2006-07-04 00:41:52 · 11 answers · asked by crazyconnie38 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It could be a weak battery , have a damaged cell. Or you could have a short somewhere. First check your battery.
This may help.
http://www.ibsa.com/www_2001/content/faqs/tech_talk/maintenance/testing.htm
But a parts store or most shops will test your battery free of charge and if it's not your battery they will tell you what it is. Or you can IM me and I can go into detail so you can figure out the problem.
2006-07-04 00:51:37 · answer #1 · answered by The Hit Man 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Connie, try this - go to the auto parts or hardware store and buy a cheap multi-meter, (measures volts, amps, resistence). It should be able to read in the 10 amp range. When you get home, make sure all lights are off inside your car, take the keys out, pop the hood open and if it has a light disconnect it. Now disconnect the negative (-) battery terminal and let the car sit for about 45 minutes. Folow the meter's instructions to set it up to measure 10 amps. Without touching the battery cable to the battery, hook the meter's red lead to the (-) cable and the black lead to the (-) battery post and read the meter. This will tell you how much "draw" your car has. It should be less that 0.50A. If not, you have a short somewhere or something not turning off that drains your battery. If it is under 0.50A, rehook the battery, set your meter to read 20V DC, and check the voltage. Now start the car and read V, red lead to (+), black to (-). It should be a good bit higher than just the battery level, maybe around 13.5 - 14V, and should change when you turn on the headlights. If it is not very much higher and actually drops a lot with the headlights, you have a bad alternator. Hope this helps. Now you know how to check your own car, and maybe save a lot of time and money having someone else do exactly the same thing. Good luck.
2006-07-04 01:16:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Connie,
It could be a short anywhere, to begin with. If your alternator has been checked and is operating correctly, clean and/ or replace the terminals and/ or cables. Check the battery itself for a short. Auto Zone, Advance Auto, ... can do this for you. If you have a charger, free the battery from the system and put it on the charger, charge it up, and see if in a few hours the charge is still the same. The short itself can be in the battery. If you want to test the alternator yourself... while the vehicle is running, pull off one of the battery connections, if the vehicle remains running the alternator is fine, if it stalls out, then replace the alternator. Hope this has helped in any way.
Terry
2006-07-04 00:58:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This could be caused by all kinds of things. Here is the short list:
-stuck relay or other device staying “on” in the car.
oYou can find this by using an amp-meter and start removing fuses until the drain is located.
oCheck obvious things like lights/blower motor/ etc. that stay on after you shut down.
oRemove anything that is plugged into the cigarette lighter.
-Bad battery or defective cell. Dirt or debris inside the actually battery can intimately short one cell which is enough to make it appear “dead”.
-Dirt/debris on top of the battery between the terminals. Sometimes if the top of the battery is really really grimy the goo will actually conduct electricity and run your battery down.
-The battery is simply worn out and will only hold a “surface charge”.
Hope that helps
2006-07-04 01:00:22 · answer #4 · answered by Drewpie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be the battery. Certain batterys can be opened on top if it can be there will be a raised rectangle on top that you can lift under that are "cells" each one filled with water and one of them could be low if you add some to it that could fix it if not go buy a new battery.
2006-07-04 00:55:15 · answer #5 · answered by chaos.andcorruption 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try a different battery, if the problem persists it's probably a short somewhere.The short could be almost anywhere so you'll need to have a pro look at it. Good luck.
2006-07-04 00:50:45 · answer #6 · answered by CKRT SQRL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your starter solenoid is probably sticking. This will drain the battery very fast and will ruin the battery if it is not fixed fast. Hope I have been helpful.
2006-07-04 01:15:18 · answer #7 · answered by king_davis13 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may have a light on
Check your trunk light
Check your hood light
If neither one of these do it for you than you may have a shorted regulator or dead cells in your battery..
http://www.photocarshowplus.com
2006-07-04 00:45:40 · answer #8 · answered by Vulcan 1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you got an alternator problem, cos its not holding charge.
2006-07-10 22:16:29 · answer #9 · answered by mc_691 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A couple things,
Something is being left on, or, you have a dead cell.
How old is your battery?
2006-07-04 00:46:19 · answer #10 · answered by GENT 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