I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am with about 52k in miles.
Last week I went to start it and it was dead. Flat dead. Just a click when I turned the ignition. No lights, radio, etc.
Battery obviously being dead, and refusing a jump, I went and got another one. Car worked fine.
Tonight I drove it to the drug store. I noticed the lights seemed a bit dim, but car seemed fine. Drove home. 2 hours later my husband drove the car to the grocery store. When he went to start the car, it was again totally dead.
The ignition didn't turn over, just the click noise. No power at all. Couldn't close the window. Couldn't even pop the trunk.
What's going on here? I vote our alternator is dead. My husband thinks it's something else. He likes to believe he is the reincarnation of Mr. Goodwrench, but trust me, he isn't. Could it be the ignition switch? A fuse? Something else?
Car being towed to shop tomorrow, but I'd to have an idea of what we are in for before then.
Thanks!
2006-08-28 18:34:05 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Charging system is bad- you are running on pure battery juice while your car is running. Bad alternator more than likely, or bad regulator/rectifier. I will say alternator. If it was a bad fuse the battery wouldn't come on at all.
2006-08-28 18:39:57 · answer #1 · answered by yazukka 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
sounds like the alternator for sure. but it also could be the wires between the two going bad so that the batt. is not gettin charged right. I am asuming that none of your warning lights came on like they should have. Be careful takin it to just any shop cause if they notice any lack of knowledge alot of them seem to milk people for more than what they really need. But for the most part as you said when he was driving the lights dimmed that is a tell tale sign that the alt is not chargin correctly and it will drain a new battery quick especially with the electronic ignition in your car. Hope i helped some.
2006-08-28 18:45:52 · answer #2 · answered by james s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
M having the same issue with my car I'm just gonna change the battery and the alternator.
2014-09-17 03:42:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just got rid of a 2000 Pontiac grand am because it kept having serious electrical problems. I know Pontiac's are known for having power and electrical issues, so knowing this, I would guess it was due to electrical problems. Mine also started to have issues around 50,000 miles, and just about died on me when I hit 66,000(that's where it was when I recently sold it). If its a fuse, it shouldn't cost very much, (at most about 60 dollars), but I also know that fixing electrical issues can be difficult and many dealerships don't deal with them. Good luck with the car repair.
2006-08-28 18:46:56 · answer #4 · answered by marisscr8 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
with the miles that you have on it and the extreme hot weather that everyone has had it takes a toll on all electrical parts, when the battery shorted out, it more then likely put a load on the voltage regulator that is located on the alternator, causing it to get hot and then it's just a matter of time for it to stop charging, and it may also be possible that you may have purchased a bad battery, I believe it is the alternator
2006-08-28 18:44:29 · answer #5 · answered by taknadvantageof 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sounds like a bad alternator or a short circuit draining your battery to ground. It's easy to take the alternator off and have your local autoparts store check it for free. at the same time they could charge your battery for free. I wonder if you have been using the a.c. a buch this week? Maybe something wrong with the compressor. LOL
2006-08-28 18:42:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
2004 Grandam
2016-10-29 05:36:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bad battery, my 2002 camaro did the same thing, if the alternator was malfunctioning the car would not even run
You can take the battery out, then take it to most auto parts places and they will tell you if it’s bad or not, same with the alternator
2006-08-28 18:41:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Possibly the alternator or the circuit in between,,fuse or wire,, check output of alternator,,at the alternator,, to determine if its dead,,
2006-08-28 18:55:47 · answer #9 · answered by miker6565 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HAVE IT TOWED any shop will most likely test your charging sys for free.......hard to tell from here but id bet it is not ur batt.....hard to believe,two in a row? definatly not a draw,it would take"overnight"to kill batt.....if you do think tou could pull alt yrself dissconnect neg batt cable,take alt to napa,test,if fails,replace,connect batt cable.....youve just knocked some food off the fork of a mechanic......feels soooo good
2006-08-28 19:31:01 · answer #10 · answered by liljimis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