today i went to start my car and it would not start, just clicking noises. if i turn the ign to on, the dash lights would come on faint then get bright but still wont start. i checked battery without terminals connected and i get 12.7 volts. when i connect the battery and try to crank it drops to about 5 volts. Here is where it gets really strange, if i put my test lead on a chasis ground and touch the neg terminal of the batt with the other, it reads 12.7 volts.
I am , any help would be appreciated.

 

Hmmm, the brushes on your starter may be sticking or the starter solenoid may be going out. Did it start up after a little bit? Mine will do that from time to time. Tap the starter with a screw driver, to get the brushes unstuck, and it should start right up.

 

if it doesnt work with the screwdriver like pslsnakes said, just get out a metal rod and hit the starter with it!

Sometimes the starter needs alot of help, and a decent rod with a hammer will do the trick!!

 

Or just bypass the 'noid and get a push button start.

 

turn on your lights and start it. if the lights flashes you gonna need a new battery. a good battery must have about 14.30 volts

 

Sorry chief, but a battery is not his problem. It's the starter. They stick, and don't engage, like mine used to. A battery also does not sit at 14 volts. A battery will sit at just about 12.4-12.8 with the engine not on charging it with the alt.

With the car on, my batteries sit at 14.6 volts, confirmed from my volt gauges and one of my amps has a volt gauge. I also have a 220 amp alternator, so I don't see any volt drops.

 

My new (rebuilt) alternator only puts 14.2-14.3 to the batter with it at idle. Old one (which still kept the battery charged with no problem) only kept it at ~13.5 at idle. Different gen though.

I'd try hitting the starter like others suggested, an old torque wrench works nicely if you have one around.

 

It only puts out that, because it's at idle. With a stock alt pulley, that's what it will sit at. Because I have an aftermarket alt, that produces 220 amps, it will sit at 14.6 at idle, and it also has a bigger pulley for max volts at idle.

 

^ I was just putting it out there so others wouldn't think that they needed a new alt. because it wasn't putting out as much as yours, I realized you had a higher output alt. It varies depending on the model too to a degree (stock).

 

weird...