lgnd4u2nv

ok so last night when i was driving home i was listening to my system and when the bass hit the lights would dim...this usually doesnt happen. so i got the idea that my battery might be going bad. i parked it over night, and this morning when i went to go to work, i stuck the key in and turned it and NOTHING happend.

no dash lights, no anything.

so i tried to jump it off of my friends car. while the cars were connected, i tried to start it, and the dash lights came on, but all it did was click. it click repeatedly while i was holding the key in the start position, but i saw no sign of power going to the engine.

i pulled the battery out, and took it to autozone and it tested as a good battery.

what could it be alternator? or starter?

thanks

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IAmLegend

sounds like the starter. if the alternator is bad it doesnt effect your start up (provided the battery is charged). the alternator is only in effect once the engine is started.

the fact that you mentioned headlights dimming sounds to me like the battery. so does the click. i would just to be sure, jump your car thru a good car, but instead of putting the jumper cables to your car battery, connect the cables directly to your battery cable. if still nothing, you could have bad battery terminals/cables! this happened to me before and i thought it was my battery, but it turned out i just had old brittle cables and chewed up terminals.

if you still get nothing doing a jump like i mentioned, try hitting the starter with something. a lot of times if u hit it, it will revive temporarily. if hitting the starter at least makes it crank or somethin, you know its the starter.

worst comes to worst, take out the starter, take it down to autozone, and have them bench test it to double check

DrDave

Hi:

I think you can rule the starter out. Your problem occurs during running not just starting. You need to check a couple of things. First, all testing must be done with a fully charged battery. Read the last sentence again out loud.

Here is a quick diagnostic test procedure.

1. Charge the battery;

2. check the resting voltage. it should be ~12.5-13 volts.

2a. Check for bad/loose/dirty battery connections.

3. Have the battery load tested. Weak battery or dead cell - replace battery.

4. If good, start the car and check the battery voltage with no load. It should be 14.2 volts.

5. Turn on the lights and fan. Rev the engine to 1500 rpm. The alternator should keep up with the load. If voltage is below ~13.8, we have a charge problem.

6. Turn on your stereo and check the voltage. If everything checks okay you need to look for a drain on the system.

7. Report back the results for the above and I will direct your next diagnostic plan.

I have to go work on my motorcycle. I will check back later. Don't worry, we will work through this together.

Dave

IAmLegend

he has a good battery. autozones tester should load test it for CCA's and voltage. i work at Kragens i know what the testers test. hes got a good battery and its still not starting, so he has a starting problem, not a running problem.

btw lgnd4u2nv, if you do get the car started and running, as DrDave said you want to have the whole electrical tested out to make sure everything is good. taking it to an auto parts store that does free testing will be able to test all of your components while they are in the car as long as the car will start.

DrDave

Iam legend:

How did you determine that he had a good battery?

Dave

DrDave

Iamlegend:

Please tell me what meter you use to identify a cold cranking amp vs. any other kind of amp?

Dave

Alperovich

I'm with dave. its NOT the starter.

If his battery was completely drained. there is no way you'll start on a jump alone. you'll need the battery to charge up a little b4 it'll start.

sounds like u have a alt issue+ and light battery drain (common on our cars, and most cars, aftermarket alarm, amps, stuff like that, a uncharged battery will die quickly)

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94 GS
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Jetdoc

Sounds like a bad connection at the battery. Clean them and make sure they are tight. Start it up then check the voltage at the battery. It should be around 14 volts when running.

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IAmLegend

the reason i determined he had a good battery was he said he got it tested at auto zone. they have testers that put a load on the battery and measure the CCAs and voltage. therefore, if they said he has a good battery, it should be good.

im not sure what meter the tester uses or how it works, but i know that they have devices for testing batteries that are supposed to be accurate.

Kenso

Personally I don't trust Autozone or the people that work there for shit. Wouldn't surprise me if the battery was in fact bad.

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lgnd4u2nv

ok, well what happened was i got the battery tested, so i called a friend to come help me pull the alternator out to have that tested.

so when he got to my house i put the battery back in and connected the terminals....i turned the key to show him the clicking sound.....but what do ya know....IT STARTED RIGHT UP

i dont know if i should be happy or mad.

im gonna take it to my regular shop and have them inspect the whole electrical system.

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Philendrick

Sounds like a bad connection at the terminals, or bad terminal wires.

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Philip

2001 CL-S
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Alperovich

that or autozone charged the battery b4 testing it. OR the jumper pack gave it enough boost to start.

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94 GS
MLS Bar; FUT rear ties; ADDCO rear sway bar; Blackend Engine Damper; EBC Yellow pads; D/S Rotors; Enkei EVO5's
Alpine HU+Speakers; 93 front bumper; Matte Black grill; Stromung axle-back 2.5 tips

DrDave

lgnd4u2nv:

It sounds like you are on step "2a." Now continue and don't skip anything. You will feel better about this whole deal if you follow the procedure and find the problem.

Dave

IAmLegend

doesnt surprise me. ive had batteries do that to me before. just know that there is a possibility that something could happen in the future. A) you could have a bad battery. they go in and out sometimes. if it looks old and is old, it might be time for a new one

but i bet theres also a really good chance you had a loose battery terminal and when you re-installed it, you fixed that problem