As Bill mentioned - the starter draws a huge amount of current. It can be in the areas of 200 amps or so. If you don't have a high current meter, there would be no way to measure it directly. Measuring across the battery can give an idea of how much current is being drawn. Your battery and the cables have to be in good enough shape to be able to supply that high current draw. Your voltage is dropping more than it should. 8 would be better, with 6 as an absolute minimum.

Clean up the cables, and see if things improve. Not only will dirty cables causing starting problems, but it won't allow the battery to charge as it should.

The information you quoted is accurate, however it is hard for the shade tree mechanic to know if the battery is truly fully charged. I've found that more useful to check whether battery or cables. If the lights go out, it'* generally the cables. If they dim, it'* generally the battery. At this point, I'd be leaning toward you having a bad battery.

The ECC flashing is likely a result of the drop in voltage. If it gets that low while you're starting, for all practical purposes, the ECC sees that it has lost power and goes into a reset mode.

Edit - The green eye on the battery shows that it is charged enough for testing...not that the battery is good.

Do you have a good battery charger? If so, charge the car overnight then try starting it. If it starts well, it'* likely your battery that is your problem. The best way to tell for sure is to have the battery load tested.

I'll give the cables a little TLC and see if that helps. I'll have to verify, but I think the headlights actually go out when it cranks slow. That'* why I've been leaning toward bad cables. I'll do more diagnosis and see what I find.

I edited my previous post so there is extra information there. Is there someplace you can get your battery tested?

Ay carumba!!!!!

I am with the others in suspecting a cable issue. If I get the chance, I can try to get over and help out....or, you can come over to me (or.........whatta doing tomorrow? Wanna go to Payson with me and work on it there where it'll be 15 degrees cooler out?)

I can get the battery load tested at Checker... only about 3 miles down the road from me. I'll give it a shot, then report back what I find.

Bob, I'm thinking it'* a bad cable as well, but I'm going to follow the proper steps and check everything out. Unfortunately I can't do a drive to Payson... need to save gas so Holly and I can go to Tucson on Saturday and pick up her new ride But I might call you and pop over to your house tonight if I need to turn a few wrenches.

No problem. I'll be around tonight if you need anything.

Checked all the cables over and they were fine, so I got the battery load tested. Lo and behold, it failed the test So I picked up a new battery and the car seems to start fine again. ECC still flashes on every restart, but Mr. Bob tells me its a normal thing and should quit after about 40 key cycles. You guys sure called the battery being junk... I had my heart set on cable issues