Battery dieing

[Xaisk]

Im getting violently pissed at this stupid car. Every morning for the past week since I replaced my starter the damn thing WONT FUCKING START. I have to keep asking people for jumps and it is ANNOYING. I went and pulled the battery out overnight to see if that would help it and when I put it in the next morning it started. The Alternator is functioning properly as it will drive without shutting down and work all day.

This leads me to believe one of the 2 options.. An electrical short of some sort or a bad battery..

why does this CRAP have to happen when im jobless? seriously wtf?

[charliekuney]

Make sure the clamps are very secure. That's how I got my current coupe for $300. The lady had no idea what was wrong with it (and neither did I at the time) but when we finally got it started to get it home we realized it was just the clamp. Car had/has a brand new alternator and a fresh battery.

[nswst8]

1st is good clean and secure terminal clamps,

2nd would be battery condition. Colder weather is harder on a already weak battery. Check battery fluid level.

[Xaisk]

I know it sounds stupid but id rather not pull apart the battery and release fumes or something?

Anyway I will take the battery to O reillys to have it tested. The wire terminal cables are in almost new condition also with the little felt rings that help prevent corrosion.

[lostforawhile]

check all the grounds, especially the one near the battery tray, and the ones from the engine to the body. do you have an amp? make sure it's actually turning off, the fact you just replaced the starter is making me think you disturbed a ground or something. also if you are putting on the clamps in the morning , maby they are loose. are all your interior lamps turning off? if you have to take each large ground off, sand the area where it goes to the body, and the clamp end, now get a little tube of silicone dielectric grease, and coat the area where it makes contact and the clamp end, before reattaching. the ground may look fine, but it may have enough corrosion to cause a problem,

[nswst8]

I know it sounds stupid but id rather not pull apart the battery and release fumes or something?

Anyway I will take the battery to O reillys to have it tested. The wire terminal cables are in almost new condition also with the little felt rings that help prevent corrosion.

If it is a sealed battery. "DO NOT OPEN IT FOR ANY REASON"

Put a multimeter on the battery and try to start it. If the volts drop below 9.5 volts the battery is weak/bad. If it doesn't drop that far it's not fully charging.

[Maliciousmisery]

I would possibly check to see if you have malfunctioning seat belt retractors, which is very common. Quick way to test this I think is to unhook your battery wire from the terminal. Then place it back on. Listen for a click type noise when you do, coming from the doors. Try that a few times.

If you hear it, they are most likely the cause of your battery drain. Search on here for how to unplug the wires for them to stop it.

[lostforawhile]

I would possibly check to see if you have malfunctioning seat belt retractors, which is very common. Quick way to test this I think is to unhook your battery wire from the terminal. Then place it back on. Listen for a click type noise when you do, coming from the doors. Try that a few times.

If you hear it, they are most likely the cause of your battery drain. Search on here for how to unplug the wires for them to stop it.that usually traces back to a door switch problem, the tensioners are supposed to unlock when you get into the car to make it easier to get around the belt, if there's a problem they are always energized

[lostforawhile]

the electrical troubleshooting manual is now on the three geez wiki, the four pages of seat belt circuit diagrams start on page 262 of the manual, I am so glad I have manual seatbelts

[charliekuney]

The wire terminal cables are in almost new condition also with the little felt rings that help prevent corrosion.

Were the cables replaced at any time or are they just "22-years-old and clean"?

[phrenology]

I have the exact same symptoms. No cold weather here. Battery was checked and serviced a couple of months ago. No amp or after market stereo mods. Battery is charging when I drive. Nothing obvious likelights left on.

[phrenology]

My battery is 3 months old and was checked at the shop recently too. My battery light remains lit.

[lostforawhile]

My battery is 3 months old and was checked at the shop recently too. My battery light remains lit.
with the engine running check for voltage at the white/blue wire from the alternator plug, it should show a positive 12 volts with the engine running, I explained this in detail recently in the lets figure out the alternator wiring,once and for all, thread, in short, that wire will change state from +12 volts to ground depending on whether the alternator is charging, on the charge lamp bulb, there is 12 volts always on one side,with ignition on, if the alternator is charging, the field control wire,white/blue goes to 12 volts + on the other side of that bulb, 12 volts + on both sides causes the bulb to stay off, if that wire changes to ground, the bulb comes on. this same wire also powers the choke heater coil in carb cars, it's split after the plug and goes directly to the choke heater circuit, it also sends a + 12 volts signal to the ecu, and to the multifunction box under the dash, for the oil pressure flasher. I'm not sure where the main under hood harness connectors are on the EFI cars, but on the carb, they are near the battery, you can test for voltage at the connector, or on a carb, check at the white/blue wire for the choke heater

[1813mdw]

Im getting violently pissed at this stupid car. Every morning for the past week since I replaced my starter the damn thing WONT FUCKING START. I have to keep asking people for jumps and it is ANNOYING. I went and pulled the battery out overnight to see if that would help it and when I put it in the next morning it started. The Alternator is functioning properly as it will drive without shutting down and work all day.

