start simple with the battery ....throwing money at things which are not necessarily the problem is not the best policy

 

I agree. We know your battery is likely bad. Not only do cells dry up, but even new batteries can have internal shorts, which cause problems similar to yours. Sometimes it would start fine, other times not at all.

Good idea to have starter tested.

It's unlikely any of the wires are bad unless you've had a short.

Start with the battery. Once you have that installed, have them test your alternator too.

Keep us posted.

 

With a battery that has "dried up", there's always a chance of marginal cables.

Side post batteries have an annoying problem of "weeping" battery acid - the acid penetrates under the jacket of the cable, and corrodes and destroys the wire in a manner akin to termites infesting a 2x4 inside the wall of your house. The cable looks good, but if you bend or flex it, you can feel the corrosion "crunching" inside ....

 

I was going to say something about that. When I first took the cables off there was quite a bit of goo drippin' down the side of the terminal. When I did get the battery out there were little pools of battery juice sitting in the battery tray (see picture)

But - onto the point - I bent the cables in every which way I could, I turned them upside down, looked around and felt all parts of the wire - nothing. No crunch or anything. So now the battery is replaced and Im waiting to see if it does it again (just gonna keep the truck on standby lol)

Another thing - My father brought it up that it could be a starter relay - now I searched the internet and I found something interesting, half of the things I looked at said 99' saturns dont have starter relays, but the other half of things I looked at say they do - and that to find them you have to go cuttin away at electrical tape on the left underside of the dash. I dont have any point to go under the dash (yet atleast) so I dont feel like confirming this myself. What is the true verdict to this?

Heres the nice little bit of acid pooling

 

Ignition Relays are usually located under the hood. They are approximately 1"x1" square, and can be removed much like a fuse. I believe AC Delco has your relay, part #ACD1741C, and they are usually around $20.

If you haven't already, spend $30 on a Haynes repair manual for your car. It has step by step instruction for the average DIYer, along with a "troubleshooting" section to help diagnose.

I'd give your new battery a chance. This will likely solve the problem.

 

Oh, by the way -- before you put that battery back in there, I'd treat that bracket liberally with baking soda and water to neutralize any acid ........

 

I got a haynes manual I think the week after I got the car. I think I have one of those for all the vehicles at my house.
Im gonna give the battery a chance and wait for it to do it again, So far its starting better and all of the electronics in it are working better than ever

I gave the tray a good rinse off but i never thought of using baking soda - Ill probably pull it again this weekend and give it a proper cleaning.

 

I guess I should update this - the battery seems to have been the only problem. I have driven it for a week now, making sure to test it a few times, that it isnt doing it anymore. Im guessing since the battery was bad and leaking that it would lose so much power that only the electronics would start up and it wouldnt actuate the starter/solenoid.

So- as of now, Octavious is running fine again.

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Update - the car has done it again. I just drove it home from work and went to move it again, the car maybe sat for 5 minuets. My other friend was over and he suggested that the solenoid is getting welded up and sticking in the closed position most likely. Im going to look for a starter relay (there is no port for it on the fuse block under the hood for the starter relay, unless i missed it but ill look again soon)

Any other things it could be still? Im going to be checking it all over again soon...