1990 Delta 88 Royal starting problems

1990 Olds Delta 88 Royal with about 150,000 miles

First the problem...

I put the key in and everything works. Lights, flashers, everything. I turn the key and everything dies. The engine clicks. I take out the key and try again, now nothing works, not even the engine click thing. I wait awhile and "jingle" the key around and as long as I don't turn it the lights and door chime works. On times I do get it started it dies if it's not reved up (guessing fuel filter), or as soon as something, such as the lights, comes on it kills the engine...I just changed the battery and alternator, thinking that was the problem, it wasn't.


Ok now a little back story and I'll try to keep it short. I've been off work for over a year because of eye trouble (I'm fine now) and my car has set that long. I went out and started it up every week and let it run about a half hour. (enough to keep the battery from dieing) I started working again and saved up some money to get it going again. (taxes and all that...on a car I supposedly own...:banghead: but thats a topic for a different forum, lol)

Well about a week ago I went to walmart to get tires and an oil change. I drove it about a half hour to get there, over a mountain and no problems, she ran great. (till I noticed that sometime in the last year the CD player had been stolen...) I walk around a bit and come back just in time to see the guys pushing her out of the bay...and they tell me that it's the alternator...and they don't do that at walmart...doesnt sound right, but whatever. I changed the alternator myself in the parking lot, I've never done anything more than spark plugs on a car, and am thankful that Oldsmobile put it on top...but anyway, that wasn't the problem. They jumped me and as soon as anything got turned on, lights, tale lights, signal lights, anything cuts the engine. I checked the fuses and there all good. I towed it home and now even jumping it won't start it. Is this something simple like an ignition switch...or should I just sell her (hurts to say that...) for parts.

The car also used to shake a lot when I got to about 50mph to about 60mph...I'm thinking the trans, if I floored it or let off the gas it quit.

In the year and a half I've owned it I've put on a new radiator, plugs and wires, harmonic balancer, the top part of whatever the thing is that the plug wires come out of (forgive the :screwy:) brakes and rotors all around, and a new alternator...OH, and $300 tires that have about 20 feet on them, lol.

Ok, anyway, thanks in advance...I"ve tried to give everything I know about the problem...I'm new to this (this site has already been a great help) so if I broke a rule or something forgive me. I don't know much about cars, but I"m not affriad to get my hands greesy.

Let's start by charging the battery & cleaning both ends of all the battery cables. Remove the rubber boots & bolts from the cables and give everything a good cleaning with sandpaper or wire brush. Reassemble with some dielectric grease & then give us an update.

OK, I couldn't take off the rubber boots, but I took of that metal plate that has the 3800 thing on it and cleaned all the connections under it to. I'm ashamed...the battery cables were a nasty shade of green...the battery apparently is leaking, what I thought was condensation water burns like all he...anyway, I'll take it back and get another. It "wants" to start now, just cant thanks to the dead battery. (hopefully thats what it is now...) Sorry it took me so long to update, I haven't had a day off from work till today, so I'm spending my day off on the car, lol. I'll update later today when I put in a new battery. Thanks again...

She started right up :-) It's got a really rough idle, but hopefully new gas, fuel filter and pump will fix it. I'll have to have someone else do that...I may not me the smartest, but I know better than to crawl under a car on a gravel driveway, lol. But at least now I can drive it to a garage...once I get some money saved up...well...off to work. Thanks again for all the help.

As far as the rough idle goes,consider having the injectors pressure cleaned at a shop,GM vehicles are well known for clogged injectors.