This leads me to believe one of the 2 options.. An electrical short of some sort or a bad battery..

why does this CRAP have to happen when im jobless? seriously wtf?

i feel your pain on the broke tip.:( if it turns out to be a bad battery alot of parts stores sell reconditioned(new everything; old casings) batterys for about $25. have you tried disconnecting the batt while the cars running to check the alt

[lostforawhile]

i feel your pain on the broke tip.:( if it turns out to be a bad battery alot of parts stores sell reconditioned(new everything; old casings) batterys for about $25. have you tried disconnecting the batt while the cars running to check the alt

don't do this!!! you will ruin the alternator diodes, or the regulator, plus the voltage spike can fry stuff all through your car. you test the alternator by checking it's output amps under full load, most autoparts stores will roll out the cart and do this for free for you.

[1813mdw]

don't do this!!! you will ruin the alternator diodes, or the regulator, plus the voltage spike can fry stuff all through your car. you test the alternator by checking it's output amps under full load, most autoparts stores will roll out the cart and do this for free for you.

though i've never had a prob with this i can now see how this could be a prob. good job lost:cheers: i learn something new everyday:uh:

[lostforawhile]

though i've never had a prob with this i can now see how this could be a prob. good job lost:cheers: i learn something new everyday:uh:

yea the battery acts as a buffer to help keep the voltage under control, some people think you can do this, it's a carryover from the old days with generators, that voltage can spike as high as 50 volts by disconnecting and reconnecting it, the regulator will control the voltage, but it can't prevent voltage spikes without the battery.

[Xaisk]

Nope charlie. Brand new.. maybe 5 months old. The seatbelt or door might be probable. When I close the passenger door it keeps beeping. I tryed adjusting the piece on the inside of the car (not the latch in the door but the external one inbetween the door and frame when the door shuts) and that didnt fix it. I was told it is the latch thats INSIDE the door itself but I dont see how to take it apart. Idunno how to adjust that either.

There are no corrosion on the terminal cables at all, not even a little. Took em off and looked. My engine to frame ground is new and I put a voltometer on it and tested good. Taking the battery/alt in for a test tommorow on the way back from taking my girl to school.

[lostforawhile]

Nope charlie. Brand new.. maybe 5 months old. The seatbelt or door might be probable. When I close the passenger door it keeps beeping. I tryed adjusting the piece on the inside of the car (not the latch in the door but the external one inbetween the door and frame when the door shuts) and that didnt fix it. I was told it is the latch thats INSIDE the door itself but I dont see how to take it apart. Idunno how to adjust that either.

There are no corrosion on the terminal cables at all, not even a little. Took em off and looked. My engine to frame ground is new and I put a voltometer on it and tested good. Taking the battery/alt in for a test tommorow on the way back from taking my girl to school.
there is a switch that I believe is INSIDE of the door in the latch assembly, this tells the solenoid in the retractor to energize, making it easier to move the belt out of the way, if you look at the wiring diagram it's part of the assembly the way it's drawn. I have a drivers side lxi door but it's too freaking cold to go out there and look to see if the switch comes out.

[Dr_Snooz]

It sounds like you have a parasitic voltage drain. I don't think a new battery is going to help that. You can disconnect the battery each night to keep it from dying. You can also try pulling different fuses until you find the circuit that's draining.

[Maliciousmisery]

the electrical troubleshooting manual is now on the three geez wiki, the four pages of seat belt circuit diagrams start on page 262 of the manual, I am so glad I have manual seatbelts

Thanks for the tip. When I opened up the doors, I couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly was wrong. Just unplugged the damned things so I would not have to disconnect the battery every time the car was not being used.

Going to try to troubleshoot this again when I have some time.

[phrenology]

:help: I don't want to double post, but if anyone who can help out, I put more details about my issues under my own thread:

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1045229&posted=1#post1045229

I ordered a new alternator as a precaution, as the battery is 4 months old. But I still have some concerns after reading the alternator wiring thread.

[lostforawhile]

It sounds like you have a parasitic voltage drain. I don't think a new battery is going to help that. You can disconnect the battery each night to keep it from dying. You can also try pulling different fuses until you find the circuit that's draining.
he has the overhead belt indicator on, that most likely means the internal door switch for the belt tensioners is bad, if that switch thinks the door is open, that solenoid to release the tensioner will stay energized draining the battery, I'm not talking about the overhead light switch, but the switch for the seat belt system, there's one inside of each latch I believe, it makes the belt easier to move out of the way for getting into the car.

[RandyAM]

voltage regulator?????

[88Accord-DX]

I have a similar problem, if I let my car set for more than a week without starting it, the battery is dead. I'm pretty sure I have a parasitic draw somewhere, just haven't messed with it. (plan on putting my Fluke DVM on amp setting - in series with the negative terminal disonnected - then pulling one fuse at a time to point me to the circuit w/ too much resistance.) Then I'll measure resistance from connector to connector . (Good wiring schematic & pinout of the connector is helpful.) Personally, I'll just make sure each wire in the circuit ohms out good first with the meter set on audible, then measure resistance.. one other thing to check is pin to pin (side by side) resitance.


Anyhow, electrical troubleshooting can be a hassle sometimes.

[MessyHonda]

same thing happen to me... i even bought a optima batt...u just pull the belt retractor fuse over night till i get around of disconnecting them.