Does this sound like a battery problem?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,296
Likes: 8
From: Avon, Indiana
Does this sound like a battery problem?
Went to start the car yesterday, and it would barely turn over. I had started the engine several times the day before when checking the timing, so I thought maybe I'd drained the battery.
I jumped it with another car, and it started right up. Drove it for about half an hour.Got home, turned it off,turned the key and it started right back up. Checked it again six hours later and it started again,so I thought everything was OK.
This morning, it's dead again. I put a voltmeter on the battery and get11.4. About the same reading at the starter.
The problem came on so suddenly that I thought maybe I had created a drain situation when I moved some wiring when working on the car.I can't find any exposed wires.
Could the battery be bad if it reads 11.4?
I jumped it with another car, and it started right up. Drove it for about half an hour.Got home, turned it off,turned the key and it started right back up. Checked it again six hours later and it started again,so I thought everything was OK.
This morning, it's dead again. I put a voltmeter on the battery and get11.4. About the same reading at the starter.
The problem came on so suddenly that I thought maybe I had created a drain situation when I moved some wiring when working on the car.I can't find any exposed wires.
Could the battery be bad if it reads 11.4?
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
The next time you start it also check to see if the alternator is charging properly. With the engine running you should see close to 14 volts at the battery. You can also check to see what the voltage is reading when you try to start the car. Sometimes a battery will drop several volts when cranking the engine. Places like Sears usually offer free battery load tests in the interest of selling you a new battery. I think AutoZone does this also.
You didn't say how old the battery was. Every battery that has died on me has been during the Summer months rather than in our New England Winters. Mine always die suddenly and without any prior symptoms.
Rick B.
You didn't say how old the battery was. Every battery that has died on me has been during the Summer months rather than in our New England Winters. Mine always die suddenly and without any prior symptoms.
Rick B.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 659
Likes: 0
From: Flower Mound Texas
Thought I'd throw this out there. Something similar happened to me. Battery tested fine, but wouldn't hold a charge all of a sudden. I'd come back out in the morning and it'd be dead. My problem was the light switch in the rear console. Even though the console door was fully closed, the light wasn't going out. Kind of like how do you know the light in the refridgerator goes out when you close the door. Not sure why, but the switch just decided to fail one day. Worth a check.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 258
Likes: 2
From: Boise ID
Glovebox light & my favorite: vanity mirror light.
Just some other options for easily missed drains. The easy way to check this is to put the meter in to amp mode & see if there's current drain on the battery when everything's supposed to be off (Don't forget the dome light is on when the door's open & you're checking this...
)Dan
