does this sound like a bad battery?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Jackson Tn
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09
does this sound like a bad battery?
I have an '02 with the original battery. Today I had driven to a near by city about an hour away and the battery was charged. Before I left the house I checked the charge of the battery before I started the engine and it showed 12 volts. The charger shows like 14 volts. Later today when I went to start the car it acted normal until I went to the start position and it went blank. When I turned the key back to run it looked normal. I tried several times and it acted just like a bad connection. I pulled the key and just sat there for a few minutes then tried it again and it started like normal. I checked the volts and everything looked good. Could this be the first sign of a battery going bad because of the age?
Tech Contributor
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Remove both battery cables, clean them, and torque them in place with a torque wrench They need to be torqued to 11 ft/lbs.
You could also be having problems with the starter safety switch circuit. If it is a manual, the clutch switch on the fire wall directly behind the clutch pedel is known to go bad. Pump the clutch pedel on and off the switch as you keep the key in the start position next time it fails and if it makes a difference, the switch needs to be replaced.
There is also a theft deterrent relay that may be going bad.
If you find the cables loose or corroded, that is most likely the problem.
Bill C
You could also be having problems with the starter safety switch circuit. If it is a manual, the clutch switch on the fire wall directly behind the clutch pedel is known to go bad. Pump the clutch pedel on and off the switch as you keep the key in the start position next time it fails and if it makes a difference, the switch needs to be replaced.
There is also a theft deterrent relay that may be going bad.
If you find the cables loose or corroded, that is most likely the problem.
Bill C
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Jackson Tn
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09
I think that you are on to something when you said something about the theft deterrent relay because I noticed that the passanger door was not locked and I knew I had locked the car. the system went off when i opened the door and I knew smething wasn't right. I just checked the car and when I lock it with the remote the passenger side doesn't lock and when I opened the door today the alarm went off. I disengaged the alarm and maybe it took some time for it to reset. It makes since it me. anyone else think of something?
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From: Redsox, Pats, Celts & Bruins !!! Redsox Nation !!!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
No, my battery always says 12.1 to 12.4 before I start the car and makes it up to around 14 right after. Since the battery is 12 volts I would say it looks to be fine. Now if you were getting 10 or so before starting I would say you had a bad battery.
Safety Car
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From: Wisconsin
at full charge
