battery died yesterday, read please

fiveohpatrol · 09-17-2001, 06:47 PM

i went out to my car yesterday and tried to start it with no success, it clicked one time and then nothing after that, it didnt even have enough power for the dome light/horn/radio/lights, nothing, so i got it jumped and went to autozone, they said they cant go outside after dark to test things so i took my battery out and brought it inside, it tested out fine, this morning it started fine, as well as after my classes, then i went back and had them test my alternator and it tested out fine, atleast thats what he said, i saw about 12.5 volts at idle (i do have pulleys so is that about right?) then he said when he put a load on it at idle it went low, but i think thats because of the pulleys, i dont know where to start, my positive battery cable is fairly worn, could that cause this problem?
again, my car was fine all day today, but i know that something had to cause it the first time and it will probably happen again soon, i just wanna catch it before that happens

------------------
88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

PKRWUD · 09-17-2001, 08:56 PM

99% of the time that a daily driver suddenly has a battery that is so dead you only get one click, it's in the cables / terminals. Go ahead and replace your pos cable, and inspect your neg cable too. Clean the battery posts and make sure the clamps are on tight.

The reason you had trouble yesterday and not today is probably because you had a bad connection at the battery, but when you removed it and reinstalled it, you improved the connection.

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

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fiveohpatrol · 09-17-2001, 10:38 PM

so are you saying my battery wasnt even dead and just had a bad connection? or that the bad connection caused the battery to die? thanks for the info

09-18-2001, 02:23 AM

he is right try that first but if you put a load on it & it drop's you might want to ck your altenator start it up turn everything, on radio, lights heater fan , or ac , etc if it start's going down , it's probabably your alt. try it anyway. hey by the way, my daughter & grandaughter live in bargersville near franklin, went up for the brickyard this year they want us to move up there i don't know about that yet, too cold for me , good luck let me know how it turn's out for you.

[This message has been edited by mustang marty gt (edited 09-18-2001).]

PKRWUD · 09-18-2001, 05:21 AM

More than likely, your battery was fine. When you jumpstarted it, how long did it take before it started? If the battery was truly dead, it would have taken several minutes. You may also be having trouble with your alternator, but a bad alternator will not drain the battery overnight. If it was because of the alternator, your battery would have died while driving home the night before, not the next morning. Comprende?

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

fiveohpatrol · 09-18-2001, 10:08 AM

the battery was dead then, it did take a few minutes to get it charged, one weird thing that has never happened to me before when i was jumping the battery, i left all of the cables on as i tried to start it, the first couple times it just barely cranked then stopped because it didnt have enough juice yet, then after that it didnt even crank, i heard the solenoid clicking really fast, so i took the cables off and then tried it again and it started right up, what caused this? was it getting too much voltage?

tjustin_moser · 09-18-2001, 02:06 PM

you do need to check the connections on the battery also if you have an alarm on your car the connection there may be bad and that will not allow you to start the car w/o a jump

tjustin_moser · 09-18-2001, 02:08 PM

you do need to check the connections on the battery also if you have an alarm on your car the connection there may be bad and that will not allow you to start the car w/o a jump

PKRWUD · 09-18-2001, 08:43 PM

That sounds like a positive battery cable in really bad shape to me. The strands could carry the voltage but not the amps, intermittantly. Your battery sounds like it's just fine, but a load test would be wise. Just replace the positive cable and tell me what happens.

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

2FastLX · 09-19-2001, 06:03 AM

I'm with Chris Drew. Replace the cables, clean all connections, and go from there. I chased a similar problem around (and still am) and ended up replacing everything, so start with the easy stuff. I think I have mine narrowed down to either the ignition switch is going bad, or I really need to get that alarm out of there and rewire it. It's a mess!

Good luck, and check your mail.

------------------
Gunning for 12's!

Buy your parts here
ICQ# 42269241

Heroboy · 09-19-2001, 07:05 PM

Change the battery cables for sure, make sure you pay the extra 5 bucks and get "QUALITY" cables, I had starting probs with my mustang, ended up changing the starter when it was only the negetive post on the block. Second went my starter solenoid, changed that with a cheapo, BAD IDEA, i started my car once and it welded itself shut, so of course my battery died a slow engine cranking DEATH,
---------YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR---------

84LX89GT · 09-19-2001, 11:27 PM

Your battery can have all the volts in the world, but if there's no amperage (flow) it's kinda useless. I agree with Chris as well. Check out your cables and see if there's any corrosion (sulfur) that looks like it's penetrated the inside of the cable. Sulfur tends to crawl up positive battery cables and increase resistance quite a bit.
Did Autozone load test the battery? A battery can appear to be ok from the voltage but a load test can detect a slow charging battery that may completely die soon.
Good luck, sorry to hear your misfortune.

