car wont start
 

my battery is 2 years old and is an optima redtop battery. i havent used the car in about 48 hours and its about 20 degrees outside. the remote works and the dash lights up but looks dim. the radio wont turn on either. when i try to start her i hear the starter clicking a few times but the engine wont turn over. is it the battery or something else?

I'm pretty sure it's the battery. I like yellow top more as it has a deeper cycle, but the redtop has more oomph in cold starts..

Did you try jumping the battery?

I have the Yellow top myself and the same thing happened to me. And it wasn't even cold outside. My neighbor gave me a jump and it's been fine ever since. It's been about two weeks now. After you jump it drive around a bit, at least 30 minutes to give it time to re-charge. Might be a good idea to get a battery charger.

im charing my acdelco jump starter in the wall outlet now. no cables

well the car started up after i jumped her. should i be concerned that the battery will die again if i leave it to sit for a day or 2?

trickler (SP?)

does that battery have a warranty?

Problems & Fixes


Did you check for something left on (like a dome light) after you jumped the car?

Did you do anything to the electrical system recently (install an amp or other accessory)?

When was the last time you drove the car?

i didnt leave anything on the last time i turned the car off. no electrical work at all. i drove the car 2 days ago and all was working fine. no hard start or anything like that.

update...once i jumped the car she was running fine i think. the rpms at idle were a little lower then usual and when shifting from park to drive and reverse, i would notice a drop to almost 500rpms and a slight shudder in the car.

i drove about 100 miles before, stopped to get food for 20 minutes. when i came out, the car would not turn over again. i had to jump it again. then i stopped 50 miles later for gas, turned the car off for 3 minutes and when i went to turn it back on, it hesitated but kicked over.

what do u guys think? bad battery or alternator? if it was the alternator, then wouldnt the car stall when driving?

whats that?

im not sure..this is the battery

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...cts/redtop.php

It sounds like just the battery. If your alternator were bad, it would definitely stall while driving. Also, you would see a charging light on the dash light up.

optima says the battery has a free 3 year replacement warranty. just need the original receipt and bring it to where u bought it. lets try and find this receipt.

Trickle charge = battery tender = no more dead batteries.

a friend was telling me that if I disconnect the negative battery cable while the car is running and the car dies, then theres a problem with my alternator....is this true?

i disconnected the battery cables while the car was running and it didnt stall. so the alternator is fine. i decided to clean the terminals and the cables with a wire brush and since then the car has been starting fine lol

so far anyone else who thinks they have a bad battery, clean the terminals first and see what happens

2 weeks later..
 

i havent had ANY starting problems in the past 2 weeks since the original issue. today i tried to start it after 3 days of non use(about 30 degrees out) and she wouldnt start this morning. i hooked up the portable battery jumper and it started fine. ran around to few stores and it started up each time.

what gives here? i didnt leave any lights on or anything the past few days. is battery just dying?

i decided to get a new battery b.c this issue was getting annoying. even though i went into the car this morning and it started up. i got this one

http://www.interstatebatteries.com/c...912-2147384818

800cca for 85 bucks

car starts up fine now...lets see what happens in 2 weeks lol

libert69, i've been having the same problems as you these past 2 days. i just got my battery replaced at Acura under warranty, but a part of me feels like it's not the battery. I wonder if more people are having similar problems.

First off, its a BAD idea to disconnect the battery with the engine running.
Its not the old days, the car is loaded with electronics, without a battery, the voltage can be all over the place, with spikes and so on, plus it tells you nothing really.
You can have partial failure of the alternator where it only puts out 2/3 of its rated output, or 1/3, and it will run the car at idle fine.

You can go places that will put a gizmo on the car for free and check all the stuff, sears used to do that.

With a newer battery, you should get a free replacement for a least a year, so keep the bill!

I replaced the original battery in my 2005 TL with one I took out of my Passat, its a bosch 90 month battery I got at pep boys in 2004 I think.
I had read the original GM style batterys were no good here....
They generaly last 2 years, where a GOOD battery should last 5 years.

You can have various problems with batteries:

Something drawing power in the car when its off, this is an easy test with a dmm on current (an ammeter).
Normal car off is around 70 MA I think, that is .07 amps.
Varies a bit from car to car/options....
The TL had a radio drawing power problem, or was it blue tooth?

The battery can self short out, over time, crap builds up in the bottom of the battery, and once it reaches the plates, it will slowly discharge the battery.
This is an old age thing.

The battery terminals can be loose and/or dirty.
They need to be clean and tight, and some silicone spray on the battery keeps them that way.
If the terminals have any crust on them, its a BAD sign.

Batteries can go dry. Not all batteries are maintanance free, and you have to add distilled water from time to time.

Rapid charging is very bad, it can warp plates or blow links between cells.

When a battery works fine, then seems dead next start, its often a blown link between cells inside the battery, that is a common problem with batteries featuring the little eye in the top that shows condition.

The charging system can have problems, from a loose alt belt, to blown diodes in the alternator.

You can have problems if you do short trips with high loads, lights, wipers, headlights on, defrosters, fan, you can draw more than the alternator can put out, remember, it also has to recharge the battery after a start.

Headlights... 20 amps?
Fan for defrost 10 amps,
rear window defroster 15 amps,
ac compressor clutch 5 amps,
Engine ecu, fuel pump, injectors, etc. 20 amps,
radiator fans 20 amps,

There is other stuff, but the above adds up to 90 amps, about what most alternators max out at, at something like 3000 engine rpms.

When temps are cold, two things happen, the battery capacity to produce power decreases a lot, and the motor takes a LOT more power to turn over.

Brett