Weird (?) battery or electrical system problem.

[bill333]

I can do that, but I don't know what kind of test they would do on the battery that I didn't do?

Just tried it again. Disconnected the relay, tapped it a few times, tried it again. Now I get panel lights. Still no click. Voltmeter across battery shows voltage drop. So it doesn't look like it is the ignition switch. Maybe a stuck relay?

Will try a different battery and if that doesn't work will order another relay, unless someone can point me in a different direction.

 

[topbuilder]

A fully charged battery should read above 12v. It sounds like your battery is fried. My son's car recently would not even take a jump, read 12v... Fried. It's the way they roll these days.

 

[RNeumann]

Bad battery. My guess is you fried it with the charger that was always on it. If it wasn't automatic and instead a constant amperage as you describe it's D O N E. Time for a battery and a proper automatic/smart charger.
Double tap Topbuilder- a battery should read above 12v when charging and when charged. Each cell should have about 2.1-2.2 volts when charged.

 

[Clyde in TS]

Bad cell in battery!

 

[bill333]

I'll find out when I swap batteries.

I should have been clearer. Battery tested good, actual voltage was over 12 volts. I always use smart chargers, both for maintenance and for a deeper charge.

 

[jimmysisson]

Spark could indicate a poor connection between the cable itself and its ring terminal. Might be enough of a connection to show on a voltmeter but not spin the starter or kick in the solenoid.
Jim

 

[Halftrack]

Dito on the poor connection. My 24 hp lawn tractor did the same thing, with sparks then nothing. Finally took a new bolt in the clamp and polishing the terminals with sand paper to solve the problem.

 

[Xfaxman]

It is also possible that the positive terminal is broken in the battery.

Have you removed the negative cable and looked at that connection?

Another thing that happens is positive cables corrode away under the insulation at the battery clamp.

 

[Coyote machine]

A proper load test is done with a battery fully charged, assuming it will take and hold a charge. A store's load tester machine should be able to determine the state of the battery in question. Always work out from the battery to the cables, relays, etc. First verify your battery is NOT toast. Your equipment isn't giving you the needed data, and when in question always verify tests by another known good source, like a store or auto mechanics test equipment. Age of battery can be deceptive and lead one to erroneous conclusions. I've seen brand new batteries dead in the water. I was an Interstate Brand dealer. We always rotated stock based on date codes. I suspect a dead cell or broken post connection to the plates in the battery in question, as others have mentioned.
I'll bet $ 100 of your money on it!
Good luck, be safe around the sparking battery, if it explodes you could be seriously injured or blinded, or both. Not anything anybody wants to have happen, and it doesn't always happen when one thinks it might. It's about explosive gasses reaching tipping point and the right conditions, air saturation with the gases and an errant spark, or just too much charge from the alternator/regulator, etc.

 

[bill333]

The cable connections for both the positive and negative, at both the battery and the other ends, are clean, bright, and tight. I recleaned (including removing the clamp and cleaning the cable wires) and retightened, just to be sure. None of that had any effect. I'll swap in an almost new battery this weekend and see what happens.

I get the same voltage read across the posts, across the terminals, and at the other end of the cables.

Will update.