09-17-2001, 06:47 PM	#1
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	battery died yesterday, read please i went out to my car yesterday and tried to start it with no success, it clicked one time and then nothing after that, it didnt even have enough power for the dome light/horn/radio/lights, nothing, so i got it jumped and went to autozone, they said they cant go outside after dark to test things so i took my battery out and brought it inside, it tested out fine, this morning it started fine, as well as after my classes, then i went back and had them test my alternator and it tested out fine, atleast thats what he said, i saw about 12.5 volts at idle (i do have pulleys so is that about right?) then he said when he put a load on it at idle it went low, but i think thats because of the pulleys, i dont know where to start, my positive battery cable is fairly worn, could that cause this problem? again, my car was fine all day today, but i know that something had to cause it the first time and it will probably happen again soon, i just wanna catch it before that happens ------------------ 88 Notch, B&M Ripper, 3.73's, Ported E7's, Explorer int. w/ ported lower, pulleys, 1.7RR's, BBK headers, off-road H-pipe, flowmasters, subframes, 65mm TB, March ram air ,MSD coil, U/L control arms, 155lph f/p, Crane Adj.FPR, Nitto drag radials, best 1/4--> 13.76@101.4 on a 2.17 60ft

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09-17-2001, 08:56 PM	#2
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	99% of the time that a daily driver suddenly has a battery that is so dead you only get one click, it's in the cables / terminals. Go ahead and replace your pos cable, and inspect your neg cable too. Clean the battery posts and make sure the clamps are on tight. The reason you had trouble yesterday and not today is probably because you had a bad connection at the battery, but when you removed it and reinstalled it, you improved the connection. Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-17-2001, 10:38 PM	#3
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	so are you saying my battery wasnt even dead and just had a bad connection? or that the bad connection caused the battery to die? thanks for the info

09-18-2001, 02:23 AM	#4
mustang marty gt Guest Posts: n/a	he is right try that first but if you put a load on it & it drop's you might want to ck your altenator start it up turn everything, on radio, lights heater fan , or ac , etc if it start's going down , it's probabably your alt. try it anyway. hey by the way, my daughter & grandaughter live in bargersville near franklin, went up for the brickyard this year they want us to move up there i don't know about that yet, too cold for me , good luck let me know how it turn's out for you. [This message has been edited by mustang marty gt (edited 09-18-2001).]

09-18-2001, 05:21 AM	#5
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	More than likely, your battery was fine. When you jumpstarted it, how long did it take before it started? If the battery was truly dead, it would have taken several minutes. You may also be having trouble with your alternator, but a bad alternator will not drain the battery overnight. If it was because of the alternator, your battery would have died while driving home the night before, not the next morning. Comprende? Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-18-2001, 10:08 AM	#6
fiveohpatrol I'd rather be basketweaving Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 2,551	the battery was dead then, it did take a few minutes to get it charged, one weird thing that has never happened to me before when i was jumping the battery, i left all of the cables on as i tried to start it, the first couple times it just barely cranked then stopped because it didnt have enough juice yet, then after that it didnt even crank, i heard the solenoid clicking really fast, so i took the cables off and then tried it again and it started right up, what caused this? was it getting too much voltage?

09-18-2001, 02:06 PM	#7
tjustin_moser Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Posts: 18	you do need to check the connections on the battery also if you have an alarm on your car the connection there may be bad and that will not allow you to start the car w/o a jump

09-18-2001, 02:08 PM	#8
tjustin_moser Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA Posts: 18	you do need to check the connections on the battery also if you have an alarm on your car the connection there may be bad and that will not allow you to start the car w/o a jump

09-18-2001, 08:43 PM	#9
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	That sounds like a positive battery cable in really bad shape to me. The strands could carry the voltage but not the amps, intermittantly. Your battery sounds like it's just fine, but a load test would be wise. Just replace the positive cable and tell me what happens. Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-19-2001, 06:03 AM	#10
2FastLX The Photoshop Guru Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Mecca, Indiana Posts: 1,419	I'm with Chris Drew. Replace the cables, clean all connections, and go from there. I chased a similar problem around (and still am) and ended up replacing everything, so start with the easy stuff. I think I have mine narrowed down to either the ignition switch is going bad, or I really need to get that alarm out of there and rewire it. It's a mess! Good luck, and check your mail. ------------------ Gunning for 12's! Buy your parts here ICQ# 42269241

09-19-2001, 07:05 PM	#11
Heroboy Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4	Change the battery cables for sure, make sure you pay the extra 5 bucks and get "QUALITY" cables, I had starting probs with my mustang, ended up changing the starter when it was only the negetive post on the block. Second went my starter solenoid, changed that with a cheapo, BAD IDEA, i started my car once and it welded itself shut, so of course my battery died a slow engine cranking DEATH, ---------YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR---------

09-19-2001, 11:27 PM	#12
84LX89GT Mustangs Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,938	Your battery can have all the volts in the world, but if there's no amperage (flow) it's kinda useless. I agree with Chris as well. Check out your cables and see if there's any corrosion (sulfur) that looks like it's penetrated the inside of the cable. Sulfur tends to crawl up positive battery cables and increase resistance quite a bit. Did Autozone load test the battery? A battery can appear to be ok from the voltage but a load test can detect a slow charging battery that may completely die soon. Good luck, sorry to hear your misfortune.