What tha....?

[Joe Dirt]

(p5yellow) This is my daughters car (02 Prtege 5) and the battery suddenly has started dying on her. She lives 35 miles away or I'd go look at it myself. When it's dead she can jump start it and yesterday morning it was dead and when I called her that evening I had her go try it and it started. She said when it started it didn't sound very strong when turning over. Could this be a battery issue (Autozone said "HUH?") or something else?

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

is it the original battery? maybe its just not holding a charge anymore, only so many times you can jump it b4 its junk. i had that problem with mine. also there could be something draining the power when she turns the car off. any audio equipment or anything like that in the car?

 

[mymmeryloss]

Starter...

 

[StealthWyvern]

Tell her to go get the battery tested... if its good it can be the starter and or battery cables(i doubt this).

 

[Joe Dirt]

Starter...

You sound like you've had this happen to you. Correct?

 

[Joe Dirt]

is it the original battery? maybe its just not holding a charge anymore, only so many times you can jump it b4 its junk. i had that problem with mine. also there could be something draining the power when she turns the car off. any audio equipment or anything like that in the car?

She did have a self-amplified bazooka tube but I had her unplug it.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Tell her to go get the battery tested... if its good it can be the starter and or battery cables(i doubt this).

Autozone tested the battery and said all it needed was to be charged.

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

hmm thats odd. my problem was i had an amp that was drawing power and killing my battery. if its unplugged and ur still losing power then it might be the starter or make sure the terminals are clean

 

[mymmeryloss]

I have had problems from big to small.

Check the cables on the battery and make sure they're tight.
U have checked the battery, but try one that u know works and is charged.
If it doesn't start then it is the starter. The starter solenoid goes out gradually on some starters and jump starting will work for awhile. U can drive the vehicle all over hell and high water and think the battery will be charged, but as soon as u shut the car off and try to start it again it will not start.

Eventually the car won't turn over anymore, but this is just a warning to what is ahead. If it turns out to not be the starter then check ur alternator. But the car is not dying while driving so I doubt it is the alternator...

 

[azuelke]

Starter, alternator, bad connections, bad battery... the list goes on. I would try one thing at a time to try and fix it. For starters, I would suggest getting it fully charged as soon as possible, let it sit overnight, and then check the voltage in the morning. If its more than say, a 4 volt drop, something might be draining the battery.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Damn good suggestions, all of them. And I will check all that as soon as I can get my hands on it. She did just call me and say the vehicle is starting fine but during those times it wouldn't start she could hear a clicking noise. My first thought was starter or solenoid. Any thoughts?

 

[XJ^remy]

do u have a multimeter??

battery should read anywhere from ~11.8-12.4 V.....with car on (alternator charging) ~13.8-14.4 V

if the alternator is shot, obviously battery will not charge, & voltage will just trickle down till it just dies.....jump starting will charge the battery enough to start & momentarily run the car, but like previously posted, will just die.....has the car ever died while in operation, like at a light or leaving it on momentarily to get out & then continue operation?? is this auto or stick??

it sounds like starter (solenoid is part of the starter, u wouldnt just replace the solenoid, itd be the whole starter)....buuut, could be loose/corroded connections......i'd say get a fresh battery in there, clean every lead (+) & ground (-) & make sure they're making good connections.....if the problem persists, starter should be the next focus