So here's the deal. When starting my car, it cranks really slowly and half assed, as if the battery were mostly drained. sometimes, it won't crank at all, just click. Once funning, it runs like a champ with no issues at all.

The alt is putting out 13.8V at idle (read at voltmeter in the dash). The alt is also very new (less than a month old from schucks) I've left the car running for 20 min, shut off, then immediately turned on again, and it's still sluggish cranking. I just replaced the battery yesterday with an Optima red top, replaced the battery connectors earlier today.
checked the current drain when the car is off: 11.5mA
I checked all the grounds and all connections at the starter, and they're all fine.
I had my friend give me a jump yesterday and with that it cranked and started without problems.

Does all this point to my starter going out? Didn't think this is usually how they went....
Any other ideas what to check?
Oh, it's an '86 gxl

 

Sounds like the starter to me since you made sure the connections at the starter and battery are good plus the batt gnd wire at the starter is on good. I'd guess the brushes in the starter are on the way out.

The 11ma sounds right from memory.

The only other thing I can think of is what happens if you get under the car and bridge the conencton of the small blade on the starter solenoid and the positive wire on the starter. In fact I wouldn't expect any improvement in rotation.

 

I'll check that probably tomorrow and let ya know what happens. Does it require heavy gauge wire or something just like 18 gauge wire?

 

Common screwdriver shaft bridged b/t the two. Car out of gear please. No key needed.

 

sounds like my problem.... I had a 12ma drain w/ key off and an intermitant 4-5V drop between the battery and b terminal of the starter. If I let the car sit too long, the drain would leave that batter so too weak to start the car if (and only if) that voltage drop chose to occur. If it didn't it would still start even w/ the battery @ 8-9V.

Turns out the 12ma drain was linked to the BTN fuse underhood. Among other things (as I found out a few nights after I removed it...) it is responsibel for the ABS computer. I Deleted ABS a while ago but was too lazy to find and remove the computer which is most likely the cause for the drain.

Removing the BTN fuse stoped the 12ma drain on the battery, and thus fixed my starting issue. (I had already removed my starter and had it tested). Everything worked fine for 3-4 days, then one night I go to turn on my lights and the only ones that worked were my headlights (no tails, brakes, interior, or dash lights). I then re-inserted the BTN fuse and everything worked fine.

I really need to remove that ABS computer so hopefully I can kill the drain and retain my lights.

 

I'm having the same problem with my 91' s5

It turns over but takes forever to crank. It cranks right before the battery dies which makes me this it's a fuel issue?

Should i check the fuel lines rather than checking the starter?