Ugh! I can see a sprained ankle coming out of this.
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Lol! Seriously, though. They have some cool equipment that will show things your typical old load test will not.
 
The reason I suggested the load testing is I had 3 batteries go south in less than 10 months. I had them try to load test them after charging & it said internal short. I had the 4th battery load tested before I took it & tested good. It's been going strong for 4 months now. The battery manufacturer got my name & number from the people I buy my batteries from. They called & said the had a bad batch of batteries during the time of my problems & said there were a lot of others because it is a very popular size. They sent me & a bunch of others a 50.00 Visa gift card for all of the problems. I'm not going to mention who the manufacturer is because other than the 3 batteries in my truck, I had great service from plenty of their product line.
 
408 swinger said:
Most of the parts stores have fancy load testers. You'll have turn turn the key on, then off, then start it, then turn on the lights, Pat your head while rubbing your tummy, walking backwards. But, it's accurate. I'll bet a nickel it's battery, also.
Click to expand...
Some of them fancy load testers arent worth their weight in dogs#!+. I have tested the same passed battery and it fails with a load test. Inconsistent batteries, starters and cables can be a pain to pinpoint. Pt cruiser starter is below the manifold,and impossible to get to unless its on jackstands. The more i think about it, the more i feel the cabkes need to be pulled and inspected closely.
 
Todays high torque mini starters do fail in a few different odd manners. Grand daughter called me about her Honda Odyssey. Cycled the switch repeatedly and it finally did start once more. She got home but it never started again. Wasn't easy to R&R where it sat either but I got it done.
You could pull one of these starters off, take it to a part store and let them test it, it runs, seems fine. Its running more like a fan motor. Its high torque is MIA. On the engine it only clicks and starts heating up.
That just 2 of the few different examples I could offer.
 
Thanks everyone for your input. I'll have the battery tested for sure.

I've checked the cables except at the starter, like mentioned its a pain in the *** to get to. All cables from what I can see look good and clean with no oxidation.

If the battery tests good, then I'll pick up a starter and put that in, to see if it remedies it.
 
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