Will not start

[docthomas8404]

I have a 95 Chevy S10 2.2L. I went to crank it this am and got a very brief (less than 1 sec) shot of power then everything went dead. I hooked it up to jump it off and nothing. Completely dead. The last week or so it has been running very rough. At idle and at speed. I thought I was going to need to change the plugs or coil, however due to this episode I am now thinking it is the Ignition Control Module. Am I on the right track or does anyone have any other ideas? Any and all help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

[Harvester]

Start by removing and cleaning the battery terminals. Also, make sure there is water covering the plates in the battery, and either measure the terminal voltage or check the charge level with an hydrometer. Add distilled water if necessary to cover the plates. The battery terminal voltage with no load should be above 12.6 volts, and the specific gravity measured with the hydrometer should be above 1.225; 1.260-1.280 indicates a full charge.

The condition you describe is typical of dirty/corroded battery terminals, so clean the battery terminals first. Use water and baking soda and a stiff brush to clean them, and flush everything with fresh water when you are finished. Be careful not to splash anything on painted surfaces, or on yourself. Wash your hands after cleaning the battery. Also, don't strike any sparks around the battery; if it is discharged, there may be hydrogen gas in the cells and a spark can cause the battery to explode, which will cause you much grief.

If you don't have a voltmeter or an hydrometer, turn on the headlights: no lights- dead battery or bad battery connections/cables; dim lights- weak battery- charge the battery; bright lights- good battery, something else causing your trouble, but clean the battery terminals and cable connectors anyway.

Let us know how it goes.

Harvester

[docthomas8404]

No, the battery terminals are clean and have a charge. There is no power to anything. It won't even jump off another vehicle.

[re-tired]

sounds like a fusible link. down on the starter on the post that the batt pos cable goes there is several wires that are designed to melt apart , look for this ,sometimes you may need to gine each one a light pull to see if wire inside is bad. if so splice in a new piece of fusible link . a parts house can match up a piece of the old one.

[Harvester]

Ok, sounds like a fuse link. Agree with re-tired on that. Also check for any firewall connectors that might be loose, and disconnecting the ignition switch from the starter solenoid circuit. A fuse link may also be part of that circuit.

Harvester

[jgate]

If you lost all power to this vehicle, I would be looking for the 2 fusable links for the alternator,it comes off the battery to the alternator's rectifer bridge, this one feeds back to the starter relay. Then there is one right off the battery positive side of the battery, that leads to the alternator.

[docthomas8404]

I checked both fusible links and both seem snug and secure. However, now when I depress my brake, one of my A/C relays starts clicking. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[docthomas8404]

Also have 1 more symptom. When I turn the key to the on position I get what best can be described as a "creaking" noise from the steering column.

[re-tired]

even if the ign sw was bad you would still have power to the lights. you said the entire car is dead . it has to be in the main feed circuits. get a good test light. start at just above the fuse links. stab the wire,if good, go to fuse panel check both sides of all fuses. . OH and make sure the batt ground is clean and tight

[bogieb]

did you ever find a solution to your problem because that's just what my car is doing.
bogieb